 |
| For voters who wanted to see either Mendoza … |
As
in white voters and black voters in Chicago potentially equaling each other
out, and the Latino segment of the city being the factor that would decide who
would win political election in Chicago.
 |
| … or Chico as alcalde/mayor, … |
ARE
WE DESTINED to see repeats of such images in coming weeks, as Lori Lightfoot
and Toni Preckwinkle fight it out in an April 2 run-off election to determine
who gets to take over as mayor for Rahm Emanuel?
Because
some political observers are pointing out that the parts of Chicago that didn’t
really favor either Lightfoot or Preckwinkle in Tuesday’s elections are the
precincts in the Latino-oriented neighborhoods.
Where
the mayoral election was perceived as a brawl by Susana Mendoza and Gery Chico –
and the other dozen candidates were perceived as after-thoughts.
 |
| … will either Toni … |
Meaning
it is a significant segment of Chicago (where the Latino population comprises
about 30 percent of the city) that could decide the run-off election outcome.
BUT
WILL IT be a decision because one of the two mayoral hopefuls is able to sway
the sentiment of Latino voters? Or will it be a decision made because many
Latino voters will simply decide the run-off isn’t worth their time and trouble
to go out and cast a ballot?
A
study by the Center for Illinois Politics pointed out how Tuesday’s turnout
wasn’t that great anywhere in Chicago, but was even worse in the Spanish-speaking
enclaves of the city.
The
city had a 34 percent voter turnout on Tuesday, which was barely larger than
the record low of 33 percent back in the mayoral election of 2007 (which was an
election that sent Richard M. Daley back to the mayor’s post for like the
millionth time).
 |
| … or Lori hold political appeal? |
In
the Latino-oriented wards of Chicago (won mostly by Mendoza, although Chico
took the 10th Ward), there was 27 percent voter turnout this time
around.
IT
WOULD SEEM that Latino voters just couldn’t get themselves all excited about
voting in this mess of an electoral cycle. Which hurt any chance that Susana
would be giving up her Illinois comptroller post to become mayor anytime soon.
Will
there suddenly be a sense of enthusiasm developing amongst Latino voters for
either candidate? Will Latinos suddenly gain the long-ago expressed sense of enthusiasm
that the new mayor (whether Lightfoot or Preckwinkle) will feel indebted to
Latino interests because “we” gave them the majority of votes?
Or
will it merely turn into apathy, which further creates the impression that the
deciding factor will be all those people who voted for William Daley’s mayoral
campaign?
 |
| Will we see the bandito image, … |
The
ones who probably cast their votes that way out of a sentiment of NOT wanting
to see either Lightfoot or Preckwinkle prevail. The thought of having to “pick
one” could be repellant-enough to make them not want to vote at all.
DESPITE
THE THOUGHTS being expressed by some that Preckwinkle could prevail because many
will perceive Toni – the two-term Cook County Board president and former Hyde Park
neighborhood alderman – as someone who has been a part of the political
establishment.
 |
| … or hear we're finally ready for reform |
Meaning
she’s someone they could “work with.” As opposed to Lightfoot, the former
federal prosecutor who might still carry a prosecutorial attitude toward
government about her. Which I’m sure is what some potential voters think is
exactly what is needed in Chicago.
So
what is going to be the prevailing theme of the April 2 run-off; are we going
to get a guy in a sarape, sombrero y huaraches,
looking like a Frito Bandito reject while trying to tell Latinos that it’s all
up to us to decide whether we’re destined to have Toni or Lori as our next alcalde.
Or
is Chicago finally going think it’s ready for the reform that one-time bar-keep
alderman Paddy Bauler said we weren’t ready for more than a half-century ago?
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