I wasn't keen on any of the initial primary candidates (as I mentioned in a previous post), and didn't know who I could decisively vote for: a highly unusual position for me to be in after 50 years of fairly certain voting choices. Ultimately, on the basis of re-researching each major candidate, I settled on Chuy Garcia. Although some things still troubled me a bit, at least I felt he had gobs of governmental experience, and his website reflected a broad and deep understanding of the multitude of issues that face a city of this size and diversity, along with specific proposals for addressing these issues. (At least he has a good staff that can produce a useful and detailed policy agenda). I kind of knew he wouldn't win, because it didn't seem his heart was really in it (fewer commercials than the heavily backed Vallas, Johnson, and Lightfoot, and those than ran were not "sexy" but rather somewhat milquetoast, but at least they weren't horrific attack messages, like the others!). Return to the US House for Chuy, which is probably all to the best for him.
At any rate, back to the boards with these two polar extremes to vote for. And I'm just as stuck and dissatisfied. One too conservative and problematic, but experienced; one apparently progressive (but Lightfoot said she was progressive too, and I never bought it) but pretty much of a tabula rasa with little experience and what seems like a narrow agenda. Both are fully products of the opposing powerful unions: Police vs Teachers. And that's where it feels the allegiances lie. The unions are all powerful in this city ... but reflect only a small tranche of the diverse issues that effect people here every day. To be beholden to the FOP will not help with crime; and to be beholden to the CTU won't help with education. The rest of it ... a multitude of economic, transportation, infrastructure, development (or rather anti-development), even arts and other issues remain a big question mark with both of these candidates. Because the debates so far have focused almost exclusively with crime, I'm left dissatisfied.
Don't try to convince me. This is something I have to wrestle with myself, as I always will. Even Chuy's endorsement won't change my min in the end.
= new reply since forum marked as read
