CHICAGO | Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

[BVictor1]

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...n-lucas-museum

June 14, 2016

Time for Friends of the Parks to play it straight on Lucas Museum

Greg Hinz on Politics

If you're going to hold yourself out as the great defender of the public interest, it sure helps to be, well, public.

I wish the good folks at Friends of the Parks would get that message. Whatever its intent, the Chicago civic group is acting like a secret special interest that can't be bothered to answer questions and level with those it's supposedly representing in its continued battle with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over the proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

My reference is to the media exchange late last week in which both I and Michael Sneed at the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Friends' badly divided board had voted to sue for peace, offering to drop the federal lawsuit that has blocked construction of the Lucas Museum in exchange for creating hundreds of new acres of park space elsewhere.

Sneed can speak for herself, but my story had multiple sources and I stand by it. But ever since, all the group has done is issue a clear-as-mud statement denying that it's pulling its lawsuit, at least for now, and that the principle of preserving the lakefront for public use must not be "ignored."

That's far less than definitive. So I've directed more than a dozen emails, calls and messages through intermediaries to Friends Executive Director Juanita Irizarry and board Chairwoman Lauren Moltz saying I'd like to talk with them and clarify exactly what happened at that board meeting and where the group stands now. I contacted them not only because they are in charge of the organization but because, according to my sources, they were on the losing side of a 12-4 board vote.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...n-lucas-museum

June 14, 2016

Time for Friends of the Parks to play it straight on Lucas Museum

Greg Hinz on Politics

Meow! Greg is not pleased.

[XIII]

Tomorrow's hearing has been pushed back

Update, 4:50 p.m. — Tomorrow’s U.S. District Court status hearing on the FOTP suit has been postponed by consent of both sides until Aug. 11 as they wait for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to issue its likely dispositive ruling. The 7th Circuit is taking a long time to rule on the city’s request for a mandamus order, which means the city may have a better shot than a lot of people had figured.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by XIII

Tomorrow's hearing has been pushed back

Good, it would be great if the FotPL suit was tossed.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Good, it would be great of FotPL suit was tossed.

That would be welcome news and hilarious because the friends of the paved surfaces get NOTHING CHARLIE, YOU GET NOTHING! As Gene Wilder would say. Would be quite funny as the organization is likely kaput, at least in its current format, if that happens. Whatever, that's what happens when you steal fizzy lifting drink.

[TimeAgain]

Do the executive officers of FOTP have to follow what the board wants? I'm trying to figure out if this now means that they're engaging in negotiations with the city.

[Mr Downtown]

Yes, the board sets policy for the organization, and a reasonably new executive director would never ignore a clear directive.

I don't know what the confusion was that caused two good reporters to go with a story that the organization later said was wrong. As a longtime observer of human nature and nonprofit organizations, I have some theories, but see no point in adding more baseless speculation.

[pilsenarch]

well, I have no hesitancy to add my 2 cents: It is the political ambitions of Juanita Irizarry that has fueled this ridiculous suit from the beginning...

[JK47]

Yes, this looks like an aggressive game of brinksmanship on the part of Moltz and Irizarry. It's becoming clear that the majority of the Board are not sold on their plan.

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by pilsenarch

It is the political ambitions of Juanita Irizarry that has fueled this ridiculous suit from the beginning...

The lawsuit was filed a year before she was involved with the organization in any way.

[pilsenarch]

ok, suit has been kept alive due to Irizarry's personal agenda

[msu2001la]

Originally Posted by TimeAgain

Do the executive officers of FOTP have to follow what the board wants? I'm trying to figure out if this now means that they're engaging in negotiations with the city.

I'm confused about how any negotiation would even work here.

Even if the city gets FOTP to agree to drop their lawsuit, couldn't disagreeing board members just turn around and file the same lawsuit again through a different organization? Or, some other group entirely could take up the cause?

[TimeAgain]

Originally Posted by msu2001la

I'm confused about how any negotiation would even work here.

Even if the city gets FOTP to agree to drop their lawsuit, couldn't disagreeing board members just turn around and file the same lawsuit again through a different organization? Or, some other group entirely could take up the cause?

Most other courts would have tossed it out immediately. Most experts expect the city to actually win the lawsuit, at least on appeal. I don't know if they could file another lawsuit before the same judge. Not sure.

[Mr Downtown]

Yes, any citizen of Illinois could bring the exact same lawsuit, sending everyone back to square one. Once the public trust lawsuit is decided, the issue becomes res judicata (already settled) and any new lawsuits could easily be dismissed.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

Yes, any citizen of Illinois could bring the exact same lawsuit, sending everyone back to square one.

Yeah, but most won't even if they want to because of legal fees. Most people simply cannot afford to bring the city to court due to this and/or time.

[msu2001la]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yeah, but most won't even if they want to because of legal fees. Most people simply cannot afford to bring the city to court due to this and/or time.

I'm specifically thinking about FOTP board members or big dollar members that may not be happy with whatever negotiated settlement FOTP/Rahm might come up with.

I doubt legal fees are an obstacle for them.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by msu2001la

I'm specifically thinking about FOTP board members or big dollar members that may not be happy with whatever negotiated settlement FOTP/Rahm might come up with.

I doubt legal fees are an obstacle for them.

Right, but my point that this notion that there would be a good chance of the lawsuit continuing is misconstrued. Most people cannot or don't want to afford this whether it's monetarily or due to time constraints with their actual lives, even if they completely are in line with the point of the lawsuit themselves. You make a good point that there could be some big money backers from the FOTP, if they were to negotiate, who could bring it up - but Joe Blow from Norwood Park who opposes the museum on the proposed site(s) is not going to continue the lawsuit. It's going to take someone or an organization with money to spare.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by msu2001la

I'm specifically thinking about FOTP board members or big dollar members that may not be happy with whatever negotiated settlement FOTP/Rahm might come up with.

I doubt legal fees are an obstacle for them.

Whatever negotiating power they had would evaporate and they'd be forced to sue every time they didn't like something the City or Park District was up to. Since both have in house council it's no skin off their back but FotP has to pay (even at a discounted rate from friendly lawyers). Going rogue isn't much of an option if you want the organization to survive long term.

[XIII]

Talks entering later stages in SFO and LA

Seems this is the other "you get nothing. NOTHING!" scenario. It would be sad to lose the museum. It would be even worse to lose the museum and 4 miles of new parkland because Juanita's ego and political ambitions got in the way.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics...on-california/

[k1052]

Crains is reporting that FotP is willing to negotiate had the board has developed a very extensive wish list. Unfortunately in addition to everything they want the MPE is the desired site and want the Soldier Frield parking lot converted to green space.. We'll see how much survives negotiation with the city before the clock runs out on the appeals court's decision.