For the February 27, 2007 aldermanic elections, WindyBits thought it’d have a bit o’ fun.

We don’t actually know anything about the aldermanic elections–all these wards and maps and numbers are too confusing–but we do know how to make fun of things on the Web. If you want to learn more about the races, skip down to the actually useful information.

For the rest of you, enjoy these ridiculous photos–plucked straight from the candidates’ own websites!

19th Ward: Tim Sheehan

Sheehan has a “positive vision for the future of the 19th ward,” which includes cutting this guy off from the green beer.

42nd Ward: Mike “Libby” Libert

Curiously, we couldn’t find a good picture at his website.

43rd Ward: Tim Egan

Candidate Tim Egan is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Egan was a successful rugby player :

After a collegiate basketball career, Tim dedicated 15 years of his life as a world traveled club rugby player for the Chicago Westside Condors RFC.

Egan brings that blue collar approach to the 43rd Ward, aiming to dig up old volleyball nets wherever they’re found.

43rd Ward: Peter Zelchenko

Uh, Peter’s a straight shooter, and by that we mean that he isn’t afraid to blog about shit–and take a picture of it.

45th Ward: Bob Bank

Bob Bank has been walking the 45th Ward, listening to citizens’ concerns. He’s been pounding the pavement, getting the story straight from the residents. Bob has been out of the campaign trail, knocking on doors.

Did we mention he’s been pounding the pavement? Well, he wants to prove it to you. Take a look at those soles!

45th Ward: Terry Boyke

45th Ward residents should be heartened by candidate Terry Boyke’s support from ’85 Bear Dennis McKinnon. At right, Terry asks Dennis where he got that striped shirt.

46th Ward: James Cappleman

Next up, we’ve got James Cappleman from the contentious 46th Ward race. Has he just gotten a ticket?

Ha! Of course not. Alderman don’t get tickets. (Well, maybe aldermanic candidates do.) Cappleman is James is committed to working with the police on matters of public safety.

46th Ward: Helen Shiller

Shiller, the current alderman in the 46th, is in a fight to reelection with Cappleman. But she can take solace in support from Canada.

49th Ward: Don Gordon

Gordon has been endorsed by the Tribune over Joe Moore in the 49th. In the opening salvo on his website, Gordon vows:

We know that we can change the status quo and make progress in our community IF we have an alderman who is dedicated to paying attention to our needs. (emphasis ours)

Small problem: Would Gordon be able to stay awake during Council meetings?

UPDATE! The Gordon people have entirely deleted Don’s “sleepy pic” from the website! The above link now goes to a fairly innocuous picture. Well, count us impressed with that kind of responsiveness!

Oh, and if you do a bit of tricky sleuthing, you can see the electronic remnants of opening14.jpg, which was been removed.

49th Ward: Jim Ginderske

Another candidate in the 49th is Jim Ginderske. Ginderske has an interesting bio, highlighted by his experience as a high-wire electrician. We love the tie-in of this experience to his candidacy:

Overhead electrical work is considered an exceptionally hazardous occupation and many of Jim’s friends have been injured or killed. Jim understands the consequences of bad decisions. (emphasis theirs)

Your guess is as good as ours as to whether that’s actually Ginderske on the pole.

50th Ward: Salman Aftab

This photo’s captioned Salman Aftab is discussing issues and concerns with 50th ward residents., but to us, it just looks like an everyday scene from the Viagra Triangle.

Actually Useful Information on the Aldermanic Races

For those who, you know, want to learn about the candidates (see official list, pdf), we recommend starting with the map of Chicago’s wards (pdf). Continue to the City’s list of current aldermen, the Trib’s endorsements, and the Sun-Times’ endorsements.

If you like to eat and to follow aldermanic politics, try AlderTrack, a a predictive contest involving all 50 aldermanic ward races that’s offering $200 in restaurant gift certificates for your picking prowess.

For a more grassroots feel, see DGAP’s excellent coverage of the aldermen, the Chicago Reader’s politics blog, and last but not least, Modern Vertebrate’s list of candidates and their websites. We especially have Modern Vertebrate to thank for the best list of candidate website links.

UPDATE: Don’t miss Richard Carnahan’s “Aldermanic Elections: Coming In To Focus” (published 2/17/07) and “Get Yer Predictions Here!” (published 2/21/07) on Gapers Block.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 19th, 2007 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Articles. Both comments and pings are currently closed.