It's Vi's Victory

Well, Vi's victory last night was clearly decisive. No doubt about it. While her fellow incumbents fell to their spirited opponents or clung to their seats by a thread, Vi was way out ahead of Michele Smith. Clearly, voters felt her leadership and track record were worthy of her keeping her job.

She raked in 4,347 votes to Smith's 3,798 with 98.31% of the vote in. (These numbers from the Trib here.)

Congratulations to Vi and Michele for an important campaign that percolated a needed discussion throughout our community. I do hope we'll continue to see Smith, Zelchenko, Goodstein, and Egan engaged and present in this community.

The other interesting fact was that the number of voters who turned out was down just about 900 or so from the February election. 9143 voters turned out in February (unofficially). With 98% of the votes in, 8145 turned out for the run-off.

Meanwhile, here at our ranch, our contract fell through yesterday on the house we were hoping to buy in what is now Scott Waguespack's ward. Sigh.

I'm also signing off for a while. I need to re-group.

Happiness and peace to you and yours.

Michele Smith says "Thanks for your Support!"

Here is the statement from Michele Smith's campaign. I received it earlier today, but I've been out.

"Dear Friends,

Thank you for your support! We are very excited about the election results. Because of YOUR support, we forced the incumbent into a run-off election on April 17.

I would like to thank Tim Egan, Rachel Goodstein, and Peter Zelchenko for running strong campaigns. They showed up at the forums, knocked on doors, held coffees and shared their views with residents of the ward. Because of their efforts, the ward will be a better place to live.

In a multi-candidate race, a candidate must have a simple majority of 50% plus one vote in order to win outright, or the top two finishers participate in a run-off election. We made a very strong second-place showing, and the current incumbent received less than 50%. As a result, I'll be running as the only candidate against the incumbent on Tuesday, April 17, 2007.

Get involved! Contribute!

Our supporters are energized. There's clearly a mandate for change in this ward and I am eager to continue my campaign to give residents a true and decisive advocate in this community and in City Hall.

Get involved! Volunteer!

After more than 8 years in office, the incumbent has failed to win the confidence of the majority of residents in the 43rd Ward. I look forward to debating the issues with Mrs. Daley during the next phase of this campaign.

Thank you again for all that you do.

Sincerely,

Michele Smith"

Very interesting. Smith is claiming a mandate for change while identifying Daley as an alderman who failed to win the confidence of the majority of voters.

The tone of Daley's letter vs. Smith's was pretty striking to me -- the old guard vs. the potential new one.

Let the games begin!

Vi Daley Says "More Work to Do"

The Vi Daley campaign e-mail newsletter just arrived. Here's her statement:

"Dear Friend,

I want to thank everyone for their hard work over the past 3 months. We did well in a crowded race but came up a few hundred votes short to avoid a runoff election on April 17th. I want to congratulate Tim Egan, Rachel Goodstein, and Peter Zelchenko on their valiant campaigns. They offered a number of worthy suggestions, and I look forward to working with each of them in the future on issues in the 43rd Ward.

While some of my supporters see this as a disappointment, I see this as an opportunity. This is an opportunity to continue engaging our neighbors in a discussion about our community.

On one side we have forces outside this ward that have waged a false, misleading campaign distorting and criticizing the work we have done together to make our community the best in the entire city. They have not run a campaign on real issues, they do not offer any real improvements for our lives, and they ignore the achievements we have made as a community. Their vision is not ours.

As our neighbors continue to hear this, I'm confident that they will ultimately reject it. I'm confident that they will agree with our vision which has been developed through experience and accomplishment in the 43rd Ward. This vision continues the progress we have made in our schools through innovative programs such as pre-kindergarten and healthy, organic lunches. It protects and improves the quality of life we so cherish while working to cap and stabilize our property taxes with real tax reform. And this vision is for sensible planning in our ward on which we have a long record to speak.

Our vision is something that I'm not only proud of but proud to run on. I look forward to comparing it to that of these outside interests and their candidate who has no record of any participation in this community.

The next few weeks will be tough, and I can't do this without your help. As knowledgeable members of this community, you have an important job in telling the story about this neighborhood and defending the progress we have made together. So keep the signs in your windows, keep talking to your neighbors, and let's keep working together on behalf of our community.

