AIDE BRINGS OWN VISION TO CITY POST
Chicago Tribune - December 8, 1991
Author: Wilma Randle.
Valerie Jarrett `s temporary stint at Chicago`s City Hall is turning into
quite a long affair.
Jarrett , 35, was recently named by Mayor Richard Daley to head the city`s soon-to-be-merged offices of planning and economic development. In that role
she will have a wide influence overdowntown development projects, neighborhood urban-renewal projects and the city`s numerous business-development programs. Her appointment comes only a few months after she moved from her job in
the city`s legal department to serve as Daley`s deputy chief of staff. Those
two moves, coupled with the apparent meteoric rise of her star within the
mayor`s inner circle, have set tongues wagging at City Hall.
It also has triggered talk in the city`s development circles. ``Just who
is Valerie Jarrett and why did she get this job?`` people are asking.
In this newly merged post, Jarrett replaces Joseph James, the city`s
economic development commissioner who is resigning effective Jan. 1, and
former planning commissioner David Mosena, who has been promoted to mayoral
chief of staff.
The merger is part of what Daley called ``sweeping changes`` at City
Hall aimed at making government more efficient and cutting costs. It is hoped that merging the economic development and planning departments will help lure new business and retain existing ones.
Some developers regard Jarrett as a ``deal buster,`` said Ted Wysocki,
executive director of CANDO, the Chicago Association of Neighborhood
Development Organizations. That image, he said, stems from Jarrett `s days in
the corporation counsel`s office, where she was the person who often gave the final OK on city real estate deals. ``Some of my colleagues who have dealt
with her said there were some deals that ran into problems when the
corporation counsel got involved,`` Wysocki said.
Personally, Wysocki said, he thinks Jarrett could be good for
neighborhood development.
``I was pleased, too, that somebody with access to the mayor was going to be given the job. I was never sure that Commissioner James had been given the authority to do what he thought needed to be done,`` Wysocki said.
Many people are taking a wait-and-see stance on Jarrett `s appointment,
said Wim Wiewel, director of the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
``People are encouraged by her orientation toward neighborhood-based
planning. But there`s also skepticism among many manufacturers and
neighborhood groups about how much of this will really be reflected in
concrete programs and policies,`` Wiewel said.
Jarrett said she is not surprised by her selection to the new post, and
she`s confident in her ability to do the job. ``And I believe I`ve got the
mayor`s confidence,`` Jarrett said. She got to know the mayor through her
association with David Mosena, she added.
What seems to surprise Jarrett more is that she`s working at City Hall at all.
That wasn`t the path Jarrett set for herself when she returned to Chicago in 1981, having just graduated from the University of Michigan Law School.
Her objective then was private practice. She worked at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal for six years. She specialized in real estate law, working with
commercial lenders on a variety of construction projects, ranging from
shopping centers and hotels to office buildings. She also worked on a number
of land-acquisition deals.
She came to City Hall in 1987 at the behest of Judson Miner, then
corporation counsel to Mayor Harold Washington.
``Miner had this program called Lend-A-Lawyer, which was aimed at getting attorneys from the private sector to come and work with the city`s legal staff on a temporary basis, maybe for as long as six months,`` Jarrett said.
The request came as she was rethinking her life and her career, said
Jarrett , who had recently gone through a divorce.
Jarrett , who has a daughter, Laura, 6, continues to use her former
married name. She is the ex-daughter-in-law of Vernon Jarrett , the Chicago
Sun-Times columnist.
She also had recently taken part in a leadership seminar sponsored by
Chicago United, a business-leadership group in which participants spent many
hours talking about the city`s future.
The seminar, she said, got her to thinking about her future.
``After having gone through that program, I realized that at the end of
the day I wanted to feel a little bit better about how I had spent the day.
... I wanted to know that I was doing something worthwhile.``
Jarrett said City Hall work was more interesting and challenging than
she`d expected.
``I found I was having the time of my life. First of all, if you grow up
in the city you know the neighborhoods, and so it`s something to feel like
you`ve made a difference.``
Her expertise in real estate law prepared her for the projects she
encountered while working in the corporation counsel`s office. She cites the
Chinatown redevelopment deal-a mix of townhouses and stores on what was
railroad land north of Cermak Road-as one of the most complicated financing
packages she`s worked on.
