by Charlsie Dewey
For whatever reason, many people do not get out and vote. With city elections scheduled for Feb. 27, it is time to examine why voting is so important, especially to the LGBT community. Obviously, voting gives members of the community a voice. Second, aldermen represent links for each member of the community who has a problem or concern. The aldermanic position is one in which face-to-face contact is possible and expected.
Some aldermanic candidates are only on the threshold of learning about LGBT issues. Is there time to learn? Or, should candidates already be knowledgeable and prepared? Many candidates Windy City Times spoke with are not already knowledgeable, and couldn't talk about specific LGBT concerns in their wards.
Windy City Times recently spoke with 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney, Chicago's first openly gay alderman, to discuss the importance of voting as well as some of the issues he has significantly impacted.
Windy City Times: Why is it important to vote?
Tom Tunney: First of all, it's important to vote at every level. One of the problems of our democracy is the lack of input from people who should vote and don't vote. That being said, your local elected officials are really the office, especially in Chicago, where you have the opportunity to interface with on a daily basis. Our city council is composed of 50 aldermen, which generally cover a population of 3 million people. So, [ each represents ] approximately 60,000 people. It is a very personalized position, a very local position, and it has a tremendous impact on quality of life. ... Our job as alderman is to really focus on the geographic boundaries of our ward; it is really a job that requires a special degree of attention to detail. Also, I think our role is also to make City Hall more responsive on a local level. Often, people, if they're pretty savvy, have a relationship with their alderman and an alderman can often expedite things [ that ] possibly an individual could not.
WCT: What types of LGBT-related issues occurred last term within City Council and the 44th Ward, specifically?
TT: You might recall that I was the first openly gay city council person [ appointed in 2003 ] . In terms of that historic nature, it really has had a profound affect on the council as a whole; the 44th Ward has sent a strong signal that we need to be at the table. Being at the table is a lot different than being at the outside lobby. That being said, I think the respect for the gay community went up a lot because you're dealing with a colleague, and we have to work together as a team to get things done for the city.
As far as my first four years, we have issues with the police department and sensitivity not only for the LGBT community, [ but ] for the youth, questioning and the trans communities. We've come a long way in Chicago, but we have more to go. When I look back at it, I think of the murder of Kevin Clewer, and the issue of safety for the LGBT community in and around Halsted Street, and the responsiveness of the police department and sensitivity. We had a number of sexual assaults in our community ( mostly heterosexual ) , but I think there is still a lot of unreported crime within the gay community. We had the crystal meth issues, the meningitis scare and the responsiveness of the health department. ... We solidified the funding for the lesbian and gay community center ( to be completed in June ) .
We were able to secure funding for a new 23rd Police District station, which, for years, talked about consolidating and moving out of the community, and was a lesbian and gay issue in terms of protection in the community at large, but specifically along the Halsted Street corridor. The whole Gay Games phenomena [ was ] certainly historic. We are [ also ] continuing to work on lesbian and gay senior affordable housing.
If you don't have somebody at the table, you don't have that kind of leadership. I really feel we need more minority and lesbian & gay voices on the City Council. We deal with Wrigley Field all the time, so there's working with Wrigley Field, the night-game ordinance, and their sensitivity towards the gay and lesbian community. I think that relationship has fostered and grown immensely in the four years that I've been alderman. So, you think well that isn't a gay issue, but you know what, it's about respect.
WCT: What LGBT-related legislation took place in the last term?
TT: There are a lot of ordinances happening. The one thing we stressed early on was ethics reform, in terms of making sure that if I, as an elected official, had a domestic partner, that [ he ] would be subject to the same standards as a heterosexual person. We have tried to work on [ it ] , and haven't gotten there yet. Also, companies that do business with the city should be required to at least provide access to health insurance. We don't ask those questions now, which I still think is a problem, but right now we are surveying those people who do have contracts with the city, finding out if they provide insurance at any level. Our next goal, if they provided insurance for their spousal and family, they would also establish parity with domestic partners.
I also believe that local leadership regarding the issue of civil unions and marriage, while it's a state issue, is important, and what we can do in terms of moving that agenda item is important. I think it's still on the table. It will always be on the table.
We are also responsible for improving our city budget every year. Since I was an alderman we were able to attach amendments to two years of budgets to increase HIV prevention funding. That, to me, was very important and I took a leadership role on both of those.
In terms of gays and lesbians in the workplace issues, I think the mayor has shown leadership in terms of his hiring of openly gay and lesbian people in his administration. I believe the mayor has really matured in terms of his awareness and understanding of the needs of the LGBT community; he has really been a national leader on LGBT issues.
What makes him unique is his middle-class background. Middle-of-the-country leadership is important. It sends a message to people who might not normally be sensitive to these issues. I think when our mayor speaks, his audience is a lot wider than [ San Francisco ] Mayor [ Gavin ] Newsom's or [ New York City ] Mayor [ Michael ] Bloomberg's. I think he appeals to a larger demographic.