It's your voice that will matter six weeks from now on April 17th.

Thank you again for all your work and participation in this community. We have much more to do today, tomorrow and after this election."

So, it looks like Vi's tactic is to run on her lengthy record and pigeon-hole Smith as an "outsider" supported by outside forces. It will be interesting to read Smith's initial statement and how she chooses to posture going forward. (Please e-mail it to me if I've overlooked it at Theplacewherewelive (at) gmail (dot) com.)

I was surprised that Vi did not include any bit of concession to the sizable number of disgruntled constituents in her ward who voted against her. You've got to think that from a strategy point of view alone, if she voiced a little bit of willingness to change her approach, rather than offering a "business as usual" tone, it might have gone a long way toward sedating those who voted against her.

That being said, she's going to be a formidable force in this race given her long record in the ward and the oodles of good will she has built in many pockets of the ward. Not to mention, Mayor Daley has a war chest he barely touched.

Stay tuned.

Thanks to the 43rd Ward Challengers: Egan, Goodstein, Zelchenko

Tim Egan came in third in the ward fight, with Peter Zelchenko and Rachel Goodstein following behind but close to one another.

I appreciated the positive attitude, neighborly spirit, and "stand-up guyness," that Egan introduced to the election. It will be very interesting to see whether he decides to throw his support to Daley or Smith in the run-off. Or, will he sit on the sidelines and say "forgeddabout it"?

If I were Daley or Smith's campaign manager, I'd be trying like heck to get him in my camp.

I also appreciated Zelchenko's big-picture view of our ward's role in making this city better and his advocacy for the little guy. He ran a meaningful campaign and is clearly a friend of the city's and the ward's.

Rachel Goodstein seemed to struggle a bit in getting the word out about herself. I admire her for the stance she took with the Meigs Action Coalition and for many of the ideas about the ward that she introduced to the election. The world needs more people with principled backbones like hers.

I highly doubt that she, Zelchenko, and Egan will remain strangers of the ward now that their bid for election is over. Hope I'm right.

Will there be a run off in the 43rd Ward?

According to CLTV, Vi's hanging just below the needed 50% of voter turnout for re-election while Michele Smith nips at her heels.

According to WGN/The Trib, here's how it breaks down so far w/ 83% of the precincts in:

Vi Daley -- 3,616 -- 48%
Rachel Goodstein -- 218 -- 3%
Michele Smith -- 2,494 -- 33%
Peter Zelchenko -- 331 -- 4%
Tim Egan -- 922 -- 12%

My gosh, by my count, Vi's opponents have earned 3,965 votes vs. her 3,616. Whatever the final outcome, Vi's taking it on the chin and does not seem to have the broad-based support from the ward that some have suggested.

And, how about Burton Natarus falling to the mat? That's the end of an era for sure.

Did Joe Moore really secure 50%?

43rd Ward Lincoln Park Aldermanic Race: Voting Crib Sheet

Okay, so you've either been paying attention to this race or it's completely gone over your head. (And, it's hard to blame you for that, really.) Maybe you've noticed a boatload of junk mail and a few robo calls from da mayor lately.

So, whadda you do tomorrow, election day? Well, you've got to vote. Here are your 43rd ward choices for alderman and their accompanying websites:

Vi Daley-Incumbent
Tim Egan
Rachel Goodstein
Michele Smith
Peter Zelchenko

As I mentioned when I first started blogging about this race, I am not endorsing any candidate, so you'll have to do a little digging and deciding for yourselves.

Consider reading through all the posts featured on this blog over the past four weeks about the candidates here.


Many of the posts include some raucous comments from your fellow Interneteers and several of the candidates themselves have been generous enough to chime in, too.

Enjoy, good luck, and V-O-T-E.

43 Ward Aldermanic Challengers appear on Chicago Tonight

The four challengers for the 43rd Ward Aldermanic seat appeared on WTTW's Chicago Tonight tonight.

Just to set the stage: Tim Egan looked like he may be growing a mustache. Rachel Goodstein wore a necklace with a giant, vertical "VOTE" on it. Michele Smith wore lipstick that matched her hair color. Peter Zelchenko held a roll of masking tape.

The show featured the candidates in the order that their names will appear on the ballot, so I am, too. You'll find some representative quotes from their appearance below.

