On record, he's saying that he's supporting Mayor Daley, just like a black voter, an African -American voter will not tell you that he's going to cast his vote for Mayor Daley.
By an election day, I think you're going to see that there are going to be a lot of African -Americans who are going to be voting for Mayor Daley.
You know, openly they're not going to say that because they don't want to be marked by the rest of the African -American community.
And that's why you've got people who will not tell you who they're going to vote for.
You know, I don't know what else, I don't know how else to explain it to you.
But it seems to go both ways because you were telling us that some of the older white ethnic groups are real comfortable with having you as their representative.
Sure, sure.
And I'd be foolish not to seek their support or their votes.
I mean, I'm going to go to the Italian -American club tonight.
I know where the votes are, but they know that I've done a good job.
They're not voting for me because of the color of my skin.
They're voting for me because they feel that I've done my job and that I've represented them well.
If they didn't, they probably would have slated a white ethnic to run against me, which would have probably split the vote, you know, and given the possibility of somebody else winning this election.
They probably wouldn't be.
They probably wouldn't be, but I'm not black.
I think Alderman Burke was putting this, he was talking about a shared immigrant experience.
He was taking a look at the old immigrant groups that had been part of that coalition, the Poles, the Irish, the Italians, also Catholic groups, and comparing it to the immigrant group, especially of Mexicans, is there something in that that there's a similar sort of way of coming into the city and coming up through the city that makes it more of a national coalition? Again, I think so.
Most of us were immigrants.
Some of us by choice, some of us not by choice.
I think the important thing to all of this is understanding people's cultures.
We all have different experiences coming to this country.
I'm second, I'm first generation Mexican American.
My parents, one of my parents wasn't born here.
One of my parents was.
All my brothers and my sister were born here.
But yet we've held on to speaking Spanish, we speak English, but we've held on to some of our cultural heritage, which I think is fine.
I don't have a problem with that.
I don't see why other people should.
You know, you've got people going around saying that, you know, English only, you know, but you'd be eliminating a lot of different languages that has brought really a unique group of people together.
And I think that the only way we're going to overcome a lot of the problems is by understanding our cultures, really, and the history that each of us have had in this country.
Just one quick question.
No.
Okay.
This is also something you talked about the other day.
You seem to be proud of being part of an organization as far as being in politics.
You were talking about that the other day.
I don't know what you said.
You can sort of tell us that again.
That's important for us.
I feel proud of being part of an organization that I'm trying to build.
It's not easy.
Again, you have to look at the mechanisms that were in place 20 or 30 years ago.
I certainly wasn't part of what they called the democratic machine.
But I understand the importance of having a well -organized campaign and an organization because the bottom line in politics is numbers.
If you produce the numbers, you're going to be respected and you're going to gain some power.
And because of that, you're going to be able to do some things for the people that you represent.
The higher the numbers, the higher the percentage, the more powerful you are, the more respected you are.
And that is one of the goals that I have in terms of building a political organization in this work.
Does it benefit me? Yes, in certain ways it does.
But the reality is that in politics, you've got to build a well -developed and organized mechanism for getting out that vote.
And we don't shy away from that.
We're involved in naturalization and making legal resident citizens.
We're involved in voter registration.
And as I told you earlier, we want more young people to get involved.
We want to educate them about the importance of being involved in politics.
I think that it's very important to any community.
Do you really love politics? Pardon me? Do you love politics? I've been bitten by the bug.
I love politics.
That's great.
We're going to take the camera.
Here's Rhyme Town.
Rhyme Town starts.
Okay, whole variety of low -end and phones there.
Hello? In the city of Chicago.
Yeah.
Hey, Paul, what's up? And I keep looking at the camera when you're done.
All right.
Tell me when you're ready.
All right.
My name is Ambrosio Medrano.
I am a candidate for reelection to the city council as alderman of the 25th ward.
Oh, whatever.
What's it called? Chicago.
Yeah, we got to get Chicago.
Oh, I didn't say Chicago? No, and we got to, I think this gentleman's going to have to be.
My name is Ambrosio Medrano.
I am running for reelection for the Chicago City Council as alderman of the 25th ward.
One more time, I'll say it with even more energy.
More energy.
My name is Ambrosio Medrano.
I am running for reelection as a member of the Chicago City Council in the 25th ward.
Okay, how about one in Spanish? Oh, sure.
