Interview with Ald. Thomas Tunney
“Being an Alder Is Like Being a Mayor of a Small Town”
“And it excites me to make a difference in everyday lives,” Ald. Thomas Tunney of the 44th Ward told League interviewer Elona Vaisnys. Ald. Tunney went on to explain that an alder has responsibility for (or is looked upon to take care of) almost everything that goes on in the ward: public schools, street cleaning, crime, potholes, the upkeep of public parks, etc.
While technically a part-time job, serving as an alderperson comes with full-time responsibilities, he said. While Ald. Tunney still runs the Ann Sather restaurants, he gave up their liquor licenses to avoid conflicts of interest and shortened the hours so they only serve breakfast and lunch. He also relies much more on his staff so he can devote the time necessary to serving as an alderperson.
Watch the full interview above or read on for more highlights:
Improving the operation of the City Council. Ald. Tunney has two suggestions to improve efficiency: reduce the number of alders and reduce the number of committees. He also suggested the use of “direct introduction” for submitting proposed ordinances directly to committees two days before votes are scheduled. In addition to providing notice to the public, this also would give alderpersons more time to consider what is being proposed.
Reducing crime. One important way is to build stronger communities through active block clubs and community gardens. Prior offenders say that they hate “nosey neighbors” in tight-knit communities.
The 44th Ward is composed of one neighborhood: Lakeview. Primarily residential, it does have two main types of business: healthcare (Illinois Masonic Hospital and Amita Health St. Joseph Hospital) and entertainment (Wrigley Field/Clark Street and North Halsted, known as “Boys’ Town”).
Ald. Tunney is the “Vice Mayor,” which he explained is generally just a ceremonial title. It only comes into play when a mayor becomes incapacitated or dies. At that time, the Vice Mayor assumes the position of mayor until the City Council either ratifies that the Vice Mayor will retain the position or chooses another Council member to be the mayor. (This, of course, happened on the death of Mayor Harold Washington, when Vice Mayor David Orr became mayor until the City Council voted to appoint Ald. Eugene Sawyer as mayor.)