WICKER PARK — Eager to meet all six of the candidates running for the sprawling 2nd Ward alderman post? Curious about the logistics of a Christmas pub crawl that would like to pop in and out of Division Street bars on Dec. 13?
Scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, the Wicker Park Committee's monthly meeting will feature a meet and greet with 2nd Ward candidates inside of the park's field house at 1425 N. Damen Ave.
"It's going to be jam-packed. The big attraction is the aldermanic meet and greet," said Leah Root, president of the Wicker Park Committee, which is the first neighborhood group to bring all six of the candidates together.
"There is a lot of confusion on where the 2nd Ward is? Do you live in it? No one knows but it's a good time to discuss it and we will have a map," Root said.
Alisa Hauser says many people don't know they live in the ward:
The 2nd Ward alderman seat will have no incumbent in February because Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) will no longer live in the ward after the city's new ward map boundaries take effect.
The new 2nd Ward, which looks like a horseshoe as it cuts through portions of the lakefront, covers parts of the Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park and Bucktown, specifically on North Avenue from the Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection west to Leavitt Street.
Root said that each candidate (see the full list, below) will get five minutes to speak.
"It's not a debate. They can say whatever they want to say but no comments or questions. They can tell jokes if they want to; it's them putting their best foot forward on what they will do if elected, why we should vote for them," Root said.
In addition to the candidates, Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) asked Jess Loren, the organizer of a Chicago Christmas pub crawl, to come to the meeting and talk with the community, Root said.
Loren, who formerly worked with the same crew of people that put together the Twelve Bars of Xmas or TBOX crawl, has drawn controversy for her plan to bring a pub crawl to Division Street.
While Moreno told Red Eye he would like to "change the event or get rid of it altogether," Loren said she does not need aldermanic permission to run the crawl, according to Root.
"[Lorenz] said you don't need alderman's permission to do [the crawl]. She said the TBOX people did a pub crawl during Fashion Fest on Division Street," Root said.
Loren was not immediately available for comment early Wednesday.
The Chicago Christmas Crawl has participation from four Division Street bars and restaurants and more coming soon, according to the event's website.
2nd Ward candidate websites:
Bita Buenrostro; bitanow.com
Brian Hopkins; brianhopkinsforchicago.com
Steve Niketopoulos; stevefor2ndward.com
Alyx Pattison; alyxpattison.org
Stacey Pfingsten; staceyfor2ndward.com
Cornell Wilson; CornellWilson.com
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