Mi nombre es Ambrosio Medrano.
Soy candidato para el puesto del Concilio Municipal en la ciudad de Chicago del Distrito 25.
One word in English just for safety's sake.
Energy.
Ready? My name is Ambrosio Medrano.
I am running for reelection as alderman of the 25th ward in the Chicago City Council.
Okay, ready.
This is a fortune cookie that I had prepared for the Chinese New Year Parade.
And as you can see, after people open the cookie and read their fortune, it says, Elect Ambrosio Medrano Alderman of the 25th ward.
Okay, do we have one? Okay.
Okay, this is a cookie that I had made for the Chinese New Year, and which we handed out during the parade.
And after the people open it and read their fortune, it says, Elect Ambrosio Medrano Alderman of the 25th ward.
Crumple it up and then, yeah, that, okay, now hold it open.
I've got another one if you want it opened up again.
Do the whole bit? Yeah, there we go.
Okay, this is a fortune cookie that we had made for the Chinese parade.
And as you can see, after the people open it up, they get their fortune which says, Elect Ambrosio Medrano Alderman of the 25th ward.
And talk to me, just say, run through that so your hands are moving realistically.
There we go.
This is a fortune cookie we had made.
And after you open it and read your fortune, it says, Elect Ambrosio Medrano Alderman of the 25th ward.
This privatization is a real smoke screen.
There's no accountability to privatization.
They can put what they want on.
They can pull the banter right now.
They don't pay no credit.
They don't pay no credit.
You guys will get comfortable because you're going to be sitting down for a little bit.
No problem.
You guys are going to be contractual.
Jamoke.
It's a Chicago term.
It's like, it could be anything from a guy.
It depends on how it's used, you know, with what kind of feelings behind it.
It could be, you know, some Jamoke gave me this.
And then damn Jamoke over there.
And you got that one where I'm just a regular guy.
You know, it's, it's pretty local.
You guys a bunch of Jamokes.
Look at Sam smiling.
Now you want some stories? You got to get this guy on camera.
I have no story.
Sam, you're only a year or two from retirement, man.
This thing won't be on until another year.
When do you get your pension? So we're just going to multiply or close up the whole state.
I've got a condo over there.
I want to fist fight on the street with one of the home men.
Fourth Ward.
Fourth Ward.
Tellman.
Yeah, okay.
That's Gangnam.
That's right.
He's your third or fourth? Third.
I don't know.
Well, why can't I ask? Let me ask her if she's got it here.
I'll ask her if it's here.
Annie, you got the checks for the deposit on the animal traps? Are they here? Why? Is someone going there? You got to bring it back down there.
Keep talking to him.
Keep talking to him.
I know it's a guy about five foot nine, a little more than that.
Keep him on the line.
Excuse me.
If he threatens Brian Roger or the mayor, you let me know.
Uh -huh.
And the alderman wasn't in.
And I think she or somebody in that office called the police over here.
I don't know what for.
Because I've been having problems with the police.
You have been having problems personally yourself with the police? Yeah.
Okay.
That's what I came in there about.
And some derky in there called them over here when I want to talk to the alderman.
Okay, so you originally came in here to speak to the alderman regarding your personal problems with the police? Both of them, actually.
I had a problem with the police the other year.
Okay.
Okay, so you were coming in initially to discuss this with the alderman? I wanted to discuss it with the alderman and or Mr.
McCallum.
Okay.
And I wanted to find out why the police had to come over to my house last Tuesday night.
Okay.
You know, like I said, I don't know because I was not in last Thursday evening or Tuesday evening, whatever this is pertaining to, I don't know.
Can you hold on for one second, please? Yeah.
Thank you.
How long am I supposed to keep him on the phone? What is he doing? Is he supposed to get his name and number? I don't know.
Or if you want to know.
Go find out.
Okay, Phil.
Sir, I just want to see how long the alderman is going to be.
Can you hold on, please? Thank you.
Thank you.
Let's start.
Just keep relaxing and just relax, okay? I think he came in and he had a little hard time.
You know, usually it's one thing to argue, but then you feel more threatened.
What's the story? I don't know.
He's psycho.
No.
Sir, can you hold another minute? I'm trying to get his attention.
Thank you.
Is he threatening people? He threatened Billy.
Billy's never called the police ever in his life.
Wow.
This guy was a jerk.
