Why You Should Know What an Alderman Does
Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 12:26PM If you live in Chicago, you may have heard that the Mayor has an open call for two new Aldermen. The gig pays a salary of just over $100,000. You may tell yourself, ‘Heck, I can apply’! Before you do, I wanted to remind you of just what an Alderman does and exactly why it’s important for you to know who they are. I’ve been scouring the ‘net for the exact specifics behind the job requirements, but alas, haven’t found anything written in black and white.
Good for you, I’ve been in Chicago since 1998 and can give you a good sense of what an alderman does and how it can benefit you AND you do NOT need to OWN a home to take advantage of how an alderman can service your local needs. So, let’s get to brass tacks, shall we?
The city of Chicago is broken up into 50 wards. Wards are basically boundaries that split up the city in a manageable fashion. Each ward is ‘managed’ by an alderman. These aldermen make up the City Council and report up to the Mayor. Following so far? Ok, cool.
Now, the alderman handles everything from reviewing a new developer’s proposal, new business license to installing a stoplight if the neighbors demand one. An alderman also deals with neighborhood issues like parking meters, garbage and safety.
Each alderman has an office (historically, ‘donated’ by a real estate developer, which saves some aldermen rent) with a small staff. What continues to be a mystery to some is how the staff gets paid in some wards. With a salary of over $100,000, I’m not sure if the alderman has to pay their staff from this budget OR if the city provides separate salaries to these folks.
YOU, the citizen of the ward have the right to contact your alderman at ANY time. Most folks don’t do this because they don’t know. At the same time, if certain wards aren’t equipped to handle all of the requests ofthe residents, things fall off the map (I’ve seen this first hand). If a certain ward doesn’t have the support staff to answer your emails, things won’t get done.
Whether you want to contact your alderman’s office or not, it’s very handy to get to know who they are, where they are located and how to reach someone. Here is a link to all Chicago aldermen, by ward.