Vi Daley did not appear due to a "scheduling conflict." (Yeah, right.) What really ticked me off was that the moderator, Eddie Arruza, asked the candidates what Vi Daley had done well and what she hadn't done well. He pressed the candidates to answer the first part of the question and then he blew off the second part of the question! Then, he defended Vi Daley's position to them later when they mentioned the problems in the ward!

What is wrong with our media these days? They absolutely coddle people in power. I just don't get it. A democracy needs a press that presses its leaders, not helps them when they fail to show up and take responsibility for their office and their actions. I think that was completely disrespectful to the four candidates and a failure of journalistic responsibility.


Here are some notable quotes:

Michele Smith

"As a former federal prosecuter, a corporate executive for 15 years, the social action chair of the Chicago Sinai Congregation, and a ward resident for well over 20 years as well as a parent, I think I bring the kind of sophisticated expertise that's expected in the ward."

"What I really intend to do and what this ward needs is a comprehensive plan for the future. I intend to convene a ward-wide strategic plan so that we can have the input of the best in urban planning and make Lincoln Park and the Gold Coast a model of urban planning instead of what we have now, which is the neighbors have to ban together and sometimes and fight lawsuits in order to fight in appropriate development."

On Children's Memorial Hospital site: "That's the spot where we can hope to have a devleopment that we can be as proud of in Lincoln Park as our city is of Millennium Park. That should be a crossroads for our community."

Rachel Goodstein

"I have a very broad background in terms of education, business experience, and volunteer experience. It gives me a great depth about how the city works."

"One of the things that I have proposed in terms of how to deal with the communications is I've made a commitment. There are 59 precincts in the 43rd ward and to meet with each precinct on an ongoing basis --59, a day off. So that you get more involvement of people, but you also get them to know each other. . . There's litigation, but before you get to litigation. It' s a lack of not knowing your neighbors and lack of civility."

"I think the board of the CTA needs to be people who ride the bus and take the el, and they are not."

Tim Egan

"As a hospital administrator I maintain the practical, professional experience that's needed in our aldermanic office."

"We need new and aggressive forms of communication when it comes to development. There is a hysteria that happens in the 43rd ward that is unnecessary. We need to go out and reach the ward through every means possible. "

"Creating a ward-wide community committee for development is a great idea and it's very necessary, but at the end of every result, you need a strong leader to come in and make that final decision. . . Litigation is a huge part of the communication process in the 43rd ward. We have neighbors suing neighbors, neighbors suing businesses. We have a group of neighbors that sued a homeless shelter in the middle of our ward. We need a mediator to step in and take the heat and the middle ground."

"Children's Memorial has been a wonderful corporate neighbor in the 43rd ward. . . (Children's) is going to have a hand in who buys that property and what goes in there. So, I have full faith in their cooperation in the future."


Peter Zelchenko

"I grew up in the ward, and I know it better than any other of the candidates."

"The problems we're having are the result of the ward being run by a very small and exclusive cabal of people, some connected with community groups and others. Right now, what we're really seeing in the race is a kind of tug-of-war between Marty Oberman, who is Ms. Smith's Chinaman, and Vi Daley's people in terms of who is going to control the ward. I, and other candidates, want to develop a true community council forum where these interests are diffused a little bit better."

"Children's (Memorial Hospital) is an institution. It's a corporation, and we mustn't get too sentimental about it's relationship to the community. It's upping and leaving. There's a lot of rich opportunity for that as a real, walkable community-centered structure where we can maybe put the library and other things. We're going to squeeze every possible community benefit out of that space with the help of the community.

UPDATE: And, I meant to add, I think Vi's not showing up was a failure of her duty to her constituents. This was PBS for gosh sakes. Perhaps she doesn't want the job as much as she implies she does.

Lakeview Action Coalition Posts 43rd Ward Aldermanic Forum Results

You can find the questions and brief responses from the 43rd ward candidates from last Thursday's forum at the Lakeview Action Coalition's website here. LAC is not endorsing a candidate, so they've attempted to report the answers in as un-biased fashion as possible.

NOTE: Vi Daley did not show. The LAC reports, "While this date worked on Alderman Daley’s schedule in early January, she had two conflicts and informed LAC through a letter on Friday, February 9 that she would not be attending."

