Comments (0) Best Gadfly - 2006
Steve Patterson
It was so simple. Fifteenth Ward Alderwoman Jennifer Florida backed a request from a McDonald's on South Grand Boulevard that wanted to move a block north and across the street. Then serial blogger Steve Patterson got wind of the plan. Via his Web site, Urban Review, Patterson cast himself as the voice of opposition, criticizing the fast-food franchisee's "suburban" design and warning that area property values would soon rival the price of a Value Meal. Signs were made, a protest was staged, and by May a cadre of activists was calling for Florida's ouster. Florida dug in her heels and Patterson fought on, implying at one point that the alderwoman was responsible for an "attack" that caused a 90-minute meltdown of his Web site. How did the saga end? It hasn't. Florida's still in office, the McDonald's is on track to move, and Patterson's still blogging away.
