In our upcoming election for the next Alderperson for Rogers Park in the 49th ward of Chicago, we have three potential candidates to choose from. The first is our current Alderperson, Maria Hadden, followed by Bill Morton, the current President of the Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce, and Belia Rodriguez, a former Board Director of the Rogers Park Business Alliance.
As someone happy with the current Alderperson and has seen her tirelessly work all day and night to represent and care for our community, I am always open to hearing what new ideas people may have. Though the more I began to research and understand the potential candidates, the more unsettled I became by what I found. Regarding at least one candidate, I realized a group of developers are behind the efforts to unseat Maria Hadden, known as the Rogers Park Builders Group.
For those familiar with Chicago politics, you’d immediately recognize that something is afoul in this election surrounding Belia Rodriguez. I’m not talking about the improperly posted banners in the alfresco area or the seeming difficulty the alderperson hopeful displays when their policy proposals or record is critically reviewed, though all of those should be concerning to those who care about Rogers Park. I quickly zero’d in on the suspicious connection between her and this developer group.
Who is the Rogers Park Builders Group
The Rogers Park Builders Group is a group of real-estate professionals and developers looking to influence the Rogers Park community. The group is currently headed by Michael Glasser of Magellen Properties. Magellen is a residential development out of Elmhurst, Il, that looks to develop properties in the Chicagoland area. Interestingly, several members of the Rogers Park Builders Group are the highest donors for Belia’s campaign per IllinoisSunshine.org.
What About RogersPark.Com?
The RogersPark.com website, owned by Magellen Properties, clearly shows that the RPBG and Michael Glasser have a horse in this race for the next alderperson of the 49th ward, and it’s present in this website. The website is often only periodically updated until August 17, 2022, where the site started posting articles about the homeless encampment present in the ward and seemed to look to provide a negative outlook of the 49th ward. Then just days after their donations on January 25th, they posted an “interview” with Belia Rodriguez.
The news of this “interview” was spread across social media by other members of the RPBG while failing to disclose their investments or seeming involvement. For those unfamiliar with Astroturfing, Wikipedia defines it as “the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants.”
Magellen Properties is based in Elmhurst, IL, and while the owner may have a connection to Rogers Park, their attempt to influence is self-serving a business interest they haven’t disclosed on their website. As of the writing of this article, Magellen Properties is not in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State.
Any Other Concerns?
Indeed, on January 29th, as reported in local RP Facebook groups, both Belia Rodriguez’s campaign and the Rogers Park Builders Group sent out an identical email to voters in the ward with a subject of the “northside shelter.” The email had nothing to do with the shelter and was nothing more than a campaign email. This would suggest coordination between both parties without proper disclosure and further prove that RogersPark.com is being leveraged as an campaign point to unsuspecting visitors. How her campaign obtained the contact information is also questionable, given that several residents commented that the emails they were sent to did not align with what they had registered to the State or City in their voters registration.
Why Does This Matter?
Rogers Park has a lot of community participation regarding potential developments in the 49th ward. More than many other ward’s provide their residents. As a result, it’s helped push back on gentrification, destruction of the vibrant street art, and the development of cookie-cutter luxury properties spreading across Chicago. These developments have been causing other neighborhoods in Chicago to become less affordable and displaces long-time residents. So ensuring developers don’t get a rubber stamp is important to maintaining the current vibe of the community while still moving it forward.
Knowing who is supporting our potential candidates is an integral part of being an informed voter and ensuring we have the whole picture of a candidate. As much as we may like a candidate on the surface, their actions, and those who donate to them, matters to the sum of who they will be in office.
Belia Rodriguez’s campaign has not been great about responding to criticism, let alone attempting to distance themselves from this activity. That’s all I need to know that Belia would be harmful for the 49th ward.
DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with any candidate or candidate’s campaign and am providing information based on my research as an informed voter to help other voters in their efforts to be well informed. After performing this research, I will be voting for Maria Hadden.