The fight for a second Wal-Mart in Chicago continues. The retail chain’s chief champion is Alderman Howard Brookins who wants the store in his south side ward. Today the city council was expected to vote on a measure that would clear the way for the controversial so-called big box store. But instead, they sent the ordinance to the Finance committee to be brought up at a later date.

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Ambi: is this the space right here? Yes

Alderman Howard Brookins and I are in front of a weeded 15-acre parcel of land at 83rd and Stewart in the West Chatham neighborhood.

For years, he’s wanted a Wal-Mart Supercenter here. Wal-Mart representatives say the store would bring 400 jobs to the South Side neighborhood.

It’s hard to think of another retailer as polarizing as Wal-Mart. Three years ago the chain opened on the West Side – the first Wal-Mart in the city. Union and community activists fought for a living-wage ordinance as a way to pressure the chain to pay higher wages. The ordinance failed.

In the meantime, unions have pressured aldermen to reject the chain from further Chicago expansion because of Wal-Mart’s anti-union stance.

I ask 21st Ward Alderman Brookins if he’s tried to find another national chain – just to avoid the political showdown.

BROOKINS: We’ve gone after every national chain and Wal-Mart is still the one that’s been willing to come into our community. Four years ago when I was fighting that was the same argument that the people who are against Wal-Mart would say:…oh, if you leave it vacant someone will else will come. Here it is four years later and we haven’t been able to attract any other national retailer.

That’s one reason why many South Side residents spend millions each year shopping outside of their own communites. At this 50-acre site there are only two businesses: Lowe’s and Potbelly. The rest is vacant land and empty buildings.

BROOKINS: Retailers are apprehensive in coming to the African-American community — number one. And it’s not until there has been a success story that you’ll find other retailers willing to flock here.

Brookins says he plans to call for a city council vote that would rescind the City of Chicago planning department’s power of approving businesses 150,000 sq ft and larger. That power has been in effect since 2006 and was a way to block Wal-Mart; few stores take up that much square footage. If the ordinance passes, Wal-Mart would be free to build.

ambi: pro-Wal-Mart speech

Wal-Mart is not standing idly by either. It is doing its best to woo South Side residents. The chain sponsored this farmer’s market this past weekend near the site it wants to build. Wal-Mart employees gave out tote bags with the store’s logo and free watermelon. Local job advocates took the stage to highlight the benefits of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart officials have also sent Brookins a letter listing its promises: diversity; jobs to ex-offenders, leasing store space to local businesses.

Melinda Kelly is executive director the Chatham Business Association. She says she’s not concerned about the chain coming in and wiping out small businesses.

KELLY: It’s not just about the jobs and building of the actual store. It’s making them reinvest back in the community, sponsor those hubs, do partnership with the businesses so that when you’re at Wal-Mart, you still know about our local cleaners, you still know about our local specialty stores, you still know what’s in the area and what’s available to you.

ambi fades

Mayor Richard Daley supports Wal-Mart but he says Brookins doesn’t have the votes to change the ordinance. The mayor has kept his distance in the issue, some surmise that’s to appease unions – at least until after it’s decided whether Chicago will be the 2016 Olympic host city.

Wal-Mart says it provides health benefits and an average hourly salary of $12 an hour at Chicago area stores.But a recent call to the West side Wal-Mart found that some workers there start at minimum wage.

Flora Johnson says she’s not convinced. Johnson is a retired union grocery store worker who lives in the 21st ward. The union aspect is why she doesn’t want Wal-Mart in her community.

JOHNSON: Don’t have no union in there to protect you because when you work on a job and there’s no union there, you might do something the boss don’t like, well they say don’t come back tomorrow.

Johnson’s been canvassing anti-Wal-Mart literature with other concerned residents. She says not all 21st ward residents are pleased at the Wal-Mart prospect.