Waguespack making run for Mayor?

"Priority number one for me are the people and the business of the 32nd Ward," replied  Alderman Scott Waguespack of the 32nd Ward to this reporter's question "Are you changing your focus to a city wide office?" The query resulted as a follow up to Fran Spielman's Chicago Sun-Times report which states that Waguespack is "...seriously considering running for mayor -- whether or not Mayor Daley seeks a seventh term -- because he's fed up with the corruption, waste and mismanagement that have dogged the Daley era."

Waguespack, during his freshman term as alderman, has been and continues to be a diligent researcher on all things regarding Chicago as well as state wide policies and operations. That knowledge has led him to speak out and/or vote against issues that Mayor Daley has attempted to slip through City Council with little to no opposition.  These issues have and continue to include the Parking Meter leasing, TIFs (Tax Increment Financing), transparency in government, school funding, privatization of water, clean air and more.

Just this week at the source of Chicago's largest amount of particulate-forming air pollution, Waguespack stated that Daley could have already shut the sources down if he wanted to. He cited the many trucking contracts involved in those operations as why Daley would allow the operations to continue. The sites are the Crawford and Fisk coal burning electricity producing plants providing energy to Commonwealth Edison. Both sites are located in the Pilsen neighborhood.

Within his own ward, Waguespack took on the Water Department this spring for inadequate maintenance of sewers. In an attempt to prevent the residential flooding that occurred last spring, he hired a former Water Department employee to literally work with him to flush sewers on residential streets. Last year's floods were caused by a lack of sewer cleaning for at least a five year period.

In an earlier discussion with the Alderman about education he stated, "Corruption is financially drowning us in the city, county and state. Instead of raising taxes and cutting budgets, corruption needs to be cut. It seems that Mayor Daley and downstate legislators do not want to bring people in who are going to put a stop to this corruption cycle."

His many actions of pursuing the honest, clean and clear way of getting things done in the city were no doubt the reasons for being the recipient of the Leon Despres Award earlier this month at the 66th Independence Day Dinner of the Independent Voters of Illinois and Independent Precinct Organization.

As he attends the many functions and events in and out of his Ward, Waguespack seems determined to get everyone engaged in dialogue about the operations and future of Chicago.

Primaries are just around the corner. The only way to make a change is by:

• being informed about the facts
• engaging in dialogue
• working for those who you think can do the job honestly and conscientiously

What do you think needs to be done about the operations of Chicago and by whom?

Enter your comments below.