Sept. 22--Friends of the Parks, the open space advocacy group that is fighting plans to put George Lucas' museum on the lakefront, has named a new executive director.
Juanita Irizarry, whose background is in community development and housing policy, took the position earlier this month. She succeeds Cassandra Francis, who stepped down in April to pursue other interests. Board President Lauren Moltz served as interim director until Irizarry was hired.
Irizarry, 46, has held posts with the Hispanic Housing Development Corp., Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp. and The Resurrection Project. She most recently worked with community groups to maintain affordable housing near The 606 trail on the Northwest Side.
Irizarry also was executive director of the advocacy group Latinos United, now known as the Latino Policy Forum. Last spring she mounted an unsuccessful challenge to Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 26th, garnering 34 percent of the vote.
"Her passion for advocacy, her urban planning background, her non-profit management expertise, and her connection to community all will be key ingredients as she leads us into the next 40 years of protecting and preserving one of Chicago's greatest assets: our parks," Moltz said in a statement.
The hiring of Irizarry appears to come at a crucial time for the nonprofit group.
Friends of the Parks filed a federal lawsuit in November to block construction of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on a 17-acre lakefront site just south of Soldier Field. The suit argues that the public trust doctrine prevents that state-owned land from being handed over for private use.
But the group was forced to find a new legal strategy after the Chicago Park District and the Lucas museum group earlier this month revamped their proposal for the building and put forth a new property agreement. U.S. District Judge John Darrah told the group its suit needed to specifically address the terms of the ground lease agreement.
The group also must address why its complaint remains valid in light of state legislation that permitted city of Chicago to build the Obama library on parkland.
The revised suit is due Oct. 2.
cdrhodes@tribpub.com
