"So. What do you tell people?"

That was the only question I was asked in my Chicago Tribune interview when I ran for 50th Ward Alderman in 1983.

I wasn’t surprised. I thought the candidate questionnaire was odd so I thought the interview process might be odd, too.

The document consisted of only nine questions, and five of them were about the Chicago public schools, which city government had very little do with. In fact, except for the City Council voting on school board nominees, and approving the annual Board of Education tax levy, city government had no responsibility for the schools. 

I was tipped off about the interview by 46th Ward Independent candidate Charlotte Newfeld. When the interviewer asked her, “Why would you do this?” she thought that person was just making small talk. She didn’t realize it was the entire interview.

The Trib endorsed her opponent but switched to her in the runoff, which she lost by seven votes.

So, I came prepared. When asked the question that I knew would be the only one, I gave my whole shpiel.

The Tribune printed that I was intelligent and articulate but that my opponent (the incumbent) worked hard. It endorsed him. I had won the Sun-Times endorsement, so our media war was a draw.