By Jim Sterne
News Editor
“Over 150 people unanimously endorsed Tom Tunney to run for Alderman in the 44th Ward,” said outgoing Ald. Bernie Hansen (44th) who announced that he would not run for re-election in February for medical reasons.
“I’m excited because there are big challenges in the 44th Ward,” said Tunney. “We need to control the density, but we need a comprehensive plan for development. I’m a businessman so I know how important business is to the community and I know there is a way to strike a balance, to keep the diversity both economically and culturally.”
Ald. Hansen said, “I know he’ll do whatever it takes to help the community go forward. He has the talent and the energy to do the job.” Hansen’s strong endorsement and backing from the Democratic regulars has fueled speculation that Mayor Richard J. Daley will exercise his power to appoint Tunney to the job if Ald. Hansen steps down before Feb. 25. This would make Tunney’s defeat difficult because challengers would be running against an incumbent.
Because it is against the law for an alderman to own a business license, Tunney is divesting himself from his Ann Sather’s restaurants. “My family will take over the business 100 percent.” Tunney comes from a large Irish Chicago family of seven brothers and seven sisters. “Ann Sather’s is a good example of what I’m about. Ann was looking for an owner who would keep the flavor of the restaurant, to preserve it as a cultural institution as well as a viable business. I think I’ve done that. Ann would have just closed her doors and let the restaurant die.”
Tunney is proud of his Chicago roots. He grew up in St. Thomas Moore Parish, went to Brother Rice High School, then to Cornell for college. When he returned he spent a year at the Ritz-Carlton, and then 23 years with Ann Sather.
“I want to bring a better tone to the relations with government and the community. We need better schools, and better plans, bigger plans, more comprehensive, or more well thought out plans,” said Tunney. “I’ve been active in the community for many years, and I’ve provided meeting space for a lot of organizations that got their start over a good meal at my restaurant.”
When asked about his competition from Richard Ingram and the possibility of splitting the gay vote, Tunney said that he was more than just a gay person. “I have a record of community service and leadership. The gay community is politically savvy and they know who will best be able to represent them as well as the other interests in the 44th Ward.”
Before Hansen announced he was not running, and before Tunney declared his interest, gay activists got behind the candidacy of Ingram, an attorney and a gay activist.
But the position has other challengers as well. Last week another attorney, Dean Maragos, announced his candidacy. Maragos has been the legal representative for the Wrigleyville rooftop owners, which assures a hefty campaign war chest to be reckoned with. He has tapped into the Lake View Citizens Council, taking the contacts and expertise of the president, Gregg Kiriazes, to be his campaign manager.
Then there is Karen Kennedy. A vocal critic of the policies of the Wrigleyville rooftop owners as well as the Tribune corporation, she
announced her candidacy in September. “We are a lakefront community and I’d like to see us stay that way,” Kennedy said. She has also been a strong opponent of the federal government’s seawall design to save the lakefront. “We are caretakers of this resource and history will not judge us kindly if we neglect our responsibilities.”
“Tom Tunney has done great things for the community,” Kennedy said. “But the field is much more open now and there are more candidates because Hansen isn’t running.”
Kennedy was defeated in her bid for president of the East Lake View Neighbors. She lost to Jim Murphy, a rooftop owner.
With all this turmoil, perhaps there is a chance for a Republican candidate, Kurt J. Eckhardt, who announced he was running. He is a lifelong resident of Edgewater and has been a Republican Committeeman since 1999. Eckhardt also serves on the board of Directors of the Cook County Republican Central Committee. |
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