Monday, August 25, 2008

Chicago Takes Center Stage at Convention

The opening day of the Democratic Convention in Denver couldn't have more Chicagoans in the lineup if Mile High Stadium was host to a Cubs-Sox Doubleheader. They're all there: Lisa Madigan, Alexi G., Dan Hynes and even Chicago City Clerk Miguel DelValle. All were on hand to grab their moment in the national Democratic spotlight and give roaring endorsements to the Obama/Biden ticket as the week of roaring endorsements gets under way. It was great to see DelValle gain some national attention because he so widely respected as a politician who is "in" and "of" the community. There will be plenty to come, but it's a nice way to start off.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

A Hillary Comback or Barack Stays Strong?

Last night Hillary looked rejuvenated in her winning New Hampshire speech, but Barack remained strong and on message. The 43rd Ward, at least in the amount of money donated, is backing Barack. Where do the voters stand, please comment...

Monday, January 7, 2008

Egan's Endorsements

Tim Egan, a candidate for Chicago’s 43rd Ward Democratic Committeeman, has been endorsed for the office by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, former 43rd Ward Alderman Edwin Eisendrath and the Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2.
“Tim Egan is a worker,” Secretary White said, “who will help build an inclusive and impactful Democratic organization.”
“Tim ran an honorable and positive campaign for 43rd Ward Alderman in 2007,” Edwin Eisendrath said. “He showed an ability to build relationships and displayed a desire to participate in good politics which leads to good government.”
The Committeeman’s role can best be described as a “political” position not a governmental job. The responsibility of the Committeeman is to reach out to the voters of the ward and provide information on all things political in terms of candidates and races.
Committeeman is an unpaid position and is one of 80 in Cook County. Egan has already developed the first ever website dedicated to Democratic politics in the 43rd Ward; www.43rdWardDems.com.
“Tim is a communicator,” Eisendrath continued. “His tireless community involvement and dedication to helping others makes him the best choice to rebuild the 43rd Ward’s Democratic Organization.”
Secretary White is on record as receiving the widest margin of victory in any state-wide election in Illinois history. Mr. Eisendrath was 43rd Ward Alderman from 1987 to 1993 and ran for Governor of Illinois in 2006.
Egan serves as Vice President of the Norwegian American Hospital Foundation which was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $675,000 to implement a Mobile Pediatric Care-A-Van serving Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. Egan is also the Chairman and Founder of the Chicago Irish Brotherhood, a benevolent organization that has donated 10’s of thousands of dollars to charitable endeavors such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Camp I Am Me, Special Olympics and many more.
Egan is married to Marlena Miglin-Egan and they have two sons; Wedge Donovan Egan, 4, and Tadgh Liam Egan, 3.
For more information, please contact Becky Novak at 312.71.4409 or email info@electegan.com

Thursday, August 30, 2007

2007 International Coastal Clean up at North Avenue Beach

Please join:

Jennifer Roche, Ann Hopkins Avery, and the Alliance for the Great Lakes

at the 2007 Coastal Clean Up @ North Ave. Beach

North Avenue Beach "By the Boat"
1603 N. Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL US

Saturday, September 15, 9:00AM to 12:00PM

JenniferRoche@yahoo.com


90 countries! 50 states! 350,000 volunteers! We're all coming together to help protect and restore our lakes, rivers, and oceans. Will you join us? For the third year in a row, I will be co-captaining the International Coastal Clean-up at North Avenue Beach with Ann Hopkins Avery.This event began more than 20 years ago when an Ocean Conservancy staff member was appalled at the amount of litter she found on the shores of South Padre Island, Texas. She organized a clean up, and, within a generation, that seemingly modest gesture grew into a worldwide phenomenon. Please join us. We'll use the morning to enjoy the sunshine (or rain), meet new people, admire the lake, and pick up garbage. All of the garbage will be weighed and documented to help lobby for clean water legislation and raise awareness among policy makers and polluters. In other words, your efforts will make a difference. This is an especially child-friendly volunteer event. All are welcome. Forward this freely. Come for three hours or three minutes. What to bring? Nothing, really. We'll supply everything, but if you think of it, work gloves are helpful to wear. Who is the sponsor? It is sponsored by the Alliance for the Great Lakes and launched in cooperation with the Ocean Conservancy, which coordinates the event world-wide. We hope to see you there. It's sure to be one of the last great events of summer.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Sicko -Tribune Letter

Dear Tribune Editors:
Thank you for Helen Evans’ “What Michael Moore left on the cutting room floor” commentary. The healthcare issue in the United States is far too complex to find a solution in a Michael Moore documentary, especially when it only shows the sales pitch for the English healthcare system and not the grotesque underbelly of long waiting times for treatment and a system where really only the wealthy receive appropriate care.
As a hospital administrator attending an Executive Program at Kellogg School of Management recently, I was surprised by one of the other attendees, a cardiologist from Spain. For the first three days of the course this Physician berated the American healthcare system repeatedly. On the fourth day I confronted the physician and asked him why then would he attend a course taught in a well respected branch of a United States’ institution, Northwestern University.
“Because,” he said. “Without American research and development the rest of the world would suffer.” His message was clear, while our healthcare system is flawed and in need of a massive overhaul, the money and resources devoted to the advancement of healthcare in American is unprecedented world wide and without it, the state of healthcare in every corner of the Earth would be far worse off.
Sincerely,
Tim Egan
Vice President & Executive Director
Norwegian American Hospital
773.292.8509
tegan@nahospital.org

