In December 2006, AIDS Foundation of Chicago ( AFC ) mailed its questionnaire to all 2007 candidates for Chicago City Council and citywide offices. Windy City Times briefly talked with AFC's David Munar about the questionnaire and the various responses the organization received.
Windy City Times: Talk a little about the administrative process regarding the questionnaire.
David Munar: Every election year, we create a survey for candidates. We find the list of declared candidates and send out the questionnaire. We do some follow-up with candidates. The [ whole thing ] is non-partisan, so we target everyone. ( Incidentally, AFC's policy staff decides what the questions are. )
We also don't endorse candidates, but the questionnaire is designed to do two things: educate the candidates themselves about current AIDS issues, and serve as an educational tool for voters to show where candidates stand on important AIDS issues.
WCT: Tell me about the questions.
DM: The four questions in this year's questionnaire have to do with areas of city government that are most related to HIV/AIDS services ( city corporate funding for prevention; the city's health clinics and access to STD and HIV services; expanding HIV/AIDS housing; and supporting services like needle-exchange programs ) .
We also try to limit questions, because there are so many more issues than what we cover. However, we also try to cover timely issues. We also make sure that the questions aren't so specific that they're impossible to answer.
WCT: Forty percent of the candidates responded. How do you see that?
DM: It's pretty good. Anything over 25 percent is very good.
WCT: Were there any results that surprised you?
DM: There were a few that were really significant. Two of the most visible candidates for mayor, Mayor Daley and Dorothy Brown, responded ( both scoring 100 percent ) and [ Daley ] gave a very detailed written report as well as a statement. That's really illuminating. He gave us substantive answers on each of the four issues, plus a statement. We're glad that both candidates understand that HIV/AIDS is a significant issue in Chicago.
See www.aidschicago.org .