Aurora alderman calls county official 'slumlord'

Already facing tough competition for his Kane County Board seat, Gerald Jones now finds himself under attack for being “the biggest slumlord in Kane County from an Aurora alderman.

Alderman Rick Lawrence made the comment on a Daily Herald article detailing the Kane County Board's vote against a proposed overnight homeless shelter in Valley View. Lawrence said the county's vote reflected a desire to see Aurora remain the county's social service provider to the detriment of all Aurora citizens.

Jones is head of the Aurora Housing Authority, which oversees the Jericho Circle public housing development in Lawrence's ward. Lawrence said the property is overflowing with mold, rotting floors, broken fixtures and trash piled everywhere to the extent that rats jump onto tenants sleeping in their beds at night.

“People are living in filth, Lawrence said in an interview. “Anyone who ran places and owned units like that, even in much better conditions, would be called slumlords. We would never allow anyone else to run their organization like that. We would sue them. The Aurora Housing Authority is a disgusting organization. They are not there to help people. They are there to warehouse people and take taxpayer money. If Gerry Jones' accomplishments are the units he's in control of, he's a slumlord.

Lawrence said he'd hoped to be rid of the Jericho Circle property since the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently approved demolition of the property. That relief turned to frustration when Lawrence recently learned the Aurora Housing Authority would redevelop the property into new public housing. Lawrence said he fears the new development will usher in more students to local schools without paying into the property tax stream that helps provide their education.

Jones, who lives in Aurora and represents District 7 on the county board, said Lawrence has no clue what he's talking about. The housing authority is federally-funded, requiring all properties to pass a federal inspection.

“We have always passed our inspections, Jones said. “We provide clean, secure housing for our tenants. Our properties are maintained probably at a higher level than many other private properties in the community. If Alderman Lawrence is saying different, he's not only insulting me, but he's insulting the entire staff of the Aurora Housing Authority. I'd like him to give proof of his accusations. Otherwise, it's difficult to respond to a lie.

Jones said Jericho Circle will be redeveloped into a new development that provides housing to a mix of income levels because the current Jericho Circle is based on an outdated housing density paradigm.

“We have an obligation to HUD and the fair housing ordinance to replace that housing with other housing that suits the particular needs in the community, Jones said. “We are fulfilling a basic need. So I find Mr. Lawrence's comments inflammatory. If he is calling me a slumlord, then I am calling him a fabricator and an alarmist.