Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

CLERK: JOSE CERDA
2007-02-21

This article shared 5211 times since Wed Feb 21, 2007
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


BY MEGHAN STREIT

After serving as an advisor for other elected officials for 20 years, Jose Cerda has decided to throw his own hat in the ring as a candidate for city clerk. The Harvard-educated Chicagoan worked in Washington as a domestic policy advisor for President Bill Clinton, but then made his way back to his hometown. Most recently, Cerda served as Mayor Daley's chief of policy, but resigned to launch his own campaign for city clerk.

Windy City Times: The city clerk's office has obviously been plagued with corruption in recent years. If you're elected, how will you restore the integrity to that office?

Jose Cerda: I think new leadership and somebody with a different background and different credentials is part of that. I think our local system has not produced strong city clerks, and that is not a good thing for the city of Chicago. I think the fundamental job of the city clerk is not something that we're doing today. The job of the city clerk, instead of being caught in corruption scandals, is to be on the front lines, fighting corruption. The city clerk keeps records for the city, and should be in a position of shining a bright public light on everything government does, and nobody's doing that job today.

WCT: As far as the nuts and bolts that the Clerk's office handles, what would you want to improve?

JC: I remember wanting to check the ordinances of the city in order to do my job for the mayor—to reference the municipal code—and there is no searchable municipal code on the city's Web site at all. It strikes me that's probably a violation of law. The municipal code for a city should be available to voters on a city Web site.

The second thing is creating an easily searchable format for the ordinances as they're introduced, amended [ and ] passed, so people can see their how their government is acting and how legislation is being changed along the way. I think we should have a timely and clear schedule for the city council. It's really a bit of a joke that the city council for the third largest city in the country meets and people don't know what's going on.

The other pet project that I have is to make the votes of the aldermen available to the public in an easily searchable format. I worked in Washington for a while. You just put in a topic, it spits out all the bills being considered, and it spits out where they are and who's associated with those bills. Cities like Chicago ought to have that.

The other thing I would do is broadcast city council meetings. Again, the third largest city in the country, and you have to physically be there to know what's going on. If cameras can cut crime all across the city, they can cut crime in the city council too—so we should put one there.

WCT: Your former position as policy chief to Mayor Daley is a pretty influential job. What makes you want to leave that post for this one?

JC: The attraction to me of the clerk's office was that it's a hugely undervalued asset for the city. I saw an office that should be contributing to the quality of life of Chicagoans. I'm in the mayor's office to do that. The truth is that anyone who knows the mayor knows he's his own chief of policy, just like he's his own planner. I enjoyed working for him. He is definitely contributing and providing something I believe the people want him to provide. I saw the clerk's office, and I saw our system for picking clerks. And then I saw myself, bringing a very different set of skills and background and credentials.

WCT: Having worked so closely with Mayor Daley, why do you think he chose not to back you in this race?

JC: I think, one, you have to talk to the mayor about the decisions he makes. He's a complex guy. He didn't pull any punches with me. When I ran, he explained to me that he would probably be supporting someone else, that he had his reasons. But he said, 'If this is something you want to do, if this is where your heart is, then you have to do it.' I know I was a first-time candidate, and I know it's hard to run citywide. But I didn't get to where I am today without doing hard work, and I won't get to where I want to be tomorrow without doing more hard work.

WCT: Do you think you can win without Mayor Daley's support?

JC: Absolutely. And here's why: Most people in the city don't know any of the clerk candidates. Most people have not made up their minds yet, and I know this. I also think the mayor has strong support throughout the city, and with good reason. But people are open to a new face. I think people would like some change, and I think I can give them both continuing in the policy direction of some of the mayor's good policies, because I worked with him, but I don't bring a 20-year history in local politics.

WCT: What are some of your accomplishments from your work in the mayor's office that you are most proud of?

JC: One of the things I enjoyed working on the most was the mayor's green steering committee. I think it's some of the most exciting work going on in Chicago today. People come from all over the world to see what we're doing.

The other thing that I'm very proud of is the work we did in pulling together a federal tax-reform proposal, which we presented to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Now Katrina kicked this issue off the table for Congress, but I think the new Democratic Congress is going to focus on our recommendations.

WCT: Switching to a different topic of national concern, what are your thoughts on same-sex marriage?

JC: I think it is a great thing when people love each other, and they want to make a commitment and raise a family. I think it makes our country stronger, and it's something that we should support.

WCT: Do you think there's anything that the city of Chicago could do to make this city friendlier to the LGBT community or other minorities?

JC: I'm not an expert on all the things we do right now, but my general impression from the time I spent working for the mayor is that we have a pretty decent record, better than some cities. You can always do more, and I won't be satisfied with what we're doing. But bringing it back a little bit more to what the clerk does, every community has an interest affected by this lack of information made available to the public by city government. The one thing in the office I'm seeking that we can do is provide that information so the gay and lesbian community can really judge what the city is doing.

WCT: Someone wrote on ABC7.com that if we've been living without a city clerk for seven months, then why do we need one? How do you respond?

JC: My response to that question is what makes us think that with no elected official to be held accountable, with an office that brings in over $100 million in revenue and has 125 employees—that everything was working just fine because nobody was watching them. If I'm elected, I'd be really interested in doing a top-to-bottom review of the office to see what's been going on there for years.


This article shared 5211 times since Wed Feb 21, 2007
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill 2024-03-27
- On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event 2024-03-25
- Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors 2024-03-24
- On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama 2024-03-22
- Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house 2024-03-22
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds 2024-03-21
- It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist 2024-03-21
- Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats 2024-03-21
- Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19 2024-03-20
- Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down 2024-03-20
- In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course 2024-03-18
- Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools 2024-03-15
- In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.