Did anyone attend? How did your experience correlate with the LAC's grid of responses?

43rd Ward Aldermanic Election: Your Candidates on YouTube

I'm back, mons. Let's dig into it. Thanks to all the active commenters. Please continue to chime in as our 43rd ward aldermanic election nears.

Here is a run-down of all the candidates and their You Tube appearances. Perhaps y'all like your candidates via the tube?

[Also, please note, I just signed up for YouTube today. Better late than completely lame, right? To get to the video, please click on the highlighted names. I'll be damned if I can figure out how to embed them.]

Vi Daley

The only presence Vi Daley has on YouTube is a video entitled, "Vi Daley Clueless about CTA Cuts." It was uploaded by someone named LP Citizen. The audio is poor and there is no date or location attached to the video, but it's obviously Vi talking.

The poster identifies two of her quotes as especially frustrating, including her comment, "We're going to have to live with it." I don't have to rely on the CTA, so I'll leave it to others to assess how damning or not her comments are.


Tim Egan

Tim sent out a DVD to the ward (well, at least my address got it) as part of his direct mail campaign, but a fraction of it is posted on YouTube as well. It's titled "Tim Egan for 43rd Ward Alderman."

The video opens with some good-natured and hokey ribbing about the Hollywoodness of his approach, and then he introduces his several key campaign points.

In the video, he sits at a desk in a green polo shirt (with some droopy, waifish houseplants in the background - note to Egan staff, they need water). He speaks across the desk just as we might encounter him in his aldermanic office. He seems like he would be approachable and reasonable.

Clearly, Egan is trying to take the high road in this campaign to differentiate himself from the mud-slinging going on between Vi and Michele Smith. He seems to want to stay focused on his message rather than challenging the current alderman. That's a nice, neighborly approach as far as I'm concerned.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I understand exactly how he would be different from Vi Daley as an alderman. He makes a lot of credible, nice points, but I just am not sure I'm getting why he is running against our incumbent. I think he may need to get more specific. I find his campaign terms of "rational commonground" and "positive action" very positive, but I just don't understand exactly how he intends to make those ideas play out.

I was also a bit disappointed to hear him say in this video that his communication strategy was to be readily available. That sounded to me like more of the same. "If you can't find me," he says, "you're not trying." But, will he try to find us? It sounds like Vi's campaign attitude of, "All you have to do is ask."

I should probably also mention that some seemingly random dude named Jake CP also endorses Tim Egan and it looks like he lit his video with a flashlight. Is it a spoof or for real? You decide.


Michele Smith

Smith has several videos on YouTube. In one she mentions she grew up on Long Island. Perhaps her anger is really New Yorker-ease?

Here they are:

Michele Smith for Alderman

You Need To Meet Michele Smith - 43rd Ward Promo (This is the best video of them all, from a purely film-making standpoint, I feel.)

Michele Smith - Candidate Forum Highlights Depaul University


Rachel Goodstein and Peter Zelchenko did not have videos on YouTube. But, I have linked to their websites for your reference.

UPDATE: My apologies. Peter Zelchenko does have a video, but it's on GoogleVideo. I'm so new to this. It is titled "Election 2007 Peter Zelchenko for 43rd Ward Alderman." You can find it here.

43rd Ward Election Continues, but Hey Mon, Gone for President's Day Weekend

Never again, we said to ourselves last year, would we endure a Chicago winter without leaving for warmer weather at least once.

That little promise is paying off big time right about now.

See you next Tuesday. We're heading to Jamaica.

In the meantime, a very fine reverand e-mailed to remind me that tomorrow, Thursday, February 15 is the next 43rd Ward Aldermanic Candidate Forum.

Here are the details. Be sure to share your feedback in the comments section about how it goes.

43rd WARD ALDERMANIC CANDIDATES FORUM
Thursday, February 15, 7:00-8:45 pm
Church of our Savior, 530 W. Fullerton
Doors open at 6:30, and the forum will run from 7 pm - 8:45 pm. All five candidates have been invited to this event.


Finally,

The traffic on this site is way up now that we're closing in on voting day. Here are the websites for the five candidates for alderman for your reference.

