Burton Natarus

Burton F. "Burt" Natarus (November 7, 1933[1] – June 11, 2020)[2] was Alderman of the 42nd Ward of Chicago from 1971 to 2007.

Burton Natarus
Natarus in 2007
City of Chicago Alderman
In office
1971–2007
Succeeded byBrendan Reilly
Constituency42d Ward
Personal details
Born(1933-11-07)November 7, 1933
Wausau, Wisconsin, US
DiedJune 11, 2020(2020-06-11) (aged 86)
Chicago, Illinois, US
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin
John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard

Early life

Natarus was born in Wausau, Wisconsin. He graduated from University of Wisconsin in 1956 and University of Wisconsin Law School in 1960. Natarus continued his education at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1960 and practiced law in Chicago. Later, he taught at Chicago's Loyola University on the subject of local government. Natarus also served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserves, earning paratrooper's "jump wings".[3][4]

Public service

Natarus is active in a number of community groups: City Club of Chicago, Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, Central Michigan Association, North Dearborn Association, and River North Association.

Aldermanic career

Natarus was a Democrat. Natarus was a protégé of longtime 42nd Ward Democratic Committeeman and Cook County Board President George Dunne.

Natarus was first elected Alderman of the 42nd Ward in 1971. He was re-elected eight times, serving for thirty-six years. The 42nd Ward encompasses some of Chicago's wealthiest neighborhoods, including Streeterville, the Gold Coast, the Magnificent Mile, River North, and the Loop.

Natarus was Chairman of the Traffic and Safety Committee. He also served on six other committees: Finance; Zoning; Committees, Rules and Ethics; License and Consumer Protection; Budget and Government Operations; and Housing and Real Estate. In addition, he was a member of the Chicago Plan Commission, the Central Area Planning Task Force, and the Regional Transportation Task Force.

Natarus' pushed "good government" projects that appealed to his predominantly liberal constituents, such as arts funding, park expansion, and gun control. He became known as the Council's most skilled author of legislation, and was dubbed "the Master of the Ordinance."

Natarus avoided challenging then-Mayor Richard J. Daley and the Party on issues such as corruption, favoritism, racism, and police brutality. He was a reliable vote in favor of the Mayor's budget, and of any zoning changes requested by other Aldermen. The ordinances he crafted often included language that allowed the Mayor to give tax breaks, subsidies, and sweetheart deals to favored business interests. He was consistently supportive of property developers in his ward, and pointed to the vast array of big new buildings there as his accomplishment. In turn developers donated heavily to his campaign fund.

Natarus always supported Democratic Party endorsed candidates for state and county office in Democratic primaries. This continued under Daley's successors, Bilandic and Byrne. However, after Harold Washington won the Democratic nomination for Mayor, and subsequently the Mayoralty itself, in 1983, Natarus supported Washington (who was black) in the racially charged "Council Wars" that followed. After Washington's death and eventual replacement by Richard M. Daley, Natarus was as loyal to the son as he had been to his father. When Dunne finally retired as Ward Committeeman in 2003 precinct captains selected Natarus as his replacement.

Natarus' son owns an architectural metal company that was among the vendors for the build-out of the Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park.[5]

In 1989, he opposed legislation championed by Daley to create a watchdog to oversee all of city government. He argued that the fact that aldermen had previously been charged with felonies, "indicates the system works as is." The ordinance later passed, but with revisions that made alderman exempted from the new inspector general's oversight.[6]

Defeat

By 2006, Natarus had developed hostile relations with some members of the press. At times he responded to criticism with vulgar language or angry harangues. He had also lost the support of important labor unions, notably the SEIU.

In 2007, Natarus sought re-election for a tenth term. Observers noted that Natarus barely campaigned, missing several events at which he was to share a podium with challenger Brendan Reilly. The SEIU and other unions backed Reilly. Natarus was defeated in the General Election of February 27 by 8.6%.

In 2007, Natarus had a red light camera installed "near his condo in an intersection that had virtually no accidents".[7]

In 2019, the Chicago Tribune inadvertently reported Natarus as dead.[8]

Personal life

Natarus had two children, Jill Ellen and Michael, and one grandchild, Jacob. He died on June 5, 2020 at the age of 86.[9][10][11]

References
  1. Fremon, David K. (Jun 12, 1988). Chicago Politics, Ward by Ward. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253313449. Retrieved Jun 12, 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. "Ald. Burton Natarus, Ask An Expert". findingaids.library.uic.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-12. Biographical Sketch : Born in Wausau, Wisconsin in 1933, Burton F. Natarus received a BS in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin in 1956. He completed a degree in law in 1960, and attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. In addition, Natarus served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves where he is a qualified parachutist. He practiced law in Chicago for over forty-five years. First elected in 1971, Natarus represented Chicago's 42nd Ward for thirty-six years as Aldermen. During his time in office, Natarus developed a reputation for being one of the city's most talkative and colorful Aldermen. He has also been one of Richard M. Daley's staunchest supporters in the city council.
  3. "Burton F. Natarus papers, 1971-2006". Explore Chicago Collections. Retrieved Jun 12, 2020.
  4. State Bar of Wisconsin-Rotunda Report-State bar breaks tradition, will honor 50-year members at special summer event
  5. Novak, Tim; Warmbir, Steve; Herguth, Robert; Brown, Mark (2005-02-11). "City puts heat on clout-heavy cafe; Changes ordered at Park Grill, with Daley cronies among backers". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  6. Dillon, Marie (23 July 2019). "Commentary: Tired of being lumped with all those felons? Aldermen, you know what to do". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. Rhodes, Steve (23 November 2009). "Natarus's Red Light District". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2020-03-12. "I put it in there," Natarus told the Chicago Tribune. "It's a very dangerous intersection . . . They roll right through that thing." State and city records, however, show that the intersection at Kingsbury and Ontario, just steps from where Natarus lives, was virtually accident-free in the two years prior to installation of the cameras in 2007.
  8. Jones, Chris (23 January 2019). "Goodbye Oriental, hello James M. Nederlander Theatre — the story behind the name change Feb. 8". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-12. Correction: An earlier version of this column referred to former Ald. Burt Natarus as having passed away. He is still alive.[...] Broadway in Chicago dates to 2000. I was at the press conference celebrating its creation — it was an entertaining event, mostly due to the ever-colorful presence of Ald. Burt Natarus, who took objection to the name “Broadway in Chicago” on the grounds that it foregrounded the street in New York, not something right here in our perennially insecure burg. Natarus said he preferred “Loop in Chicago,” not that anyone had asked him for his opinion. And then he really warmed up. “Put up your dukes,” he said in the direction of the gobsmacked senior Nederlander. “And bring us some shows.” Luckily, Nederlander (unlike Natarus) had a sense of humor. He replied by repeating a phrase he said to me several times over the years — “Chicago is a run town,” meaning that he thought Chicago to be a city that can sustain long, multi-week, or multi-month, runs of major musicals, as distinct from being merely a two-week stop for a road show. His conviction on that score dated back something like half a century.
  9. "Former Ald. Burton Natarus Dies At 86". Jun 11, 2020. Retrieved Jun 12, 2020.
  10. "Burton Natarus - Obituary". Retrieved Jun 12, 2020.
  11. "Burton Natarus Obituary - Wilmette, IL". Dignity Memorial. June 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
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