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

April Chicago Loop News Column

The voicemail message was very clear and the voice was deep and direct. It was unmistakably a man’s voice, sober yet disturbed.
“Way to go Tim,” the man said, “you ran against her for two years and now you’re supporting her. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Apparently not everyone in Chicago was happy with my endorsement of 43rd Ward incumbent Vi Daley, especially this guy who was insulting, obviously angry and more importantly anonymous.
I kept the voicemail, as I have so many others, and listen to it every once in a while to get a certain post election focus. That focus is on a Chicago spring that has been worse than some winters and where carcasses from the February election have been mostly hauled away, mine included. After the runoff elections fade we can all get back to what’s most important; making a difference in the lives of those in need and having fun at all events scheduled this spring and summer throughout the 43rd Ward and the City of Chicago.
The history and traditions of the 43rd Ward are some of the reasons why running for Alderman was so appealing. The Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, the South end of Lakeview and all the unique neighborhoods that make up the 43rd Ward are truly great and bask in wonderful traditions.
In 2007, there will be much to celebrate and much rich tradition to continue. I certainly hope you can join our team at one or all of the following events:
As a nominee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2007 Man of the Year, it gives me great pleasure to announce the “Cruising for a Cure” event on Wednesday, May 2nd. A hardy crew of cancer fighters will be boarding the Anita Dee II at Navy Pier at 6:30 p.m. for an excellent reason for an excellent boat cruise on Chicago’s Lakefront. Join us for $35 per person and by emailing Kim from LLS at kim.nemire@lls.org.
The Chicago Irish Brotherhood, which I am proud to be Chairman of, is hosting our 6th Annual Youth Burn Camp Fundraiser at RedNoFive on Saturday, May 12th. Tickets are $100 per person and proceeds will benefit the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s Camp I Am Me. More information at chiirishbro.org and ifsa.org.
In the beginning of June we have the “Tale of Two Art Fairs” live on the weekend of the 9th and 10th. North of North Avenue is the 58th Old Town Art Fair sponsored by the Old Town Triangle Association hosted in the wonderfully historic “village within the city.” Proceeds from the Old Town Art Fair benefit a host of local youth groups, schools, and neighborhood preservation projects. It is a refreshingly laid back atmosphere and if you’re an architecture buff, the garden walk is not to be missed. More info at oldtownartfair.org.
South of North Avenue on the same weekend is the 33rd Annual Wells Street Art Festival that is a rockin’ good time hosted by the Old Town Merchants and Residents Association. This weekend hosts a winning combination of great music and all the best eats from some of the best restaurants in the Chicago. More info at oldtownchicago.org.
Thank God for the weekend, because that gives us time to spend at both well organized events.
On Thursday, June 21st, the Gold Coast Neighbors will celebrate their 50 year anniversary with a wonderful festivity capped by a reception at the Chicago History Museum at 1601 N. Clark Street. The evening will begin with tours of historic homes in the Gold Coast area and participants will be transported via the Chicago Trolley Company.
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune Magazine writer and host of Conversations with Extraordinary People, will emcee the grand finale celebration where guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, live music and some lively history. Tickets are $125 each and please call 312.360.0386 for more information.
The Honorable Richard M. Daley is the Honorary Chairman of the GCN’s golden honor.
There will be plenty more events throughout the summer that I will promote in this column so keep reading.
As you may have witnessed by our team’s presence at last year’s summer events, we have a lot of good people doing a lot of good things and having a fun time doing so. We would love to have more like minded souls join our happy band of do-gooders and merrymakers too. Please continue to visit our website at www.electegan.com or contact me directly at 312.714.4409 and by email at tim@electegan.com.
Our goal is to establish a volunteer corps who will, throughout the year, pledge to help out at neighborhood festivals, host fundraisers for organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Special Olympics, volunteer at special events and much, much more.
If you are interested in being part of your community, we can help you get involved.
So as far as the coward who left the anonymous voice mail about me being ashamed of myself, I wish that person would take the long ride with me out to the IFSA Camp I Am Me in June when I get to present a huge check on behalf of the Chicago Irish Brotherhood for those unfortunate burn survivors. The looks in their eyes and the scars on their bodies tell me much about life…
Shame… never. Pride in what we will accomplish in 2007… absolutely. For those out there who want to take shots at my community involvement, keep the anonymous, negative voicemails and emails coming. They’re great to listen to and read. Knowing that there are those who will give an extra effort to do something negative than ever do something positive is more fuel to do what’s right.
Admittedly, staying positive is not the easiest road to take in life and it is surely the most rocky road in politics. But staying out of the mud is a whole lot better karma builder than blasphemy, lying and believing political spin.
Life is good, be a positive player.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Who should be the next 43rd Ward Democratic Committeeman

Here's your chance to promote your choice for the next 43rd Ward Committeeman.