When an Alderman lost his gun

Newly elected 40th Ward Alderman Ivan Rittenberg took his seat at a City Council meeting in 1979. He was a Chicago Police Commander who had been recruited by party leaders to challenge Alderman Solomon Gutstein, who had run afoul of Committeeman John Geocaris. He had won a hard-fought contest to defeat the incumbent.

As he lowered himself into his chair, he instinctively reached for the holstered handgun he was required to carry, just to be sure it was there. It wasn’t.

He had just used the public bathroom in the outside hallway, not availing himself of the private facilities for Aldermen only, located behind the Council chambers.

He mentioned to those around him that he had lost his gun, joking about what he thought was a trivial event. But Chicago police officers risked punishment for careless storage of a weapon.

So, he returned to the washroom, searched the stall he had used, and the area around it. The gun was missing. He shared his finding with those seated near him and was overheard by a newspaper reporter. The story ran in the publication’s next issue.

In the meantime, Rittenberg’s wife announced she had found the missing gun in their home. He must have forgotten to bring it with him, she declared. Nobody questioned her statement and the story disappeared.

 Excerpted from “Chicago Political Stories” at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/994143