I mean, he just said he came in and that he wanted to talk to them.
There's a certain point beyond that.
Billy, I can't really keep him out too much longer.
I know.
What am I going to say to him now? Did you ask him what his name was? Sir, what is your name? My name is William.
Last name spelled S -O -K -O -L -O -W -S -K -I.
Okay.
And you live here in the ward? I'm in the 41st ward.
What's your address? 7305 North Ottawa.
Okay.
And you're also in the represent...
No, you're not in the representative's ward.
Hold that one more second, sir.
Find out if he's got any file numbers, because last time he was talking about file numbers.
Okay.
Find out if there's a court case number, if he's got any kind of a file number.
But it should start off with a letter of some kind.
So get it for him.
See if he's got any.
Okay, sir.
What's your phone number? It's 7 -7 -4 -5 -1 -8 -7.
Okay.
Now, do you have any file numbers or any court numbers from these previous cases? Sit down with them and look at the zoning around there, what it was before.
What's going on? The public's on us.
You know who's got my book? We'll take a rest.
Larry went to take a rest.
He's all...
Thanks, Frank.
Anyway, folks.
This guy came in last weekend.
Well, relative to Camperelli, I was not a pretty nice person.
Okay, the only thing is, this is just a formality that we have to change.
So was a lot of...
Okay.
So much information that we have to change.
The couple that came in last weekend, they were all very, very, very, very, very, very, I'm going to try and get him.
Like I said, he's got several constituents here waiting.
It's sometimes difficult for him to talk over the phone.
But let me see if I can get his attention again.
Hold on, okay? Okay.
Annie, tell him he's leaving right...
He's leaving right...
He had to leave.
He had to run home because I don't want this...
No, I understand.
Because if he comes in here, shit's going to hit the fan.
Let him wait.
Let him sit on there for a few minutes and go back to him.
Okay.
I talked to the tech team.
They're going to see what they're going to do.
I hope you disconnected.
You did.
No, I didn't.
No problem.
Guess what we just got a ticket for? Truck parking on the...
Residential truck parking.
It's an antiquated law.
No, no, no.
Oh, well, wait a second.
It's a passenger vehicle.
Yes.
It's...
It's a little bitty Toyota pickup.
Oh, no, no, no.
It's not a...
It's what they call a passenger truck.
It's a B...
It's a B -plate truck.
He's got a truck plate on it.
Right.
Okay.
You can park a B truck on the...
Let me ask you then.
What is our alternative? The alternatives are parking in the garage.
We cannot do that.
Okay? Parking in the driveway.
We don't have a driveway.
Move out of the city.
Park it in your neighbor's garage or park it in the gas station or on the business room.
None of those are alternatives.
And honestly, I...
I know the situation because I was in contract before.
I used to have a pickup truck.
Okay.
Can I explain something to you? Go.
That law was based on a premise before passenger trucks came out.
And I'm calling it a passenger truck because when you buy it, that's what it's called.
It's a small little passenger truck.
But it's called but it's not classified.
Right.
I agree with that.
Okay.
The fact of the matter is nothing's in the bed, never has been, never will be.
When we move something, it is out of the truck.
I mean, like we just moved a piece of bedroom furniture.
In and out, gone.
Okay.
It does not...
It is clean.
It is new.
It looks better than most of the trucks are with cars on our street.
Now, this is our corner.
This is where we are now.
Yeah.
We're told if we want to park this truck on the street, we have to pay the city another fee.
For what? For another sticker.
And if we get the sticker, we have to...
Well, that came from your secretary this morning on the phone.
There is no...
We do not issue...
There is such a thing as issuing truck permit parking in wards.
Few wards have it.
We do not have it in the 41st ward.
I will not set the precedent to have it in the 41st ward.
May I ask you a question? The problem becomes the precedent.
How do you decide between what is a passenger pickup, what is used for work, and what is used for strictly utility vehicle? You cannot define that.
That is what the problem is.
I had the same problem.
I had a truck when I was a contractor.
I had to run a garage and use it because I was getting tickets for parking a big plot on the truck.
I have had this conversation at least 50 times with Mamdi Alderman.
I know what the rules are.
Oh, well, okay.
Would you inform your secretary because your secretary told you...
I apologize.
...something totally different this morning.
Well, I apologize if that is the case.