Vi Daley

Tim Egan

Rachel Goodstein

Michele Smith

Peter Zelchenko

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day. You make me feel like a sweepstakes winner.

Vi Daley's Campaign Manager says Vi Believes McMansions are "Consistent with Community Goals"

Also,Tom Bowen reports that he wouldn't hire any one of his boss's opponents to shovel snow. Then, he thinks again, and says Tim Egan and Rachel Goodstein would probably do a good job.

Find these thoughts and more fireworks breaking out in the comments section of yesterday's post on the 43rd ward election here.

UPDATE: Here's a clarification of Tom's quote from the comments. He wrote, "“Vi said that they are consistent with community goals: less density and more green space, that's all.”

Follow up on Today's 43rd Ward Aldermanic Forum

Here's a quick wrap-up of today's WBEZ candidate forum.

We have five very compelling candidates, which this great ward deserves. The alderman's job, in many ways, is the most powerful in the city, but also the most thankless. I am truly grateful to all of them for their commitment and dedication to our community.

I also thought Steve Edwards did an outstanding job of introducing our ward and choosing highly relevant questions from the citizens present at the Chicago History Museum today. (If you attended, can you give an approximate size of the crowd?)

As I've mentioned, I am not endorsing any candidate in this blog, but I'm also incredibly undecided as a voter. Today's forum gave me a lot more to think about and did not provide the clarity I had hoped. (That's not a fault of the forum, but rather symbolic of the quality of the candidates who are running.)

Please add your reactions and thoughts in the comments section. Or, you can e-mail me at ThePlaceWhereWeLive (at) gmail (dot)com.

Vi Daley

Liked: Dealt with her critics in a rational, professional way. That's a requirement of the job as far as I'm concerned. She's also clearly knowledgable about her job, the ward, and the issues at play. She's a true professional. A lot of Chicagoans can't say that about their alderman.

Concerns: Did not like her plan for dealing with Children's Memorial Hospital. It was too piecemeal and lacked any kind of desire to create a cohesive vision for the community. Part of that point of view, I admit, is driven by my own frustration about the number of community groups in our ward. There should only be one group with a bunch of subcommittees. We have been divided and conquered, in my opinion.

She also said this about the three and four-lot McMansions cropping up south of Armitage, "It's really not a bad thing." She supported that by saying no one is complaining about it to her office. Hmmmm.

Tim Egan

Liked: He mentioned a "lack of vision" when it comes to development in the ward (esp. with regard to the McMansions.) Also liked that he thought one part of putting the lid on property taxes was tracking what the city is doing with the money already.

Concerns: However, he didn't seem to be able to articulate a plan for how he would do better other than to say he'd hold planners accountable. Not sure that's a workable solution.

Rachel Goodstein

Liked: Okay, truly loved that she was going to pull together a strategic envisioning committee for development in our ward. This, in my opinion, is exactly what is needed and is advised by experts on how to address the issues raised today. Vi Daley's strategy of working with nine separate community groups, some urban planners, and other experts does not sound to me like it will bring together a consensus and it leaves out citizens who are not well-connected to the community groups. Also, said she has strategic planning experience.

She's also very credible on her statement that if you're looking for someone to stand up to the mayor, she's the candidate. She is the former director of the Meigs Field Action Coalition.

She also called for transparency in what the city spends.

Concerns: Goodstein was pretty succinct in her comments. I did not hear much in her approach that concerned me.

Michele Smith

Liked: I thought her statements, "The look and feel of Lincoln Park is really under attack, " and "I fear we're losing the park of Lincoln Park" reflected two of my big concerns. She recognized disparity between Lincoln Park High School's IB program and regular program, which showed a great knowledge about the educational challenges in our ward and accompanying parental expectations.

Concerns: The comments I've heard offline and comments that have been posted on this site suggest she is a bit strident. Unfortunately, what I heard today supported that public impression. I found myself writing in my notes, "Man, she sounds angry." That is great when it fuels a passionate commitment to her community, which is seems to do. But, I also think she needs to begin showing her collaborative side pronto.

Peter Zelchenko

Liked: He said he was very concerned about "private interests taking over the public good" in our community. He looks at the city in a global way (meaning not just considering our ward), but he is a lifelong resident of the ward. He's an activist and was the one to most directly challenge the status quo, I thought. Also, I really appreciated his statement, "We pay the most property taxes in the city and should demand the best city services possible."

