1) A Class Act of a Moderator’s Interest Might Serve Shydlowski’s Point

Laura S. Washington was an excellent moderator. The Northwestern Professor and Chicago Tribune journalist did a great job managing the forum and the Center on Halsted was a great venue. That the Aldermanic election in the 44th Ward might help drive a discussion for the mayoral election could not have been lost on Washington, who understands that Chicagoans maintain far-flung neighbors. The drive from Rogers Park to Riverdale takes longer to cover than visiting my Grandparent’s house did back in Minnesota. Our family would drive through three other entire towns before we arrived. To suggest all five Minnesotan cities combine their resources to achieve better economies of scale would not be a conversation. That this is precisely what Chicago attempts on a regular basis should illustrate the difficulty of reaching consensus in a city so vast. At no point was this issue more clearly on exhibit than when Shydlowski brought up her conversation about funding education in the City of Chicago with community leaders on the South-Side. They told her, “You need to go back and talk to your white people and tell them to ask where your money‘s going because it’s not coming here.” They gave her permission to say that and it was brave for Shydlowski to follow through.

2) The Ed Burke-Sized Elephant is Still in the Room Where it Happened

The least veiled topical dodge of the night goes to Tom Tunney when he stated, “I’m not going to discuss my relationship with Ed Burke.” Considering the situation most Chicagoans are concerned with, this makes sense though it certainly did not satisfy an audience member who eventually retorted, “You were the deciding vote!” Of course, this is in relation what the Chicago Tribune called out in February 2016 when Tunney took part in a close vote to, “gut the ordinance assigning oversight of the City Council to Inspector General Joe Ferguson.” That Tunney moved on to discuss his disappointment concerning a previous Inspector General, Faisal Khan, who left office in 2015, was a deflection of the highest order.

3) Red-Purple Modernization & Parking Poses as Political Traffic Light

The Red-Purple Modernization Program will build a four-story bypass known as the Belmont Flyover. This project is the touchstone where each candidate might find a different rung on the dangling tri-color. While the project is slated to move ahead, the broader discussion about what to do with our transit system in Chicago is up for discussion. Push ahead as planned? Take the foot off the gas? Or full stop?

To say that transit issues are a deeper topic than Chicago’s snowfall this week is a fairly mundane point. Transit-related topics such as theatre district parking, Cub’s night games, and Transit Oriented Development were brought up throughout the debate. But so were critiques of Chicago’s current transitory path. Baidas suggested a Ventra card idea that might have negated the need for the proposed $570 million Belmont Flyover. Shydlowski demonstrated her concern about a lack of options with the sale of Chicago’s parking meters in 2008. For those candidates looking for more ideas, Donald Shoup’s relatively quirky The High Cost of Free Parking might hold some food for thought as our candidates seek their first, or fifth, checkered flag.

4) Connie Can Move to Fargo When it Comes to Crime

Austin Baidas enjoys bringing up his neighbor Connie — while she is likely a long-time resident of the 44th Ward, how much does her opinion represent the area streets she is scared to walk? Shydlowski mentioned her concern for her children taking out the garbage due to growing crime within the ward.

Thankfully the moderator steered the conversation away from becoming an iteration of the vanquished Crime in Wrigleyville and Boystown comments section. Discussions on crime are difficult and turn quickly south based on dubious statistics surrounding police headcount, crimes categorization, and feelings. Here is to hoping future discussions on crime come from the perspective of Marge Gunderson and not Connie on Newport.

Crime Numbers Data from Chicago’s Data Portal — Download the Full Excel Document Here

5) Ideas for Nettlehorst, While Well-Intentioned, Sound Familiar

In response to a question about local business success, Shydlowski riffs on a not ill-intentioned idea to provide a discount improvement for Nettelhorst. You can faintly hear the murmur heard more audibly in person, “It’s against the law.” That is likely true depending upon the amount any upgraded bathroom may cost at Nettelhorst. The School may end up being the touchstone of this election simply due to Shydlowski’s involvement as a parent — she certainly marked her position as untouchable when she critiqued a Tunney aligning himself with the turnaround at Nettelhorst by saying, “The parents did that. You did not do that.” While it is apparent that Shydlowski has some great educational intentions for her time as Alderman, just like many of those before her, vetting ideas on public expenditure before a public forum would help. If Tunney had suggested a deal for specific contractors, the crowd’s muted reaction would have been anything but.

6) How Much Money is Enough For Some Appreciation

The Townhall Apartments at Addison and Halsted

Baidas discussed the $1 million dollar grant he helped secure from the State of Illinois for the Townhall Apartments in support of affordable housing. Tunney was not going to let Baidas have this feather for his cap considering his own work on the project completed in 2014. When given the mic Tunney shot back, “It was $22 million dollars of money, so I applaud your $1 million dollar contribution from Springfield.” How great a look that is for Tunney is up for debate. He got some laughs for the comment but it certainly was $1 million the development did not have and who knows if they would have been able to secure it without Baidas’s support?

7) Aldermanic Privilege To Sleep at the Bottom of Lake Michigan?

A Chicago tradition, Aldermanic Privilege, is under threat by both challengers to Tunney’s incumbency. Shydlowski argued that “This notion that the Alderman is King of the kingdom, it goes back to what I told you earlier; Public Servant. I don’t want to be your King of the kingdom, I want to be your Public Servant.” Baidas used affordable housing and former Alderman Dick Simpson’s argument that, “Corruption costs the city five-hundred million dollars a year” as reason enough to end the long-standing practice. Tunney did not comment on the topic, but his position is clear as a well-maintained fish tank.

8) Funding Foibles for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts

A strange disagreement occurred between Shydlowski and Tunney when Shydlowski stated, “One-third of our property taxes go to TIF funding.” It’s an argument that holds some weight if, across the City of Chicago or within the 44th Ward, the total property value has increased by 50% from whatever time frame Shydlowski was referencing — and by all means let me know in the comments, I have tried to discover the assertions origin — but so far Tunney is correct when he responded to the accusation a minute later by saying, “I believe my challenger here has her numbers wrong. I don’t believe that one-third of your property tax dollars are diverted to TIFs.”

9) Even the 44th Ward Forum is Not Safe From Donald Trump

Trump Tower has saved at least $14 million dollars from property taxes according to the Chicago Sun-Times. It is $9 million according to Austin Baidas. The numbers will vary, but it is clear that the services provided by Klafter & Burke — Ed Burke’s law firm — are the impetus behind Baidas’s denigration of the City of Chicago system surround property tax assessments. While the federal probe into Alderman Burke is still developing, Baidas explicitly called out Tom Tunney as an individual who has been protecting the now disgraced alderman. Considering the sums saved, a proper accounting of the relationship between the two Alderman would go miles to securing or jeopardizing Tunney’s reelection campaign.

10) Whatever Happened to Patrick Shine?

Sad to discover a very promising candidate for alderman, Patrick Shine, dropped out of the race. There does not appear to be any reason for it that I can find but I wish him the best and hope he runs for public office in the future.