I had the pleasure of attending an aldermanic forum in my ward (46th) on Tuesday night. There are 11 candidates in my ward. That was not really fun, listening to them all, but I went with a friend who also lives in the 46th and it just felt so American and neighborly and kind of great. It was at a bar and there was food and drinks and everyone talking to each other. I didn’t hate any of the candidates, but one far and away impressed me more than the others. This candidate was so great, I wish I could say who it was, but I can’t here, not allowed to endorse a candidate. I went into that meeting having looked at the websites of the candidates and knowing a tiny bit about a few of them. I came out completely jazzed about the possibility of this person being my alderman. A totally unexpected outcome.
I had never been to one of these before, and I strongly encourage all of you to go to one if you can. It was fun, and guess what? It was theatre! I think we all get a little jaded listening to candidates give stump speeches and never vary from a script. These were real people with real passion and real thoughts about real issues sitting in a circle on folding chairs at a local bar with a mic that only worked sometimes. I know it’s hard to get info on Aldermanic candidates but I truly think if you go to one of these you will come out with a much better idea of who you want representing you – it was only a little more than an hour for 11 candidates and you’d spend that much time googling them anyway.
Deb
3 comments:
Having seen both sides from the inside, I can truly say that politics is theater - and encourage everyone, as you have Deb, to get involved in the process.
I too attended my aldermanic debate earlier this week and encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get involved in the debate to do so... you can only tell so much from a quarter sheet or tri-fold.
I had great fun attending the 46th with you, Deb! I'd done a lot of looking around on websites and the like, but it was so incredibly helpful to be there in person, getting a sense of everyone's vibe, their thought process, how well they could articulate complex answers to complex questions. There were two candidates (both who shall remain nameless) who I left there VERY excited about. And one of them was a candidate I had barely heard of before that night. All politics is local, right? Or so they say...
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