Ending the Corrupting Influence of Money on the 44th Ward
Taking on a 16 year incumbent in Chicago is no easy task. It requires an incredible amount of work, and money, to overcome all the advantages incumbents have in our city. And when I decided to do it, I made a pledge to refuse any and all campaign contributions from corporations, developers and PACs.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the biggest problem in our country today is the mostly unchecked power of money in our politics. And this is doubly true in Chicago, which has some of the loosest campaign finance laws in the country.
And even though my opponent Tom Tunney has nearly unlimited resources, I’ve stuck to my pledge because I know that corporate and developer money always comes with strings. Walmart doesn’t give aldermen campaign contributions because they think they’re good for the city. Walmart gives aldermen campaign contributions because they know they’re good for business.
In the last year alone, Tom Tunney has taken almost $300,000 from corporations, developers, and corporate PACs. That includes $20,000 from the Wirtz Family, who owns more than a dozen properties in the ward, thousands from David Gassman, owner of property management company DLG Management, and more than $5,000 from George Loukas, who manages the properties of the Ricketts in Wrigleyville.
And as the race has heated up in the last few weeks, Tunney’s campaign coffers have filled with donations from area businesses, developers, building management companies, and lobbyists, including the Government Navigation Group, which lobbies city hall directly.
Corporations aren’t people, and should never be able to influence our politics through campaign contributions. And yet companies with interests that come in front of the city council are regularly found in lists of top donors to key alderman, including my opponent, whose top donors include major Lakeview property owners, business owners, and the owners of General Iron.
The Lincoln Yards debacle has been an important reminder of the consequences of loose campaign finance laws on Chicago’s approach to development. Developers who stand to receive billions in taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be able to contribute to the men and women who get to vote on their proposed subsidies. This shouldn’t be controversial.
I’ve personally knocked over 2,000 doors in the last two months, and spoken to thousands of voters at bus stops, L stops, street corners, and front porches. And the most important thing I’ve learned from talking to my neighbors is that change is possible.
This election is significant not just because of the people on the ballot, but because Chicago is finally ready to believe that we can overcome the corruption that has poisoned our politics for generations. Voters are ready to put their faith in leaders who will tear down the institutions that protect the status quo and work to rebuild the trust between Chicagoans and City Hall.
We won’t be able to move forward as a city until we take on the corrupting influence of money in our politics. And with your help, I’m ready to do just that.