She told me I had to get a sticker, then she told me I had to get a cab when I got the sticker.
No, no, what she was referring to is if you can get the secretary of state to deem your vehicle an RV vehicle, you can get an RV plate, you can park them on the streets.
Well, my whole point, Brian, is many of your constituents in this ward are city workers.
Right.
Hardworking, blue collar people.
Mm -hmm.
And I don't think that's a good representation of them when many of the cars parked on the street are in terrible repair.
But we cannot distinguish between the aesthetics between towers.
We can between...
Is this not just an aesthetic problem, though, that you're talking about? No, because what would happen is the contractors would start pulling their trucks on the street, they would start having ladders on it, they would start leaving their tools and the wheel and everything else out there.
That's a problem that they have in other parts of the city.
We have never allowed trucks parked in the 41st ward, and we're not...
I wish you would have known this before we moved into the 41st ward.
Well, it's not because you're being persecuted, it's because that's the law.
We cannot define between what is a pickup truck and what is utility pickup.
How come other wards can't? Only a few.
That's entirely up to their ward.
There's only about three or four wards to do it, and most of them have industrial areas where you might have loft apartments or you might have old warehouses or you might have single -family homes interspersed between factories and manufacturing, and they really, it's not a big deal to them.
Here it is.
Believe me, the lid would be off if that was a problem.
It really is a problem.
We're paying the highest taxes in the city.
Then what I did then, rent a garage.
There are no garages.
We looked to foot our other car in a garage so we could keep one of our vehicles in the garage.
I sympathize with the situation, but there's no...
So we either have to sell the truck or just keep getting tickets.
Or an attempt that I would do is see if you can get the Secretary of State to deem it an RV.
But then we have to spend $500 to put a cab on it.
So we're really in a box.
Or you can use cabs.
So we're either in a box no matter where we go.
Can I have the parking brake laid on the truck? I tell you what, as soon as some point in this time somebody lets city workers move out of the city, Brian, and you don't have a tax base, that's going to be the real plane of this.
Well, I understand that you're not happy because you can't park your truck on the street.
No, because I pay the highest taxes in the city.
So do I, and so does everyone else in the city.
I realize that, and you're fighting, and one of your flyers says that you're fighting to lower those.
But we're still doing it.
As a public school teacher, I do not feel like I can send my children to a public school in the city.
So I'm spending lots of money sending them out.
Now I can't even park a small little pickup on the street.
You cannot park a B -Plug on the street.
But see, that's what we need a little help with.
And I cannot help you with that because if I issued someone one permit, I'd have to issue another and another.
And then how do I disturb them? Do I have them bring the truck in? Maybe.
The community wouldn't accept it.
I'm telling you.
You know how many calls I get from people saying that this guy's got his business truck parked in front of his house all night, and it's a pain? I got lists and lists like that.
And you couldn't do like a gradient of what size trucks they were and what they were? I'm being pushed by the Secretary of State's office, not by us.
Okay.
I know you're frustrated, and believe me, I was too.
I mean, I'd move out of the city in a drop of a hat.
I had the same problem.
I mean, the exact same problem.
I had a little, you know, I worked for a contractor.
I bought a truck, and I couldn't park it.
It was a nice little, I had it repainted and everything.
It was a beautiful looking truck.
But I couldn't park it on the street, and I kept getting tickets.
Neighbors would call.
I went to the neighborhood.
I found a black woman that wasn't using a garage, and I rented a garage for her.
And I had to pay $50 a month.
I wish it wasn't that easy, because we've looked all over our neighborhood.
We've called people.
We've gone over.
We cannot find a place to park it.
I wish I could have an answer for you, but I don't, because I've had this situation a number of times.
And I've researched, and I looked at it.
So you're saying, unless it's a recreational vehicle.
Right.
Because those are so big and huge, and they've got so much other stuff on them, but those are okay.
If they're under 16 feet, you have to move them at least every seven days.
16 feet compared to a little car.
I don't make those classifications, the Secretary of State does.
We don't be truck means business truck plate.
That's what it is.
Okay, so do we, but we have to have the truck plate on it when it's not really being used as a truck.
Unless you can get, if you can get the Secretary of State to give you passenger plates or recreational plates, you can park it there.
But that's up to the Secretary of State to issue you that.
I'm just saying that that's, I'm not even talking about the Secretary of State.
