Frank McNeil, a former alderman who now hosts a radio talk show, says that he isn’t surprised by anything that Houston has, or has not, done.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s doing great,” McNeil said. “I think that’s what a campaign is: promises. … Public works and infrastructure is going to be a very daunting task. There’s a money issue – a significant money issue.”

Houston offers few specifics, nor will he commit to a timeline.

“Like anything else, it’s not an uncomplicated type of plan, so one of the things I have to do is work out the details of it,” the mayor says. “Second, I have to work out the timing of it. And then I have to be in a position to go out and present it to the community as to why this would be something that they should do.”

Edwards isn’t impressed. “I heard through the grapevine he has no plan,” the alderman says.

Impatience with nuisance properties

Houston and at least four aldermen were elected last spring on platforms that included stronger action against nuisance properties and irresponsible landlords.

On that issue, at least, Turner says that she has no patience.

“That’s one regard where I think things are moving slowly,” Turner says. “I am not prepared to wait a year.”

Jobe, too, says that the city needs to move. In August, he had predicted that a nuisance-properties ordinance would be ready for council consideration by mid- September. Now, the goal is early this month.

“If we’re still talking about abandoned properties a year from now, I’m not doing my job as an inner-city alderman, and neither is the mayor,” said Jobe, who gives the mayor a B for his performance so far. “I will say it’s a generous B. It’s too early. If we haven’t seen an infrastructure plan and a way to finance it by next summer, I’ll begin to question his leadership ability.”

Citing a recent crackdown on building violations at MacArthur Park apartments and his hiring of two attorneys this summer to work on code enforcement issues, Houston says that he is making progress.

“I talked about the fact that we’re going to take our core, inner-city neighborhoods back, one abandoned building at a time, and that’s exactly what we are going to do,” Houston said. “And it’s not just a matter that they’re going to do some repairs and we’re going to go away. … We are going to stay on this.”

Overall, however, Houston says that he is in no rush.

“I ran for office with the idea that we are going to do certain things,” Houston says. “I didn’t say I was going to do them overnight. I didn’t say I was going to do them within five months, and anyone who expected me to do them overnight or do them within five months is being unrealistic.”

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