Concerns: The global point of view may challenge him as residents want to think ward-wise. I did find myself wondering whether he was running as a public service in order to help raise the issues he cares about and to challenge the status quo, rather than to primarily secure a win. He's very civic-minded and a committed activist. The city can't get enough of people like him as far as I'm concerned. The statement that the public schools are "adequate" did not reflect my standards as a parent and the level of expectations I think many other parents have.

(UPDATE: I just want to make a note about that last sentence, which sounds a bit snobby. What I meant is that many people hope to send their children to schools that are beyond adequate.)


I thought the candidates all did a much better job of addressing their solutions to development issues than keeping a lid on property taxes.

Please chime in.

43rd Ward Aldermanic Race Overview: Vi Daley vs. Egan, Goodstein, Smith & Zelchenko

Well, my friends, the time has come for the Great 2007 Aldermanic Race of Chicago's 43rd ward.

If you're just picking up the story, dear neighbors, our alderman, Vi Daley, has four tough-minded competitors who sincerely want to take her to the Lincoln Park mat. So to speak.

For the record, we here at The Place Where We Live headquarters have determined that we will act as Switzerland and will not endorse any candidate. This is due to three main reasons:

1. I'm actively looking to move out of the ward because most of the single family homes in my price range do not fall within this ward's boundaries. ('Tis a shame and not a surprise, right?)
2. To date, I've briefly met three of the five candidates, and I believe that each is acting in good faith to serve our community. I really respect that.
3. What do I know?

That being said, I certainly have some opinions on the matter.

So, let's begin with a simple introduction to the candidates, culled from their websites. More to follow in the coming days and weeks. I do hope you will chime in and comment as you see fit.

I also welcome more information, tips, and thoughts via e-mail at ThePlaceWhereWeLive (at) Gmail.com

Vi Daley (Incumbent)

Vi has been serving as our alderman since 1999. Her ward office can be found here.

Her reelection campaign site can be found here. One sentence on why you should vote for her (excerpted from her website):

"She has always understood what gives our neighborhood its character, strength and historic feel. She has always had a common bond with the community."

Tim Egan

Tim Egan works as the Director of Outpatient Services and Managed Care Contracting at Norwegian American Hospital on the far northside. He's also an active community member.

His campaign website can be found here.

Why he believes he'd make a good alderman (excerpted from the campaign website):

"Tim Egan possesses a passion for two things that will make him a successful and respected Alderman of the 43rd Ward in the City of Chicago; his family and community involvement. "

[Note to Egan Campaign: Please put election photo in your gallery for media use.]

Rachel Goodstein

Unfortunately, I could not find a website for Goodstein. If I have overlooked it, please e-mail me at ThePlaceWhereWeLive (at) Gmail.com.

According to this Sun-Times story, Goodstein is a lawyer and the former president of the Meigs Action Coalition.

UPDATE: Rachel Goodstein's site can be found here.

One sentence on why she's running: "(Mayor Daley's illegal bulldozing of Meigs Field) galvanized my commitment to the cause of good government in Chicago. "

Michele Smith

Michele is a former federal prosecutor, business leader, and active community member. Her campaign website can be found here.

One sentence on why she's running (excerpted from her campaign website):

"I'm running for alderman of the 43rd Ward because this neighborhood deserves better. Lincoln Park, Old Town and the Gold Coast need a proven leader who will protect what is best about our communities and prepare for the future."

[Same note to the Smith campaign -- please put your campaign photo in the gallery for media use.]

Peter Zelchenko

Peter Zelchenko is a technology and design expert and community activist.

You can find his campaign website here. He also writes a blog about the ward. You can find it here.One sentence on why he's running (excerpted from his website):

"If I want to prove anything, it will be to use Lincoln Park's better nature to set an example. To develop a mission with those generous ones among us who believe we can do much, much better. "

[Note to Zelchenko campaign, please make a photo available for media use on your site that is not tied to the masthead.]

Stay tuned, everyone, this is going to be a good one!

More 43rd Ward Election Information for You
Aldertrack - 43rd Ward Coverage (including signature tracking)here.
Inside newspaper's recent coverage of the race here.