CHICAGO CARLESS

(August 14, 2008)–Christened a “born-again Chicagoan” by Centerstage Chicago, Mike always says the only New Yorkers who don’t love Chicago are the ones who haven’t been here. A native Gothamite, Mike fell madly for the shores of Lake Michigan in January 2003, returning six times in three months and finally deciding to stick around and save on airfare. After short stints in Wrigleyville and Logan Square, he currently lives in downtown Chicago, the undisputed cultural capital of the middle of America.

In addition to scribing Chicago Carless, Mike is also a contributing blogger to Gapers Block (on the Drive-Thru food beat) and the Huffington Post Chicago, and a strategic communications consultant for Progressive causes in Chicago and beyond. 

During Election 2006, Mike won accolades from the AFL-CIO and ACORN for his Internet outreach and video interviewing work on the groundbreaking 7 Days @ Minimum Wage video blog. The project–with Mike’s “Jessica” interview as its centerpiece–helped win minimum wage increases in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio. Based on his experience with the 7 Days project, Mike was tapped to write “Seven Success Strategies for Pitching to Bloggers”, a grassroots guide to Internet outreach published online by Chicago’s Community Media Workshop.

Mike’s Chicago Carless blog has been highlighted numerous times by local media, including Gapers Block, Chicagoist, Yo Chicago, and the Chicago Tribune, and his opinions have appeared on the letters pages of the Chicago Sun-Times, Red Eye, and Time Out Chicago.  

In summer 2006, Mike made the front page of the Chicago Tribune business section for his blogging of signage snafus at the new Macy’s on State Street. Mike’s scoop triggered a flurry of citywide coverage, winning him praise as one of “This Week’s Newsmakers” in the paper’s Sunday edition, and “one observant blogger” in the business section of the Detroit News.

In autumn 2006, Mike was interviewed in Chicago Magazine’s October 2006 issue for his coverage of the Gary Kimmel scandal, and profiled in Centerstage Chicago’s You Are What You Blog column.

In 2007, Mike explored possibilities to move back to his native NYC and give his hometown another go after four fabulous years in the Second City. But even after getting the job offer of a lifetime and reconnecting with dozens of old friends, he knew in his heart he would wake up at night screaming out the names of beloved Chicago neighborhoods.

Since deciding to stay put in the Central Time Zone, Mike has allied with some of the best Progressive communicators in Chicagoland (including the social-justice-or-bust strategy firm Thinkinc.), and with them has had the pleasure to work with forward-thinking nonprofits throughout the region.

Before coming to Chicago, Mike spent four years on the central staff of the New York City Transit Riders Council, two of them as associate director. He is an Urban Planning graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York, and trained in grassroots media relations at Chicago’s Community Media Workshop.

He is grateful for all of the teachers, experiences, and opportunities he has had and continues to enjoy on his journey.

And yes, being a former New Yorker, Mike really has no idea how to drive a car.

Email:
mike (at) chicagocarless (dot) com

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