Six Corners Musical Chairs: Another Chamber Board Member Named to Oversight Body
On Tuesday the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development voted to approve Mayor Lightfoot’s appointment of Alderman Gardiner’s newest hand-selected candidate, Joe Oliveri, to the Six Corners Special Service Area #28 (SSA) Commission.
Oliveri is the third board member from the Six Corners Chamber nominated to serve on the SSA, the quasi-governmental entity charged with creating a budget and providing financial oversight over the Chamber.
Mike Dimeo, a former Chamber officer and board member was appointed to the SSA in 2020. Dimeo resigned his board position with the Chamber to join the SSA. In his brief seven-month stint on the SSA commission, Dimeo led the charge to award the 2021 contract to the Chamber, then he resigned his position on the SSA to re-join the Chamber board. He’s now President of the Chamber.
In early 2020 Chamber board member George Garcia was also nominated. Garcia was not ultimately seated, but his wife, Mary Giovenco Garcia was appointed in his place.
Now less than three months later, Joe Oliveri, also a founding Chamber board member, looks set to join the SSA’s commission. Oliveri was initially nominated in January of last year; however, he failed to pass the mandatory “scofflaw check” which uncovered outstanding debts to the city.
In late 2019, Gardiner began orchestrating the takeover of the SSA with the ultimate aim of displacing the Six Corners Association with the Six Corners Chamber of Commerce as the “sole service provider” empowered to dole out nearly $300,000 to selected vendors who provide maintenance services at Six Corners.
The takeover started when Gardiner held the SSA budget hostage in an attempt to force the SSA change their bylaws to displace a commissioner he perceived as a political enemy. While that attempt failed, Gardiner then orchestrated the replacement of two commissioners whose terms were up for renewal. The other commissioners, who all serve in an unpaid voluntary capacity, resigned in protest over what they saw as a highly unusual move to replace commissioners in good-standing with Gardiner’s political cronies.
The mass resignation opened the door for Gardiner to hand-select all seven commissioners. Despite the open field, the takeover wasn’t without some obstacles. Gardiner’s first slate of candidates were all men, several of whom were closely associated with Joe Angelastri, the founder of the Six Corners Chamber. Angelastri, a former SSA Commissioner had been accused of abusive behavior, harassment, and unauthorized use of funds by former colleagues, ultimately ending his tenure as a commissioner.
Reportedly the Mayor pushed back on Gardiner’s original all-male slate, demanding some diversity in this body. That move displaced George Garcia, who was replaced by his wife Mary Giovenca Garcia. She was presiding as Chair of the SSA when she voted to award the $300,000 annual service contract to the Chamber, where her husband sits on the board.
Oliveri’s nomination was withdrawn to be replaced with Dr. Juanita Mora. Richard Buckwater was replaced by his wife, Joanne Buckwater.
Over the past year, the SSA Commission has seen quite a bit of turnover in a short period of time, much like Gardiner’s office staff. Buckwater resigned after attending only one meeting, citing personal reasons. Manuel Romero resigned after only a few months. Dimeo resigned to re-claim his seat on the Chamber after successfully fulfilling his mission to award them the contract.
Dimeo’s resignation to re-join the Chamber may not have been the original plan, but Angelastri’s years long scheme to takeover the SSA to put his Chamber in power encountered some unexpected turbulence. Following community outcry, DPD banned Angelastri from having any direct or indirect involvement with the Chamber. However, it’s unclear how effective this prohibition is as DPD and the Mayor continue to appoint Angelastri’s confidants while allowing individuals to fluidly move from one organization to the other as it suits their needs.
The Chamber itself seems off to a rocky start, announcing the hiring of a new full-time Executive Director at the end of December, only to see her resign before the end of January.
Oliveri will fill the seat vacated by Romero. Oliveri has long been close with Joe Angelastri as a founding member of the Chamber. The day after Gardiner was sworn in, the Chamber hosted an event for Gardiner, with guest speakers Oliveri, Angelstri, Marlena Ascher (Chamber’s former interim director), Dennis Wolkowicz (Chamber board member), and four-time failed political candidate Chicago Police Lt. John Garrido. Until that day, the Chamber had never held a community event.
Oliveri spoke during the public comment period in the City Council on October 16, 2019 to voice his strong support for Gardiner and his opposition to building The Point, the senior living facility now under construction at Six Corners. Oliveri described the senior home as “discriminatory” adding “it’ll definitely stick up like a sore thumb and it’ll cast a shadow over parts of Six Corners.” He also falsely cited “rents” of $4,500 to $8,000 for the assisted living facility.
The SSA still has two open seats. Anyone interested in serving can email mark.roschen@cityofchicago.org to inquire about openings and the process.
