OLD TOWN — The two contenders for 2nd Ward Alderman displayed more congeniality than contrast as they squared off at one of their final debates Thursday night.
Plans to address city finances, neighborhood schools, rats and trash were among the many pitches Brian Hopkins and Alyx Pattison made Thursday to Old Town voters who will help determine next month which candidate represents the vast North Side ward stretching from Ukrainian Village to Streeterville.
Hopkins and Pattison, who are headed to a runoff election April 7 after emerging from a crowded field of 2nd Ward candidates, spent much of the debate exchanging praise and congratulations for running civil campaigns instead of squabbling.
Meanwhile, Roosevelt University professor Paul Green, who moderated the debate, offered extra levity to the audience gathered at the office of the Old Town Triangle Association, 1763 N. North Park Ave.
"By the way, if you move to Indiana, you can still be in the ward," Green quipped.
Despite their pleasantries, the candidates stopped pulling punches once opportunities arose to distinguish themselves during the debate. Among the points of contention: their prior professional experience, where their allegiances lie, and whether a property tax increase should be considered as one of the city's fiscal solutions.
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An attorney and Local School Council member, Pattison said Hopkins' mail pieces "lied" about her stance on a potential property tax increase, a proposal many political observers expect to hit the city council after next month's election. Pattison said she would only consider a property tax increase as a "last resort," and propped up the alternative of levying a sales tax on service industries such as tanning salons and limousines.
Hopkins, a former chief of staff to Cook County Commissioner John Daley and former president of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, unequivocally said he would oppose any property tax increase, in contrast to his opponent.
"[Pattison] said it will be a last resort, but it will be a yes," Hopkins said.
Pattison fired back: "I don't want to start my representation to [constituents] with a promise I can't keep."
The duo then traded barbs about who was better suited to lead the ward. Hopkins pointed to his 30 years experience as a staffer to public officials, demonstrating an ability to analyze budgets and craft policy.
"I'm prepared for this job on day one. I don't need a learning curve," he said. "This is not a time to hire a beginner."
Pattison, a former partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman who lives in Ukrainian Village, said she also has experience working with large teams and budgets during her time litigating corporate securities cases at the big law firm. She also presented herself as an outsider untainted by Chicago politics.
"I said I would be an independent alderman," she said. "I'm in a position to do that, in contrast to my opponent."
Finally, Green gave both candidates a chance to address particularly nasty rumors about their professional backgrounds. Pattison, who had been hit with political attacks over her former firm's involvement with the privatization of Chicago's parking meters, made clear that the unpopular contract was drafted by another department.
"When it comes to my interests [in the deal], there are none," she said.
Meanwhile, Hopkins told the crowd that, contrary to some political attacks, he did not support the controversial 2008 Cook County sales tax increase that has since been rolled back.
"I thought it was a terrible idea," he said. "I prepared financial reports showing the [revenue] projections wouldn't be met."
Hopkins led all 2nd Ward candidates with nearly 29 percent of the vote last month, while Pattison garnered 24 percent. They will face off one more time at a debate Tuesday in Ukrainian Village.
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