Ald. Quinn Looks to Extend Ban of Airbnb in 13^th Ward

Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn of the 13th Ward today (Wednesday Dec. 4, 2019) requested the Chicago City Council’s Committee on License and Consumer Protection ban Airbnb and other home-sharing services from the 25^th and 36^th precincts of the 13^th ward, bringing the total number to 40 out 48 precincts banning the company from operating in his ward. The committee voted to approve the opt-out ordinance in a unanimous voice vote.

“My constituents continue to voice their concerns with home-sharing services and the problems with Airbnb operating in the ward,” Ald. Quinn said. “The 13^th ward mainly consists of single-family homes, children, seniors and residents who don’t want to put up with the quality of life issues that come with home-sharing services.” 

In order to ban home-sharing services from a given ward, the process begins at the precinct level. A resident from the precinct must file a petition with the city clerk’s office asking to opt-out of home-sharing services. The petition requires signatures from 25 percent of all registered voters in the precinct within 90 days for the precinct to officially opt-out.

Recent media accounts have detailed a variety of complaints against Airbnb, including a deadly shooting at an Airbnb in California and tales of a nationwide scam of fake Airbnb hosts. 

Quinn first banned Airbnb from four precincts in the 13^th ward in June 2017 after several instances of objectionable behavior by rental guests in the neighborhood. To date, 8,392 residents of the 13^th ward have signed the petition to ban temporary room and housing rentals. Quinn’s goal is to ban home-sharing services from all 48 precincts in the ward.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

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