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Ald. Moreno, Ex-Landlord in Office Carpet Dispute: Lawsuit

By Alisa Hauser | February 29, 2016 9:41am
 Former ward office of Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) at 2058 N. Western Ave.
2058 N. Western Ave., Ald. Moreno (1st) Former Office
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LOGAN SQUARE — Ald. Joe Moreno's former landlord is suing him, claiming Moreno owes him $6,497.54 for damage to carpeting at an office he once rented on Western Avenue.

Moreno (1st), who moved his ward office in Humboldt Park in September, said the carpet was damaged by a leak from another tenant's unit and that he is not responsible for the damage.

"We anticipate litigating this manner, unless a fair settlement can be reached," Moreno said in a statement.

According to a Feb. 16 legal complaint filed against Joseph Moreno III and Friends of Proco Joe Moreno by 536 Kirkwood LLC, Moreno has allegedly refused to pay for repairs in 2058 N. Western Ave., the former 1st Ward offices.

Mike Beckerman, owner of 536 Kirkwood LLC, said Moreno paid $2,894 monthly to rent the 2,650- square-foot storefront. Most of the space was used for a ward office; an adjacent room was a community space and meeting area for 1st Ward First, a Democratic organization started by Moreno.

"When they left they needed to leave it in a certain condition. They tore up the carpeting and painted the floor; they needed to return it to the shape in which they took possession," Beckerman said.

But Moreno contends that the carpet had to be removed due to damage.

"Our time at the 2058 N. Western Ave. commercial space was frequently marred by several incidents which degraded the work conditions for my staff, including numerous leaks which in fact degraded the office carpet, which had to be removed," Moreno said in the statement.

Beckerman bought ground-level commercial condo in 2013 from a prior owner and inherited the four-year lease Moreno had signed in 2011.

Beckerman acknowledged that there were leaks coming from above "in somebody else's unit." He said he had called the condo association to fix the leak but ultimately Moreno has the responsibility to return the unit in good shape after the lease was up.

Additionally, Beckerman said, the alderman's staff did not remove carpeting where the leak was centered, suggesting that water damage was not the actual reason Moreno removed much of the carpeting.

Beckerman said he asked for payment to replace the carpet on Sept. 10 and Nov. 2, after the lease ended on July 31, 2015. "They won't respond, they have just gone silent on us. Now I have lawyer costs. I would rather have it all go away," Beckerman said.

In addition to the missing carpeting, there was a broken vanity drawer in the bathroom, two damaged doors and wall damage, the complaint states.

Beckerman said he plans to bring photos to court in March 8.

"I haven't heard their argument for why they don't think they have to pay. People make mistakes, they oversee things, they break things all the time. You pay, that's just life, it happens," Beckerman said.

Beckerman, who lives in Burr Ridge, said does not know Moreno personally and has never met him.

"The only thing I remember is that he is the Chick fil-A alderman," Beckerman said, referring to Moreno's decision in 2012 to block the fast food restaurant from opening in the ward because he disagreed with the Atlanta, Ga-based founders' opposition to gay marriage.