Finally, An Infrastructure that works?
Seiously, let me tell you, kids. I am most impressed with the public works of Champaign-Urbana, in a big way. I got in on the early voting action yestrday, as I'm still registered in Chicago. So I got to go down to the county clerks' office and do an absentee ballot. First of all, I e-mailed the office the night before and asked about the procedures. The very next morning, I had a message from them, and I could see that it had been sent bright and early. I got in there, and was whisked through the process quickly and efficiently and still got to work on time despite the fact that I got lost on the way there from the polling place.
Last month, in my first full, official week of being a Champanian (LOL!) I went to the DMV to get the address on my license changed. That was more about keeping on the up-and-up with the FOID business, I didn't want any trouble in case I had a firearms issue (burglars, you have been warned!). I was in the DMV for a full 20 minutes before I was back on the street, new licence and state ID in hand. I even got new photos for both, as I had seen my 'fat soccer mom' photo for what I vowed would be the last time. Of course, I was there at midday on a Wednesday, I'm sure it's different on a Saturday. Either way, there were no employees dicking around behind the counter sipping coffee and staring indifferently at a line of people that have been waiting for hours. Nobody snapped at me when I signed on the wrong line, no one "lost" my paperwork in the three feet down the counter it had to travel. When someone in the chain of command had a problem with their computer, a supervisor was right there on the spot to get it going.
There was some major stormage in the area a while back, and most of Chicago along the north branch of the river was flooded. Bus routes shut down, the El was out of whack, there was no power, and it went on for days. I was actually en route to Champaign from Chicago at the time and drove through the terrifying storm. I expected this town to be a swamp, not caring about my home because I'm on the second floor and slightly uphill from the main drag. But, I figured the streets would be underwater and there would be no power. No such sob story. Granted, there isn't a major waterway cutting through Champaign that would flood. Even so, I saw city workers out by the park, they appeared to be pumping out the gutters and removing debris from the grills, as if they saw it coming and decided a little preventive measure was in order. And all the lights were on.
I never see graffiti here. I never see garbage in the streets. Now, of course, it begs the question of population and compression and all those things that cause people in urban settings to act like animals. However, this area has pockets of severe poverty, acts of violence and a whole lot of alcohol being served. Add to that the fact that most of the people around here are young and drunk students who are not from here, are only in town for a while, and therefore really have no reason to give a shit about anything. Yet things remain intact. Beyond the citizenry level, the city works are right on time. The roads aren't full of holes, even the aged cobblestone streets are in good shape. Sucks to ride a bicycle on them, but the driving's not bad. The trees get trimmed along the power lines. I see cops everywhere. The arts are alive and well. Historical landmarks are preserved, restored and revered. I stopped twice today on my bike ride to read big plaques in peoples' yards about why their homes were important. The schools' grounds are clean and well-maintained.
So, what's my point.....the point is, what is the problem with Chicago? The mayor of the city seems to run the entire state, and his name reeks of influence. His father had more to do with putting JFK into office than most people will ever know. Chicago, with its millionaires and clout-heavy politics, its benefactors and businesses, and it can't even keep its books straight? I heard from the right-hand man of a powerful alderman that the city is in horrible crisis, it's laying off people by the hundreds. Ticket-writing is at an all-time high and small businesses, including my ex-husband's, are getting audited right and left. It's still not enough, and people are getting laid off by the hundreds, entire departments are being shut down. Yet, as we speak, new trees are being planted, and the lines on the roads are being repainted, despite the fact that the potholes are still there. Beautiful, influential masterpieces of architecture are being demolished to make way for shitty, slap-dash condos that no one can afford anyway. Chicago is the prime example of a metropolis gone horribly, horribly wrong. You would think, with all their money, with the clout of the politicians, the strength of its history, tempered with the stout midwestern ethic, Chicago would really be a shining example of what a city should be. Yet, it continues to mutate and degrade further into a slimy morass, a stinking swamp of corruption, mismanagement and chaos. It's the life story of someone who just can't manage to get their priorities straight.
The longer I'm here, the more I'm disappointed in Chicago. Once upon a time, I was young and idealistic and in love with the city. Then the gloss of alcohol and young love and adventure dulled and I could see the blemishes. And as I morphed into the tax-paying, sort-of responsible adult I think I am now, what I see makes me ill. I wish it weren't so. When I mention to the locals in Champaign that I'm from Chicago, their eyes light up and they get excited, the way I used to when I used to visit the windy city on weekends. They can't believe I'd choose Champaign over Chicago voluntarily, and I'm not even in college, that's the real corker. I just tel them that if they were to spend any real amount of time in Chicago, it would make perfect sense.