George Blakemore. (Photo by Kevin Beese/for Chronicle Medi

George Blakemore attends as many as 30 meetings a week, yet he doesn’t have a desk or office.

He is not a clout-wielding CEO, but there is not a Chicago or Cook County elected official who does not know his face or his name.

Blakemore is an outspoken regular attendee at meetings at City Hall and the adjoining County Building.

Frequently, he is the only public speaker at County Board committee meetings. He regularly talks about the need for public agencies to require a certain number of jobs be set aside for blacks, for citizens to be involved in their government and for illegal immigrants to be deported.

The retired Chicago man said he feels obligated to be at meetings for residents, especially people in the black community.

“In the black community, I feel it is my business to represent them at the various government agencies, the boards and commissions,” Blakemore said. “The black community needs to be present. Someone must advocate for the employment of black people in the city of Chicago, the state and the county. I am not going to leave it to the black elected officials.”

Along with city and county committee meetings, which are often held in bulk certain days each month, Blakemore is also a regular attendee at meetings of the Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Park District, Metra and the Regional Transit Authority.

He said most of those governing bodies do not make it easy for the public to attend and get a sense of what is going on.

“They do not encourage people to come to the meetings,” Blakemore said. “They put them at times when the average person is working. The times are not convenient. The dates are not convenient.”

Too many of the government bodies, Blakemore said, pledge their allegiance to the Democratic machine.

“The machine has a hierarchy, residents don’t rate,” he said. “As a bloc, the officials will vote for the benefit of the machine and not the benefit of the black community.”

During Blakemore’s public comments, elected officials often converse with each other about upcoming agenda items, talk to staff about issues and check their phones. Many view him as a nuisance.

“I see myself as a concerned citizen,” Blakemore said. “I see myself as one who will watch proceedings objectively. I am one person who is educated and informed, an engine for black people. I look out for black people. In doing this, I help all people. It helps the Hispanic community, the African-American community, the Caucasian community.”

The 75-year-old Chicago resident has been attending government meetings for more than 20 years. He has never run for public office, although he considered putting his hat in the ring for Cook County commissioner of the 2^nd District before Robert Steele earned the post.

Along with city and county committee meetings, which are often held in bulk certain days each month, George Blakemore is also a regular attendee at meetings of the Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Park District, Metra and the Regional Transit Authority. (Photo by Kevin Beese/for Chronicle Media)

When a younger man, Blakemore used to travel the country, selling food and merchandise at events and concerts. It was being a robbery victim in Memphis 20 years ago that got him started attending local meetings.

“I learned about the hospital system in Cook County when I needed physical therapy after being shot in Memphis 20 years ago during a robbery,” Blakemore said. “I needed physical therapy and occupational therapy and there was not enough staff … I started going to the hospital system meetings to see about programs and propose additional staffing.”

Both the city and county have proposed action to try to lessen public comment, which Blakemore sees as an effort to put a muzzle on him as he rarely stops before his allotted three minutes of input are up.

“They want to silence me,” he said. “They have all their ways to bully a member of the public.”

Blakemore is concerned that when he is no longer at meetings there will be no one to carry the torch after him.

“I am not going to be here forever. People need to be on the case,” Blakemore said. “Somebody has to pick up the baton and go to meetings to help our poor and ignored citizens.”

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