Feb. 11--The Tribune continues endorsements today in contested races for the Chicago City Council.
38th Ward: His opponents say 36th Ward Ald. Nicholas Sposato's move to the 38th is purely for political convenience. We can't blame him -- he beat the 36th Ward Democratic organization four years ago and city bosses promptly carved up his base in the new map. We were glad to see Sposato relent a few years ago on a zoning change to allow a new charter school in his old ward, but now he tells us that was the worst decision he's made as alderman. Yeesh. Ald. Tim Cullerton, who has been a service-oriented community leader, is backing Heather Sattler. She's the chief operating officer for an organization that helps the families of police and firefighters who die in the line of duty. She has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown and a master's in public service management from DePaul. She's smart and straightforward and greatly qualified for this job. She wants to rescue the pension funds for city workers, and understands what that will take. This is an impressive field, including Tom Caravette, a real estate broker who lost to Cullerton in a 2011 runoff; Michael Duda, a retired water department supervisor; and Jerry Paszek, a forest preserve police officer. Sattler is endorsed.
39th Ward: The streets are relatively safe, the schools are highly rated, things are generally good in this North Side ward. The biggest complaint? All that jet noise. Ald. Margaret Laurino says she's working on it. She's quite likable, but we can't recall a time in her 21 years on the council that she raised her voice to complain that Chicago was putting itself in financial peril. So we're going to endorse a change. Laurino has two challengers -- architect Robert Murphy and retired college instructor Joseph Laiacona -- who say the ward is underperforming thanks to Laurino's laissez-faire leadership style. Our pick is Murphy, who says he began knocking on the alderman's door shortly after his house was mapped into the 39th Ward. He wanted improvements to Forest Glen Avenue; he wanted Laurino to help set up a meeting with the mayor about O'Hare International Airport. What he got, he says, was "lip service." Murphy wants to develop walkable retail districts so shoppers stay close to home instead of driving to Niles and Lincolnwood. He wants to partner with City Colleges to train workers for the light industrial strip that runs down the middle of the ward. He has a far greater sense of urgency about city finances than does Laurino. Her plan to rescue city pensions rests on "the expertise of the City Council Office of Financial Analysis." Hello? The council's been at an impasse for months over who will run that office. Murphy is endorsed.
Final endorsements will appear Friday.
