Rapper Rhymefest has taken aim at current Chicago Alderman Willie Cochran, over a local residents’ unanswered complaints, surrounding hundreds of old tires that were being dumped in a vacant lot next to his home.

Che “Rhymefest” Smith claims current 20th Ward Alderman Willie Cochran ignored calls for help from Englwood resident Raymond Stewart, who feared his house could catch on fire, due to the numerous tires being illegally dumped next to his house.

“Mr. Raymond called my campaign out of desperation, he was afraid that his house would go up in flames if some one started the tires on fire. The Alderman would not help him and he could not get 311 to commit to a time frame for the clean up.  We contacted the media, they did a story on Friday night. On Monday morning at 7:00 a.m. the tires were removed. I was happy to help, but it should not have come to that.  Ward residents should get action from Alderman Cochran, not excuses.”

The choice words from Rhymefest come on the heels of recent comments by Alderman Smith, who questioned Rhymefest’s experience to serve an an Alderman.

“The voters of the 20th Ward know the difference between a professional public administrator who’s been doing an outstanding job for them…as opposed to someone who is a known hip-hop artist who degrades women and promotes violence in his videos,” Cochran told the Chicago Sun-Times in November of 2010.

Rhymefest pledged that if he is elected Alderman in the 20th Ward, he would work with local residents to install surveillance cameras to catch the culprits fly dumping trash, tires and other hazardous materials in the vacant lots, paid for by fines issued to the dumpers.

“Stopping the fly dumping is important to my overall plan for cleaning up the 20th Ward,” Rhymefest said. “It is bad enough for a hard working resident to have an abandoned building next door, but it is horrible for that spot to turn in to a garbage dump…Alderman Cochran needs to do his job. It shouldn’t take a candidate with a camera to make things work.”

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