Openly gay Old Town resident, Jim Tarara, 28, intends to run as the 36th Ward alderman. The ward covers the far Northwest side of the city.
'There are an awful lot of hoops of fire you must run through to make sure that you are on the ballot, but the process has begun,' Tarara said.
Tarara, whose parents both work for the Chicago Police Department, was instrumental in the passing of the highly publicized Hands-Free Cell Phone ordinance. Tarara's mother was hit and run over by a cell phone-distracted driver while she was directing traffic at Washington and Dearborn in September 2004. Helping pass the ordinance, he said, sparked his interest in politics. Now, Tarara hopes to become alderman in his hometown and build up the community.
Originally, Tarara had toyed with the idea of running in the 42nd Ward. Because of the complicated nature of the ward, Tarara felt that the area needed someone with a firmer grasp of the political community, such as current Ald. Burton Natarus. 'Also, [ it was ] because of a lot of involvement with my family, and a lot more vested interest in doing it in a place that I grew up, which is the 36th Ward,' he added.
In addition, over the past few months, Tarara grew close to Natarus, who was the first alderman to become involved and offer assistance when Tarara's mother was harmed. 'He's a really terrific guy,' Tarara said. 'I mean, he is much, much better than I think he gets credit for being.'
After realizing how bad the problem of cell phone-distracted drivers had gotten and how far along many other countries have gotten in addressing the issue, Tarara was glad to be involved and help it pass so quickly. After all, it was an issue that took six years to finally be addressed.
At the same time, Tarara is aware that many people do not thank him for helping pass the ordinance. 'It's a mixed bag,' he said, laughing. 'And it's understandable. Anytime you do something which will lower the limits of a person's ability to do something they'd normally do, they're not happy about it. You're not trying to regulate everyone, but unfortunately, you just can't regulate the people that you know are an obvious problem.'
Tarara was born into a Chicago police family, so he always considered working for and with the city. Although he currently works in the corporate world, 'The work I did for the cell phone ordinance kind of rekindled my interest in city work in a way that I had never considered,' he said.
While working on the ordinance, Tarara and his mother learned that it had gone nowhere for a number of years. 'My involvement with politics literally came up by accident with my mother, and that kind of helped me understand the way city council works,' Tarara said. After, he felt that he wanted to do something fundamentally good for the city, but was not sure how to direct it. Becoming an alderman, he said, is the answer.
'I'm far from what I thought was a typical politician,' Tarara said, who describes his upbringing as 'normally abnormal.' He is the first to admit he does not have a strong political background and that he is young.
'I've had real problems in my life, and I've had to go through some challenging times and I've made some incredibly stupid mistakes, which you learn from,' he said. 'In my mind, my vision would just not indicate a predisposition to be political in my life,' he laughs. 'So, I had to think about it and I really make things simple for myself. I decided that I'd only run if I'm the type of person that I myself would vote for. And I am. I'd rather vote for someone … who I know has experienced the ups and downs of life than someone who has no idea what it's like to deal with a real problem.'
What sets him apart, and what would help move important issues like the cell phone ordinance more quickly through the system, is his ability to explain issues to people in a way that they will understand. 'There [ are ] so many other important ordinances just like this one, issues that just require someone to explain them logically in order to make the public understand the importance.'
For his platform, Tarara hopes to stress the idea of eliminating clout—'the word of 2005 in Chicago,' he said. He added that political experience is a 'double-edged sword,' where the line between understanding the system and working the system is blurry. The source of many problems in politics is the business relationship, Tarara said.
He added that there is a need to occasionally clean house in city government. Asking to reduce the influence of alderman is a 'tough pill' for many to swallow, but it is necessary. 'Comfort begets influence,' he said, adding that a small group of alderman enjoy their influence at the expense of their constituents. 'Some alderman … have just gotten too comfortable. This may sound crass … but sometimes the only way to get rid of waste is to flush it down the tubes.'
'When these people run constantly unopposed, it might help to jiggle the handle,' Tarara added. 'I wish I had a more solid background. The truth is, I'm far from perfect. But to me, [ that ] is reinforcement, and not a deterrent to my ability to move into a political position.'
By running, Tarara hopes to at least improve the perspective of those who ultimately win the election and increase voter awareness.
Besides tackling clout, Tarara also hopes to revitalize his ward. 'The current alderman [ William Banks ] has done a good job of helping manage businesses that are in the area and help encourage them to continue and grow,' he said. Tarara would work on increasing property values and bringing in new businesses and residents. 'I'll stick around more for the residents,' he added. 'That's who I'd be there for, and that seems to be what's missing right now, to be honest.'
