Many of you have called or asked how things went on Saturday for the open seat of Commissioner of the 10th District of the Cook County Board. Everyone who asked the question has seemed to know that Bridget Gainer was the winner, but the interest is in how did I vote, how did everyone else vote, was it close, who else was there, what did they say and many other questions.
First of all, I thought about this decision for a long time and even after taking everything into consideration I still didn't reach a final decision until I had heard the leading candidates speak on Saturday morning. It was clear going in to Saturday morning that the choice would come down to either Bridget Gainer or Kimberley Walz. The presentations to the Committeeman were a surprise. All of the candidates who appeared did an admirable job. Some were people who just walked in off of the street and into the limelight. I focused most closely on the two front runners, but I listened to them all. I thought that Walz did a very nice job, better than I expected, on her opening, but didn't do as well as I was expecting on the questions from the Committeeman. Gainer didn't do as well as some expected on the opening, but rebounded nicely on the question portion. Perhaps my interpretation of the performance is based on my personal expectations and my bias toward what I should expect.
Other parts of my decision were driven by the phone calls, messages and other communications made by you, the 49th Ward voters. The calls ran overwhelmingly in support of Walz after factoring in and factoring out non-ward and unidentified callers. The very unusual endorsements made by the papers in a race done by appointment also caught my attention. Finally, I looked to see where the progressive community was standing and many of you, from the ward and from the district as a whole, were standing with Kimberley Walz. In the end I voted for Walz in what was a close contest.
In looking at how other Committeeman voted, the breakdown is simple. The south lakefront and I stood with Walz, the north lakefront and the western part of the district (excepting Pat Levar's 217 votes) went for Gainer. Interestingly, the vote turned on the decision made by Tom Sharpe, 46th Ward, in the middle, both in terms of a last minute decision regarding his vote and the geographically centered 46th Ward. The numbers, because they are based on solid blocks of weighted vote, were not close in the end. Gainer received 57%, Walz received 41% and 2% was recorded as abstaining from casting a vote.
Although not the first choice of some progressives, Ms. Gainer will be a solid addition to the Board. Her experience and her reformer credentials will continue to support what was ultimately the most important role that Mike Quigley played on the Board for progressives, a solid vote for reform. None of the candidates expressed a pro-Stroger position and in fact I cannot recall the name of President Stroger being used by any of the candidates. As would have been the case with Ms. Walz, so is the case for Ms. Gainer. The 10th District is a solidly progressive district that expects progressive, reform oriented votes. The petitions for the next election will be out in just a few short months, August, and she will stand on her record. Many of you will be watching and waiting to see how she does. She is equipped with the potential to do very well. We'll see.
If you have more questions please feel free to come to our monthly political meeting next Monday, April 20, 2009 at 7:15 pm at the Democratic Party of the 49th Ward Office. It is located at 1774 W. Greenleaf on the corner of Greenleaf and Ravenswood. More information is available at (773) 973-4949 or by email at democrats@49thward.com
