Brian Hopkins has done everything from interning for the Illinois State Senate to helping advise President Bill Clinton's transition team to leading the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents ( SOAR ).
In a recent interview, the first-time candidate discussed his platform, why he's the best person for the job, LGBT issues and his Daley connection.
Windy City Times: You're a first-time candidate. What's the most challenging aspect of running?
Brian Hopkins: I would have to say the conflicting demands on your time. At any given moment, there are multiple indications from legitimate organizations and people of all stripes—and you can only say "yes" to once. You have to decline and you have this tinge of regret. There aren't enough hours in the day and enough days on the calendar.
The other frustration is that we just had an election in November, and people get burned out. This is almost back to back if you think about it; we just had this very contentious race for governor, and now we have these races for aldermen and mayor. It doesn't serve the public or the candidates well. Maybe they should space elections out—or even combine them.
WCT: So you reside in Streeterville?
Brian Hopkins: Yes; I'm a resident of the 2nd Ward, and not all of my opponents can say that. I've been a Streeterville resident for 16 years.
WCT: Who doesn't live in the ward?
Brian Hopkins: Bita Buenrostro and Alyx Pattison do not live in the ward. I don't mean to throw my opponents under the bus; what they're doing is legal. Provided you win the election, you have a year to move into the ward; both Bita and Alyx have made this pledge. To me, it shows a lesser degree of commitment, though: Why not move into the ward now?
WCT: I found a Chicago Reader article that's entitled "Daley who? Rahm, City Council candidates downplay their ties to the political dynasty." You're mentioned in this article, which basically says that you've distanced yourself from the Daleys.
You don't mention the Daleys on your website, although you did in our questionnaire. Is there any truth to the Reader article?
Brian Hopkins: I would say no. I have three honorary co-chairs of my campaign: [Cook County Board President] Toni Preckwinkle, City Clerk Susana Mendoza and County Commissioner John Daley. Their names are on every piece of correspondence my campaign sends out and on every invitation for every event.
I'm certainly not trying to hide the fact that the last 20 years of my life I've been a full-time employee of Cook County government. I've been assigned to the finance committee, and John Daley has chaired the committee the entire time. I think it would actually look very unusual if he didn't support me.
I'm not trying to hide it but I'm not trying to emphasize it, either, because John Daley's county district is nowhere near the 2nd Ward. So in that article when Mr. [Mick] Dumke mentioned the mailer that only had a picture of me and Toni Preckwinkle—well, yeah, Toni Preckwinkle is a countywide elected official. Her endorsement is very relevant; ward residents know her.
Now I'm also saying this because my opponents try to characterize me as a City Hall insider: I do not list my government experience as the main reason that qualifies me as alderman. It helps prepare me; I know how to read the city budget, for example. The main reason is my community work. I've worked in Streeterville and other neighborhoods for over 16 years as a community leader, a volunteer. I've done these other things outside my nine-to-five existence. I've shown up for CAPS meetings, worked as a court advocate, worked on bike programs. All of the work in the neighborhood has been my own time, my own volition, my own initiative.
My opponents' job is distract people from that record and to tell people I'm a political insider.
WCT: Let's say you're voted alderman. What are two issues you'd like to put forth in your first year?
Brian Hopkins: Wow—there are so many. Well, I've been saying that within my first 60 days as alderman I will introduce an ordinance to begin the process to reform the way we draw maps every 10 years. The incumbent officeholders draw the maps, and I think it's time to take the pens out of their hands and put them in the hands of an independent commission that will balance the population. The boundaries screen gerrymandering, highlighting the unfairness of the process; it's disrespectful to communities.
The second thing I want to do is double the allocation of what's called "menu money." "Menu money" is a pot of discretionary funds that totals about $1.3 million each year. Each alderman gets the same amount, and each alderman has the ability, within a budget year, where that money's spent. It can be used to pave a street, fix an intersection. No menu money was spent in our new [redrawn] ward in almost a year; I'm not blaming the alderman, but the result is a hole in the donut—this territory that we call the new 2nd Ward was abandoned and orphaned. And there's a tremendous backlog of service requests; we need to catch up, so I'm going to ask for a doubling for one year only.
WCT: You mentioned on our questionnaire about supporting a domestic-partner registry in Cook County back in 2003.
Brian Hopkins: That was largely County Clerk David Orr, who's a friend of mine; that was his initiative. It was thought at the time that we were decades away from same-sex marriage being the law of the land. It was an attempt to get out ahead of that. It was meant to give it a symbolic meaning, not a legal one. It didn't have the strength of marriage, but it was the closest we could get to matrimony. I think it helped to ultimately make the case for same-sex marriage; there was some value there.
WCT: What's your biggest edge in this race, and what's your biggest disadvantage?
Brian Hopkins: My biggest advantage clearly is experience. I have over three decades experience in government; I'm fully prepared for the job. I worked for Dawn Clark Netsch, who was our state senator at one point. I actually was one of her campaign managers when she ran for governor in the mid-'90s. Combine that government background with my long history of being a community activist, it just stands in contrast to my opponents.
I've also managed controversial public debates in the organization during the years I led it. I was able to lead a public policy from controversy to consensus. That's not an easy thing to do, especially today. There are going to be some controversial decisions in the 2nd Ward, and I relish that type of role.
Disadvantage? I would say the disadvantage is inherent in the ward itself because of its fractured nature. It's going to be challenging to meet the high standard of service I'm setting for every neighborhood. I'll have to find a way to supplement the resources I have; [Ald.] Brendan Reilly has done it, and I'll have to find a way, too. I'm setting the bar of expectations high.
Visit www.brianhopkinsforchicago.com/ .
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