That Jarrett should feel this need to ``make a difference`` is
understandable.
She was born into a family for which ``making a difference`` was not
just creed, it was an expectation.
Her father is Dr. James R. Bowman , an internationally known specialist
in hematology and pathology who has served on the faculty of the University of Chicago Medical School. Her mother, Barbara, an expert in early childhood
development, is director of graduate studies at the Erikson Institute for
Early Education.
Her father`s research took the family around the world. She was born in
Shirazz, Iran, in 1955.
Dr. Bowman was one of a number of American professionals who answered the call of the then Shah of Iran to assist in modernizing his country. Her
parents went to Iran so her father could direct the building of a village
hospital. Jarrett was 5 years old when her family returned to Chicago and
their Hyde Park home.
Jarrett attended the University of Chicago Lab School. She finished high
school at a coed prep school in New England, later enrolling at Stanford
University.
The person who seems to have influenced Jarrett the most is someone she didn`t know: her grandfather, Robert R. Taylor- for whom the South Side
public-housing complex is named. He died in 1957 at age 56 of a heart attact. He was Jarrett `s mother`s father.
``That`s where I get my inspiration,`` said Jarrett .
At first hearing, especially for someone familiar with this particular
housing complex, the statement seems rather odd.
In many circles the words ``Robert Taylor Homes`` and ``public housing`` carry a stigma representing what many consider the worst of urban life:
poverty, crime and related despair.
Jarrett is not inspired by what the Robert Taylor housing complex has
come to symbolize, but what her grandfather envisioned it to be.
Taylor was not pleased with the design of the high-rise housing complex
that would later bear his name.
In the obituary that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on March 1, 1957,
Taylor was described as the ``Negro civic leader and nationally known advocate of better housing in Negro communities.``
As was his father before him, Taylor was an architect. His father was the first black person in America to receive a degree from the Massachussetts
Institute of Technology. He later served as vice president of Tuskegee
Institute.
In 1929, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald hired Taylor to design the
Michigan Avenue Garden Apartments. Located at 47th and Michigan and commonly
known as the Rosenwald Building, it was Chicago`s first large-scale housing
project for black tenants. It was also one of the nation`s first housing
projects aimed at middle-income families.
Taylor`s expertise on moderate-income housing was sought by Presidents
Hoover and Roosevelt. He also served as chairman of the Chicago Housing
Authority from 1939 to 1950. He was an officer of the black-owned Illinois
Federal Savings and Loan Association, still operating on the South Side.
Taylor is said to have helped provide housing for as many as 50,000 of
the city`s black families and helping more than 7,000 others buy their own
homes.
Jarrett has her own vision for the city.
``My objective is to go out, city-wide, and establish concrete plans in
all our neighborhoods. It sounds simple but it takes cooperation. I`m
interested in building bridges, to raise sensitivity in other units of
government about how their plans affect one another.`` And, she added, she`d
like to see her office improve its communication and work with neighborhood
groups.
The city is committed to attracting new business, but Jarrett said it`s
also clear it needs to work harder at keeping businesses.
``I hear two concerns both from business and neighborhood groups,`` she
said. ``People want to know that they`re going to be a part of the process
that shapes the city`s future. People are saying they want to be a part of the forum.``
Just how much authority will Jarrett have to carry out her vision?
``It depends ... `` she said, not quite finishing that response. Instead, she said, ``The mayor cares a lot about planning. And he`s given me the
mandate to `Go get some things done.` I think he has confidence in my
judgment.``
To fulfill that charge, she added, means, ``We`re going to have to take
some risks, we`re going to have to experiment.``
//
SNEED
Chicago Sun-Times - October 15, 1992
Author: Michael Sneed
EXCERPT
Tipsville . . .
Dateline: City Hall - Watch for City Planning Commissioner Valerie Jarrett to hire Michelle Robinson- Obama , an assistant to Mayor Daley’s former chief of staff, Dave Mosena, as her new point person responsible for monitoring the city’s major business expansion and retention efforts.
