Englewood Alderman Casts Only 'Nay' Vote On Obama Center

CHICAGO, IL - The Obama Presidential Center is one step closer to becoming a reality on the city's South Side as the Chicago City Council gave their near unanimous approval to the project on Wednesday. A 47-1 vote in favor of the Obama Foundation's plans for the center to take over Jackson Park included more than an hour of discussion on the matter, which included statements from a number of aldermen according to the Chicago Tribune.

17th Ward Ald. David Moore was the only one to vote against approving the $500 million project.

While the project itself will be privately funded by the Obama Foundation, there will be about $175 million spent by the city of Chicago on infrastructure improvements that will be needed to move the project forward. That's what Moore, whose ward covers much of the Englewood and Gresham neighborhoods on the South Side, said he was against.

“This library would be great … but when we talk about $175 million, that part disturbs me,” he said during the council's discussion on the matter, the Tribune reported.

Moore said he'd rather focus on his constituents, who he says are in greater need of funding for fixing their streets that are riddled with potholes and flood easily.

Moore's 17th Ward website touts him as an Englewood resident who "possesses a rare combination of corporate experience, political savvy and passion for progressive change

"Through his work as a community organizer and in several campaigns, he has connected with people and issues in every corner of the ward he has resided in for nearly 40 years."

5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston, whose ward the Center will be in, did not show up for the meeting. 10th Ward Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza was also absent, which made the final vote 47-1.

The Council's action was to approve a land transfer for the Obama Center, something they already approved in 2015 but had to again because the design of the project changed a bit, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The vote was only one step in a long process before the Obama Center breaks ground. It still needs to pass a federal review and overcome a lawsuit.

Photo via City of Chicago 17th Ward