Chicago politics is up for grabs and the entire landscape will change.
The Fifth Floor will not be the same.
Change is in the air and is approaching quickly. November 22 is the last day for candidates to file petitions. Everyone from every sector of Chicago will raise his or her hand for the high post. Every block is talking about the upcoming February 22 election.
Time is short and is of the essence. Early voting starts January 30. There will be considerable fallout because not all seeking the post will get the 12,000 signatures necessary for filing and the money reality will become a factor any moment now.
The hard knocks of real politics will soon kick in, and the ego-driven politicians will move on.
The ideal candidate is one who can unify.
The ideal candidate is one with a business mind.
The ideal candidate is a fresh face.
Overall, people are not voting; this is a fact for all political races. There is a high degree of apathy, more than ever. This is not a winning strategy. The incumbent is in control when voting is low. In the case of the mayoral race, this is a strange bedfellow at this time. Chicago should engage in a voter registration drive like we have never seen. Every church, every college, every employer should have voter registration drives. We must register to vote and then vote February 22 in record numbers.
Rev. Jesse Jackson presented these actual numbers last Saturday on voter registration in Chicago:
Chicago has a total number of 1,444,277 registered voters.
There are a total of 692,099 unregistered voters.
On average there are approximately 13,841 unregistered voters per ward.
There are 262,997 unregistered African American voters.
There are approximately 138,419 unregistered Hispanic voters.
Caucasian, Native American, Asian and Indians represent 290,681 unregistered voters.
The point is politicians are winning by the least votes--not the most. Aldermen are winning races with low voter turnouts. This was a technique to control and direct the vote. We must reverse the trend.
Black Chicago has an opportunity to assume the fifth floor again. Harold Washington demonstrated the playbook on winning. His platform identified unity as the most important element with a mixture of White and Hispanic votes. There will only be one candidate to win the race. The Irish politicians will line up to save the seat that they have dominated for so long. The Hispanics will jump in to exercise their political muscle. (If they run multiple candidates they will surely lose).
We can only bring forth our hope that Chicago does not break into a race/ethnic war as the mayoral grab takes place; we can only hope that the Washingtonian politicos do not mix with the city of big shoulders.
Hopefully, those who have played and lost will realize their time has come and gone. Hopefully, the retired will stay put. Hopefully, the political elders will share their wisdom and knowledge with the younger ones.
Hopefully, we focus on the stark facts of what it takes to win rather than to run. Hopefully, the Black community does not engage stupidity, envy, and ego politics that lost the Fifth Floor after the death of Harold Washington.
And hopefully wisdom, political experience and a unified front will emerge strongly.
A win is waiting.
And now ladies and gentlemen, it is time to vote and to prepare for it! Ask everybody you know, "Are you registered to vote?" You have a historic role to play in choosing the new Mayor of the City.
Your future as well as the future of your children and the City of Chicago is at stake.
Vote.