BACK MATT REPLY: Jeff Ward: Anyone afraid of butcher shop is a

chicken May 6, 2011 12:35PM, BELOW IS MY REPLY FOLLOWED BY THE

ARTICLE. http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/5202969-417/jeff-ward-anyone-
afraid-of-butcher-shop-is-a-chicken.html
Dear Jeff,

I am in total agreement with your article, as a former candidate for Alderman at Large I
have seen the three stooge affect at work in Aurora's city council. We had enough
problems combating our reputation of Drug Dealers, Gangs Bangers and Sex offenders.
But now we have to deal with this B.S. We should be focusing on the bigger issues of
new business and job creation. Along with looking to help our police department which
has been cut by 12% with new technology's to help fight Gangs Bangers and Sex
Offenders, with the ability to have electronic monitoring of the newly released convicted
child sex offenders that live here, so that we can keep our children safe.

And of course we should be looking to bring about a radical change of doing business
here. By looking to encourage small and large business to relocate here. Not drive them
away with council wars against business. In my opinion the third ward alderman is a
bigot in the largest scene of the word, let me ask this. If this was a kosher butcher shop
that wanted to open in the same area and perform the same type of service for the Jewish
community, do you think the potential owner would have this much of a hassle?

I believe they would not..... The Jewish community would be so outraged that the major
media groups would swarm upon us like locus. The city council would have no choice
but to pass it without any nay votes.

The third ward alderman is trying to make hay so that she could move onto another gig,
but she can't tell why she really isn't worried about the back lash from voters. Again in
my opinion, the Hispanic that she is offending, are not voters and by being reelected to a
second term she now has her pension and health benefits for life. So what does she care
if she offends people and ruins our ability to create new business and added revenues for
our cash strapped budgets. But let a piece of broccoli be harmed she be all over it!
Great articles Jeff keep it up.

Cheers, Matt Harrington

9th Ward Resident and former candidate for Alderman at Large
AURORA BEACON NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
Jeff Ward: Anyone afraid of butcher shop is a chicken May 6, 2011 12:35PM
Let Mr. Benitas open his butcher shop. Geez, Aurora! When you decide to take a ride on
the crazy train, you go all in — and that includes the aldermen. In these dire economic
straits, when an entrepreneur asks you to open a business, you might want to consider
saying something along the lines of “aye!”
With Mayor Tom Weisner breaking a 5-5 tie, you did try to say “yes,” but with two
aldermen missing, the six affirmative votes didn’t add up to the seven required by city
code. And it took a former city official to point out that error the next day. Ain’t that
embarrassing!
So just as Aurora resident Fermin Benitas thought he could open his specialty butcher
shop at 629 S. River St., the City Council pulled that rug right out from under him. The
vote never should have been that close to begin with. Benitas already owns a similar
successful Chicago enterprise that slaughters and sells turkeys, ducks, chickens and
rabbits.
To paraphrase a famous playwright, “ain’t that the real rub?” Do Aurorans really think
those Encor Salisbury steak TV dinners just magically appear in the frozen food section?
The way some residents (and councilmen) shrieked about this prospect, you’d think Mr.
Benitas somehow got his hands on the Easter Bunny.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, someone had to call PETA. These
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals make the birthers look like they have a clue.
Let’s take a look at some of their more interesting pronouncements:
First, they sponsored a TV ad in which a mother and father encourage their teenage
daughter to have frequent unprotected sex and dump her progeny on shelters. Then they
asked the pop group Pet Shop Boys to change their name. As difficult as it was to top that
one, objecting to fish sticks, they insisted fish be called “sea kittens.” After all, there’s
nothing quite like curling up with a purring catfish. Though PETA may be one egg short
of a dozen, their “slaughterhouse horrors” argument has some merit. But which would
you rather have? Tyson hanging chickens upside-down on a conveyor belt leading to a
circular saw, or someone humanely killing them one at a time? As Alderman Rick
Mervine stated, there’s no evidence Benitas’ Chicago shop ever violated any applicable
statute.
Despite what all you too-ready-to-proselytize vegetarians think, that diet doesn’t work for
everyone. Both the Dalai Lama and I tried it and it nearly killed him. My negative
experience was typical for folks with type O blood. Though I have no plans to observe
the slaughterhouse process, it would be hypocritical for me — and anyone else who
enjoys a juicy drumstick — to come out against a legitimate business because they kill
animals.
Some residents objected to the location because the Aurora Animal Control Shelter is
across the street. I suppose if they’re serious, they could set up a series of “underground
railroad” safe houses so the chickens and turkeys could seek refuge at that shelter. Wait a
minute — they euthanize animals, too!
Alderman Bob O’Connor also disagreed with the location, but if that isn’t the perfect
semi-isolated spot, then what is? It’s not like he’s gonna be butchering chickens on the
front lawn. What more do you aldermen want? Benitas promised to fix up the property
and, as Alderman Rick Lawrence noted, “This a piece of property that is very challenging
to do anything with. He’s taking a tremendous amount of risk.”
Meanwhile, Alderman Stephanie Kifowit fretted that once a conditional-use permit was
issued, it would be difficult to take back. Puh-leeese! You do it all the time. What
happened when a bothersome restaurant owed the city more than $100,000 in back taxes?
With those contentions summarily dismissed, we finally come to the real reason some
Aurorans don’t want this business. Let’s all whisper it together: “Mr. Benitas is
Hispanic.” Lawrence said it out loud and other sources privately said residents
complained about “another Hispanic business in town.”
Sharing my keen perception for the obvious, Mayor Weisner told me, “Humans have
been eating chickens for 8,000 years. There’s no entirely rational reason not to approve
this business. The council’s job isn’t to respond to their own or constituents’ emotions
without the facts.”
Given our errant initial vote, this issue will be reconsidered at the May 10 City Council
meeting. And if, for whatever reason, aldermen can’t find the courage to do the right
thing — then there’ll be a lot more chicken (bleep) in Aurora than any butcher shop
might bring. Jeff Ward can be reached on Twitter, @jeffwardsun; Facebook; or
jeffwardsun@sbcglobal.net.