I'm just saying the law that you have right now in place, which I think that you're in charge of as far as the ward seems to be a bit inflexible.
Well, maybe I'll look into it, but I don't, the problem is determining what is a utility bill and what's.
I agree, it would be a problem.
Maybe it is something that we can look into, but I don't foresee a quick change.
No, other wards state the Electoral Permit, but there's only three or four wards that do that.
Well, maybe we could be one of them.
No, because the community is against it.
Totally.
Believe me.
Okay.
Okay.
I wish I had better news for you.
Me too.
Okay.
Hopefully when they let us move out of the city we'll do it.
Take care.
Thank you.
Good luck, guys.
So, next contestants.
Who's next? Who's got the list? That's it.
Everyone else is here for Roger? Yeah, nobody wants to talk.
Frank, Lou, Pete, John, Ernie, Boy.
I'm a lucky guy.
Hey, what's up? Oh, how are you? Good, how are you? What's going on? You guys here to see me? Yeah.
Okay, come on back.
These guys are here on political business, so.
This is, this is PBS.
They're filming us for the documentary.
Come on.
I don't know.
This is, he's going to see me about the political business, so.
You don't want us to know? Nope.
Okay.
Hello, Miss Manion.
Buckebert Sonus from Alderman Doherty's office.
Hi, how you doing? Well, I'm just calling to see if we're going to go with the absentee ballots, if you've received them or not.
Okay, I was just checking out because today was the last day and I'm just kind of reminding everybody.
Okay, good enough.
Thank you very much, ma 'am.
Thank you, bye -bye.
That's three.
So you're making, what are you doing? Today's the last day of the turn in absentee's, so.
Just kind of follow up with him and, yes, Miss Kelly.
Buckebert Sonus from Alderman Doherty's office.
Yes, I'm just going to see if you were sending in your absentee ballot application because today's the last day.
Oh, okay, okay.
Okay, good enough.
Just please remember to come on out and vote on Tuesday the 28th.
Thank you very much.
Bye -bye.
They don't need it this time, huh? This whole family's on vacation, I hope I get one.
Hello, John? Is this Nick? Hello, John? Yes? The three of them? Well, if they haven't come until Saturday or Monday, then the girls will go vote.
Or, you know, whoever hasn't got it.
Okay? If the girls are here and they don't leave, you understand? Okay, I'll send the rest in, I'll tell you later.
Okay, John? Thank you.
Thank you, John.
Thank you.
Nothing, just the same.
I didn't get the answers.
Okay, John.
Today? What do you mean? Until the 15th of the month? No, no, I'll tell you when.
Sunday, Sunday, the appointment is at 7 o 'clock.
Come over there because we'll have a meeting.
Okay? 7 o 'clock.
Yes.
What are we going to do on the day of the elections? Okay? Thank you.
Good night.
Greek constituent, guys, you like that? Seven votes in the house, I like when that happens.
Oh, you picked up on that one, huh? There's two words in Greek.
That's what it was.
Alderman Doherty's office? I'm just going to see if you've received your absentee ballot or if your husband did.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Okay, thank you so much, ma 'am.
Thank you, good night.
Good night.
Guy died.
Got to make sure you don't vote on Tuesday.
Yes, Ms.
Butson? Bill Grisonis, Alderman Doherty's office.
I'm just going to see if you've received your absentee ballots yet.
Oh, he did take them downtown.
Thank you very much, ma 'am.
Good night.
Excuse me? Yes, somebody will be out to take the signs down if not the day before the election, the day of the election, or the day right after the election.
Okay? People will be coming by.
Thank you very much, ma 'am.
Bye -bye.
Two in the bank.
Yes, ma 'am.
Yes, Ms.
Olson? Bill Grisonis, Alderman Doherty's office.
I'm just going to see if you've received your absentee ballots.
Okay, did you mail them back in or do we need...
Okay, thank you so much, ma 'am.
Thank you, bye -bye.
Two more.
Jan Wollstrom calls.
He got stranded on the expressway and couldn't come in.
He's not coming in tonight? No.
All right, did he say anything about Sunday's meeting? No, he said something about Saturday.
He's going to come on Saturday? All right, that'll work.
Goodness, really.
![Ald. Brian Doherty’s Ward Night [Cont.] / Doherty Election HQ: Thurs. Night](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/4/87730_ca_object_representations_media_7457_medium.jpg)