Humboldt Park Alderman Featured in Chicago Reader
Reposted from Chicago Reader
Published: January 23, 2012
Before he called a meeting of the City Council's special events committee to order on December 6, Walter Burnett Jr., the chairman, imparted a piece of political insight to his embattled colleague Nicholas Sposato.
"I keep telling you, there's a black caucus, a Hispanic caucus, and a white-haired caucus," said Burnett, the 27th Ward alderman. "But you need to get a little grayer before you can go there."
Sposato chuckled, though he didn't find the topic terribly funny. A former fireman, Sposato won his seat last year in an upset over a favored political insider, and his ward, the 36th, would be dramatically redrawn under proposed new boundaries—a sign that the rookie was on the shit list of the veteran white guys overseeing the decennial remap.
But the comment revealed even more about Burnett's mischievous sense of humor, shrewd understanding of how the city operates, and confidence about his own prospects based on years of loyalty to his patrons. In fact, anyone who really wants to understand how Chicago works should take a close look at Walter Burnett. Ward boundaries may shift around him, but he's virtually unmovable.
Read the full article on the Chicago Reader here:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-making-of-alderman-walter-burnett-jr/Content?oid=5428373
Posted in Community News