Last night (4 Dec. 2018) about 250 people came to Lane Tech to hear and see the candidates for 47th Ward Alderman. I was not surprised that so many people came. The aldermanic election has been the talk of the neighbor for six months.
I am impressed with the quality of the candidates. I would have no problem with any of the candidates being elected. I have my favorite of course, Eileen Dordek, she is clearly the best, but more on that later.
What struck me most was how similar the candidates positions were. They all have the same positions on issues. We all want to support our local schools, an elected school board, properly funded pensions, more police to fight crime, property tax reform, a progressive income tax, TIF reform, etc., etc. etc.
What I didn’t hear was any one of them talking about his or her vision about what they want the Ward to be. This may have been due to the format of the event, but they were asked to differentiate themselves the others.
I also didn’t here anyone talk about development. That is the area that the Alderman has almost unfettered discretion and opportunity for good or evil. Somebody ought to have brought it up. It was obvious. Each missed the opportunity to stand out.
But we are only getting started. Your mailboxes will soon be full of stuff from the candidates.
I just love elections.
Here are some photos I took last night.
