WOODLAWN — Ald. Leslie Hairston squared off against five challengers who claimed they could be a more effective voice for the progressive 5th Ward at a Saturday forum.
That a progressive would be elected seemed a foregone conclusion among the candidates at the morning forum at Hyde Park Career Academy, 6220 S. Stony Island Ave. The question left to answer seemed to be what kind of progressive should — or could — topple Hairston after more than 15 years in office.
“We’ve had 15 years of grandstanding and theatrics,” said Anne Marie Miles, a Hyde Park lawyer and business owner who claimed she would take a harder line against big players in the ward like the University of Chicago and MAC Properties, the largest property owner after the university in Hyde Park.
All candidates promised they had the answer to the most vexing question for a contrarian in City Council — how to mount a real challenge to the mayor and still have a seat at the table when deals are getting cut.
“We need to be more proactive than reactive,” said the Rev. Jedidiah Brown, who with his Young Leaders Alliance has shunned relying on institutions like the U. of C. or City Hall to swoop in to save the struggling South Shore neighborhood and instead tap resources within the community.
U. of C. postgrad fellow Jocelyn Hare promised a more technocratic approach, using data and comprehensive plans to mount an unassailable case for action in the ward.
Attorney Tiffany Brooks was perhaps the counter to Hare, offering a more emotional appeal to action in the ward.
“When I see a child crossing the street, I’m praying they live another second,” Brooks said, introducing a plan for a safety alliance between police and residents similar to CAPS to address violence in South Shore.
Robin Boyd Clark promised more financial relief from unpopular mandatory inspections of high-rises and more tax incentives to revitalize 71st Street, where she runs an aromatherapy store.
Backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, Hairston seemed unfazed by her opponents, except when they got the milestones of her career in office wrong.
“My opponents know the facts and choose to lie, or don’t know the facts,” Hairston responded before launching into terse responses to her opponents’ jabs.
“Let’s not sit here and pretend like nothing has been done," she said.
The candidates will face off next at 1 p.m. Sunday for a forum at ABJ Community Services, 1818 E. 71st St. Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun-Times will moderate.
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