Rob Elrick Challenges the Chicago Way: Runs for 33rd Ward Alderman

IRVING PARK — Rob Elrick wants to be alderman.

That’s like saying Rob Elrick wants to fly to the moon — particularly in his part of town, the 33rd Ward, where retiring Ald. Dick Mell has ruled for 38 years.

Mell, of course, wants Mayor Rahm Emanuel to honor the Chicago tradition of keeping power in the family by anointing his daughter, state Rep. Deb Mell, to her rightful place on the City Council.

Cynical media types, the kind who secretly gamble on this stuff, will tell you that’s the safest bet.

Elrick tossed his hat in the ring anyway.

He’s not alone. Ten more people you’ve never heard of set off on similar quixotic missions to persuade Mayor Emanuel's selection committee that they're the best choice for the vacant City Council seat.

I have a soft spot for guys like Elrick, a world-renowned luthier I’ve known for quite some time, who aren't afraid to challenge the political status quo.

Their fight reminds me of my father.

In 1993, my dad, Mike Konkol, tilted at his very own windmill — Harold Gouwens, the longtime South Holland mayor who ruled the tiny conservative, Dutch-founded suburb for 33 years.

My old man didn’t have a political organization, or many close pals, for that matter.

Nobody gave him much of a chance to beat Gouwens.

Still, Dad ran for mayor because he was done being ignored by Gouwens and his rubber-stamp trustees at village board meetings. He was even more fed up with the fact that Gouwens usually ran unopposed on Election Day.

“Finally A Choice" was the slogan printed on Dad's campaign T-shirts.

As things turned out, I never became a mayor's son. Gouwens won his ninth term handily. Voters had "rejected independent rival Mike Konkol's call for change," the local paper reported.

But it wasn't a whitewash. My old man beat Gouwens in our home precinct. That remains a point of pride for Dad, a guy who always considered having his name on the ballot the greatest victory of all.

When I caught up with Elrick on Monday he sounded like a guy with a campaign slogan in common with my father.

“This is a ward that hasn't had any choices for the last 38 years,“ he said. “I don’t want to say anything that’s an attack on Deb Mell. Even if I agree with every word she has to say. ... I don’t think she should be alderman. That would tie the hands of people in the ward for decades.”

But it happens all the time in Chicago. Since 1970, 31 Chicago politicians have passed their elected office to relatives, according to City Hall press corps veteran, Bill "The Dean" Cameron.

Elrick, like a lot of folks, thinks those days should be over, and that's what inspired him to nominate himself to be considered as Mell's replacement.

“In Chicago, whether it’s true or not, there’s a reputation of everything getting handled on the inside," he said. "The chance to look at things from the inside out seems like an opportunity that should not be passed up.”

Elrick didn't waste time. He got a neighborhood attorney, software company owner and a school teacher from down the block to write recommendation letters and promptly sent them, along with his professional credentials, to City Hall for the mayor's consideration.

When I asked Elrick why the mayor should pick him, the bass guitar craftsman was blunt.

“I’m not affiliated with any groups that give me a prior disposition to one side or another. ... I’m not a stupid person. I don’t have a private agenda,” he said. “I know the difference between right and wrong. Anything I do will be to positively serve the interests of my neighbors. If I’m given a voice, I’m not someone who shrinks away. ... The City Council could use a little of that."

Elrick says he believes Mayor Emanuel — despite all that we know about him — actually might appoint an outsider to the City Council seat reserved for the ultimate insider.

That's certainly not the Chicago Way to pick an alderman, but it sure would be something.