By James W. Dolan

I recently returned from Chicago, a city I have visited often the last 10 years. It is a beautiful city with an extensive park system and about 26 beaches along the lakefront. What impresses me is how clean and well groomed it is.

The park grass is weeded and mowed, machines clean and rake the beach sand daily and there is virtually no trash. Thousands of trash barrels throughout the park system are emptied every night. Fountains work and beautiful, well-tended flowerbeds line the public areas. It is obvious that somebody cares.

By comparison, I confess Boston looks shabby. Sure the Boston Common and the Public Gardens look good but they are postage stamps compared to Chicago's vast park system. Despite numerous efforts over the years, our city streets are often strewn with trash, barrels go unemptied, and neighborhood parks are poorly maintained

In areas of natural beauty like Castle Island and the Charles River Esplanade, the disbanded MDC. historically has a poor maintenance record. The lawns are not well-groomed, flowers are notable only by their absence, and trash abounds. The beautifully maintained (with private funds) Post Office Square Park should be the rule rather than the exception.

The recently renewed Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront was allowed to fall into disrepair even though the area was a prime tourist destination. That would not have happened in Chicago, where Savin Hill Beach, Castle Island and the Charles River would also be show places.

It is evident that Chicagoans take great pride in their city, its architecture, beaches, park system, diversity, and cultural centers. Unlike here, they would at least hesitate before dropping trash in the street or throwing it out a car window. What is discarded is promptly picked up. It's not only that Mayor Richard Daily and the Chicago Park Department care, the residents of that city care and it shows.

You don't need a small army of workers to properly maintain Castle Island or Pope John Paul II Park, you only need a few dedicated people who care. Such people at the end of a busy workday take pride in the appearance of the area they are charged with keeping beautiful. They see themselves as conservators of land held in trust for the pleasure and enjoyment of the public. Making it beautiful matters to them.

I worked summers for the MDC. in my youth and even then there was a brain dead, "don't kill the job" mentality. Do as little as possible in as much time as possible for fear you would receive another assignment. I expect that attitude still exists and explains the unfortunate condition of so many of our parks.

Sad to say, but perhaps the only way of assuring the new park system, produced as a result of the Big Dig, will be properly maintained is to secure private sector financing. I suspect most of our public parks could be better maintained by the private sector for less money than is now spent. If pride won't do the trick, profit is usually a satisfactory substitute.

I don't know how Chicago does it, I only know it gets it done. There is a comforting feeling when you see grass trimmed, flowering plants and clean streets that the city gives the same degree of attention to its other operations. Conversely, when you see neglect, you assume it's pervasive. Looking good is important.

In my experience, the attitude and behavior of even criminal defendants improved when justice was dispensed in a clean, well-maintained courthouse rather than an old, dirty, crowded, inadequate facility. It was expected the staff would feel and perform better but we underestimated the impact of attractive surroundings on defendants.

Perhaps the attitude of the people of Chicago about their city is more a reflection of the respect the city shows them by maintaining beautiful public spaces. If the city cares, they care. In Boston, if the city showed it cared a little more about its own appearance, maybe Bostonians in time would return the favor.

(James W. Dolan is a retired Dorchester District Court judge now practicing law at Dolan & Connly, P.C., 50 Redfield St., Dorchester)