Ald. Nicholas Sposato (36th) and attorney Larry Andolino are dueling for 36th Ward Democratic Committeeman. At the same time, both candidates mercilessly skewer the new ward map City Council approved January 19, and are open to a legal challenge regarding the very ward boundaries they are vying to represent.
The Chicago City Council has passed the compromise ward remap featuring 18 Black wards, 13 Hispanic wards, and 2 Hispanic influence wards, avoiding a costly referendum vote.
The Chicago City Council could soon reach a deal on remapping
the city’s 50 wards, though neighborhood groups and even the alderman in
charge of the remap blast both the map-making process and the final
product.
Health advocates and workers held a candlelight vigil in front of city hall last night in the hopes of staving off proposed cuts in the city budget to clinics and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Department of Family Support Services (DFSS). The current proposal, which will be voted on by city council next week, calls for the closing of six mental health clinics, the privatization of seven health clinics, and nearly 200 layoffs for DFSS employees. The upcoming vote leaves little time for advocates to save these services for the “most vulnerable of citizens.”
“It’s going to be tough to save the health care for the these weak and most vulnerable people out there,” said Alderman Nick Sposato (36th), who attended the vigil. “Their privatizing and they feel this is a better way to go.”
Alds. Scott Waguespack, Nick Sposato, and John Arena presented a letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel signed by 28 Chicago aldermen citing their concerns with his budget proposal.
The rise of political outsiders in Chicago's city council, like Nick Sposato (36th) and Amaya Pawar (47th), have disrupted the normally symbiotic relationship between ward committeeman and ward alderman. The result could be fiercely competitive committeeman races that actually disrupt long-ensconced political power.
Health advocates and workers held a candlelight vigil in front of city hall last night in the hopes of staving off proposed cuts in the city budget to clinics and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Department of Family Support Services (DFSS). The current proposal, which will be voted on by city council next week, calls for the closing of six mental health clinics, the privatization of seven health clinics, and nearly 200 layoffs for DFSS employees. The upcoming vote leaves little time for advocates to save these services for the “most vulnerable of citizens.”