//
Fundraising has set record, Obama says - $4 million raked in in the last quarter
Chicago Tribune (IL) - July 7, 2004
Author: David Mendell, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporter Liam Ford contributed to this report.
EXCERPT
Obama ‘s financial success is due in large part to his image as a rising star among national Democrats. He has been profiled in national magazines, and his candidacy has been buoyed by liberal newspaper columnists, who have broadly praised Obama ‘s credentials, oratorical skills and personal charm.
That glowing media coverage has created a buzz around Obama ‘s candidacy among big-name donors and Democratic politicians. Rushing to back Obama have been billionaire investor George Soros and U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). Both hosted Obama fund-raisers in their homes.
//
Obama riding momentum
Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - October 19, 2006
Author: Lynn Sweet, The Chicago Sun-Times
Monday night, on the eve of his book tour, Sen. Barack Obama was feted by some of his closest friends and supporters.
Just a few blocks from his own house, the reception was at the Kenwood home of Barbara and Jim Bowman , the parents of Valerie Jarrett , who until recently was the treasurer of HOPEFUND, Obama’s national political action committee.
The guests — people who were there at the beginning of his 2004 Senate bid and some of his best donors, even comedian Bernie Mack — were given copies of The Audacity of Hope that Obama already autographed.
The invitation was sent out on behalf of Obama 2010, the war chest for Obama’s Senate re-election campaign — presuming, that is, if he is not elected president or vice president in 2008, a prospect that was the buzz at the party and increasingly in political circles.
The torrent of publicity surrounding the publication of Obama’s second book has triggered even more speculation about Obama’s White House ambitions. A smart salesman, Obama has no reason in the world to dampen the book-selling hype.
A friend in Seattle called me Tuesday to report that the line was two blocks long for tickets for Obama’s book tour visit there next week. There are no tickets left for Obama’s Friday appearance at the Kennedy Library in Boston, where he will be interviewed by New York Times columnist Bob Herbert.
Obama, after a workout at the East Bank Club on Tuesday, filled the pews for a book chat at the Methodist church in the Loop, the last of three public stops on Day One of the book launch.
Oprah on Wednesday. Larry King tonight. Tim Russert on Sunday.
After the November election, Obama will become more serious about looking at 2008.
(snip)
//
After 2000 Loss, Obama Built Donor Network From Roots Up
New York Times, The (NY) - April 3, 2007
Author: CHRISTOPHER DREW and MIKE McINTIRE
EXCERPT
Major contributors to Barack Obama ‘s 2004 Senate primary campaign included black professionals, friends from Harvard and wealthy Chicago families.
Black business community
John W. Rogers Jr. — Ariel Capital Management: $11,000
Quintin E. Primo III and wife — Capri Capital partners: $18,000
Louis A. Holland, wife and partners — Holland Capital Management: $35,000
Chicago’s top business families
Members of the Crown family Holds a major stake in General Dynamics: $112,500
Members of the Pritzker family Founded Hyatt Hotel chain: $40,000
Major Democratic donors
George Soros and family New York financier: $60,000
Executives at Tejas Inc. Texas-based securities firm: $56,000
//
Oprah ‘s Obama bash ‘magical’ - 2 ultra-elite parties follow the main fund-raising event
Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - September 10, 2007
Author: Lynn Sweet, The Chicago Sun-Times
If the opulent Oprah Winfrey reception and concert fund-raiser for White House hopeful Barack Obama weren’t enough, for a chosen few hundred elite donors there were two die-to-go-to after-parties.
A masseuse in a Zen garden. A big pool. Fantastic desserts. P.I.N.K. Vodka.
That’s the report from one Obama donor who, after attending the extravagant fest at Winfrey’s estate in Montecito, drove over to 936 Hot Springs Road in the same community just south of this coastal city for a party co-hosted by actor Hill Harper.
Most of the VIPs from the entertainment industry and Obama’s best donors and bundlers — about 200 — remained at Winfrey’s estate for a long night of eating under a huge tent with chandeliers.
“It was a magical night that I will never forget,” said Habitat Co. honcho Valerie Jarrett , a charter member of Obama’s kitchen Cabinet. “ Oprah created a spirit and enthusiasm and pure unfettered support for Barack’s candidacy that connected with everyone. Everyone felt they were a part of this campaign.”
The guests were served at two long tables. Winfrey beau Stedman Graham headed one table, Michelle Obama another, with Obama somewhere in the middle. Among those present from Chicago, besides Jarrett , were Johnson Publishing president and CEO Linda Johnson Rice and her husband, Mel Farr; Penny Pritzker, Obama’s national finance chairman, and Obama friend and campaign treasurer Marty Nesbitt and wife Anita Blanchard.
(snip)
//
Oprah backs Obama, but will she vote for him? - Talk show queen hasn’t voted in a presidential primary since at least 1988, but Illinois senator would love to see her make political ads for the first time
Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - September 7, 2007
Author: Lynn Sweet, The Chicago Sun-Times
EXCERPT
There is a large contingent from Chicago coming out, led by Penny Pritzker, the real estate mogul who is Obama’s national finance chief. Habitat Co. honcho Valerie Jarrett , a charter member of Obama’s kitchen Cabinet and a close friend, will be there, as well as Obama pal Marty Nesbitt and his wife, Anita Blanchard, who traveled to Kenya with Obama last year. Mayor Daley’s daughter Nora Daley Conroy and her husband, Sean, will be strolling on the Winfrey acreage, as well as former Illinois Lottery chief Desiree Rogers; Ariel Capital Management founder and Illinois Obama finance co-chairman John Rogers and Mellody Hobson, Ariel’s president, who moonlights as an ABC News contributing editor, and Johnathan Rodgers, the president of TV One, and his wife, Royal.
Grim proving ground for Obama’s housing policy - The candidate endorsed subsidies for private entrepreneurs to build low-income units. But, while he garnered support from developers, many projects in his former district have fallen into disrepair.
Boston Globe, The (MA) - June 27, 2008
Author: Binyamin Appelbaum ; Globe Staff
EXCERPT
Among those tied to Obama politically, personally, or professionally are:
- Valerie Jarrett , a senior adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign and a member of his finance committee. Jarrett is the chief executive of Habitat Co., which managed Grove Parc Plaza from 2001 until this winter and co-managed an even larger subsidized complex in Chicago that was seized by the federal government in 2006, after city inspectors found widespread problems.
- Allison Davis, a major fund-raiser for Obama’s US Senate campaign and a former lead partner at Obama’s former law firm. Davis, a developer, was involved in the creation of Grove Parc and has used government subsidies to rehabilitate more than 1,500 units in Chicago, including a North Side building cited by city inspectors last year after chronic plumbing failures resulted in raw sewage spilling into several apartments.
- Antoin “Tony” Rezko , perhaps the most important fund-raiser for Obama’s early political campaigns and a friend who helped the Obamas buy a home in 2005. Rezko ‘s company used subsidies to rehabilitate more than 1,000 apartments, mostly in and around Obama’s district, then refused to manage the units, leaving the buildings to decay to the point where many no longer were habitable.
Campaign finance records show that six prominent developers - including Jarrett , Davis, and Rezko - collectively contributed more than $175,000 to Obama’s campaigns over the last decade and raised hundreds of thousands more from other donors. Rezko alone raised at least $200,000, by Obama’s own accounting.
One of those contributors, Cecil Butler, controlled Lawndale Restoration, the largest subsidized complex in Chicago, which was seized by the government in 2006 after city inspectors found more than 1,800 code violations.
Butler and Davis did not respond to messages. Rezko is in prison; his lawyer did not respond to inquiries.
Jarrett , a powerful figure in the Chicago development community, agreed to be interviewed but declined to answer questions about Grove Parc, citing what she called a continuing duty to Habitat’s former business partners. She did, however, defend Obama’s position that public-private partnerships are superior to public housing.
“Government is just not as good at owning and managing as the private sector because the incentives are not there,” said Jarrett , whose company manages more than 23,000 apartments. “I would argue that someone living in a poor neighborhood that isn’t 100 percent public housing is by definition better off.”
I suppose that this is what passes for logic in this crowd.