In pole position for City Council vacancy, Burnett III hopes to outgrow shadow of father whose power put him there

Yahoo

2 days ago

Walter Redmond Burnett III knows what you're thinking.
The 29-year-old seeking a City Council seat is well prepared for the question lingering around his quest to lead the 27th Ward: Is it fair he be appointed to succeed his father? 'I get it,' he said. But 'Red' wants you to really look at him.
'I understand where people are coming from, but if you remove my name from the paper, I have an excellent resume,' he told the Tribune. 'I would put my resume up against just about anyone's.'
He paused.
'Probably except my dad's.'
Mayor Brandon Johnson must soon weigh the qualifications himself. The mayor has less than two months to make a pick after his vice mayor, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., resigned in July. Burnett spent 30 years in the City Council and ended that career as one of Johnson's most crucial allies — a twist from his endorsement of Johnson's campaign runoff opponent.
The seat's application window closes Friday. But before political jockeying could even begin, the older Burnett made sure all signs pointed down his family tree.
'I think the mayor will consider it,' Burnett Jr. said the same day he announced his exit and endorsed his son. 'The mayor likes Walter, he's very impressed with him.'
So far, the contest to fill the seat has stayed relatively quiet. If the younger Burnett gets his way, he will represent a ward that stretches from vacant lots in Cabrini Green and the future Bally's Casino site to the red-hot Fulton Market district and long-struggling Garfield Park.
In many ways, he is a product of each: He's the son of a former Cabrini resident, grew up near Union Park and was dragged to community meetings, churches and block clubs throughout the ward since before he could talk.
A former Goldman Sachs employee who now works as a consultant for developers, restaurants, retailers and entertainers, he also sports the business acumen and ambition that define the many young corporate workers that call Fulton Market home.
His comment about taking his name off the resume points to an ironic situation for the candidate. He is the front-runner for the seat because of his father. But in many ways his background fits in the increasingly young and energetic ward, and he might have a better shot in future elections without the political baggage of nepotism.
One top focus for Burnett III is expanding summer job programs and activities for school-aged Chicagoans, a policy Johnson credits for sharply cutting crime rates this year that could face pressure as City Hall works to craft a budget amid a shortfall near $1 billion.
'I think that's extremely important to get these idle minds active, especially when there's not a lot of structure where they are,' Burnett III said.
The self-described 'urbanist' also said he hopes to add density on the West Side, especially along the Green Line, in a bid to make housing more affordable and attract businesses. But most policy positions, he added, will be shaped by conversations with neighborhood groups and constituents.
'A big piece of what I think this role is is just making sure that people feel heard and understanding that my opinion isn't really the only opinion I'm representing,' he said.
Many of the people Burnett III would need to work with have been actively reaching out to him, a 'refreshing' embrace, he said. They come with praise for his father and questions about what he will change.
'To some extent, if it's not broke, don't fix it, right? But to another extent, I come from a corporate background and a more technological-based background,' he said. 'I have to figure out a mix and balance of keeping that institutional knowledge, while also bringing in a bit more young energy.'
The Pilates-practicing, matcha-drinking aldermanic hopeful would have a hard time not making the office last held by the City Council's longest-serving member younger.
Burnett III highlighted an internship with Chicago investor John Rogers Jr, a college stint as a Soho House New York butler and, most recently, consulting work on the rollout of family friend Chance the Rapper's new album, out Friday.
The latter has made him eager to market Chicago, which he believes does not do enough to show its best face to the world and foster its art.
'We have so many beautiful and amazing artists who come from the city who feel like they have to go out of the city to go find their success and their champions,' he said. 'That would be something I would love to figure out how we, as a city, get behind in supporting.'
But notably absent from Burnett III's background is experience in elected office. He acknowledged government experience brings value, but added 'that the city needs new ideas and some folks who don't necessarily come from within the institution.'
'I don't think that everyone within City Hall, within government, has to come from government in order to make positive impacts around the city,' he said.
If he is appointed, Burnett III will be Chicago's youngest alderman. He will also be far, far from the first Chicago politician to take over a seat of power from a parent.
Such an inheritance can in some ways be a curse, according to former Ald. Deb Mell, who was appointed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2013 to the Northwest Side 33rd Ward City Council seat vacated by her father, longtime City Hall powerbroker Richard Mell.
'It does get sticky when it's the offspring. It leaves a bad taste in people's mouths, it doesn't matter how good the alderman is,' said Mell, who entered City Hall after serving four years as a state representative.
Voters elected Mell to the seat two years later. She then lost a race for a second full term in 2019. Mell, the City Council's first openly lesbian member, noted that 'all the Progressive Caucus' voted against her appointment, an 'interesting' fact as a progressive mayor heads toward the likely appointment of another political heir.
Jobs are passed down in many other industries, Mell said. Still, she wishes she had not been appointed to succeed her dad, but had instead waited two years to run in an open election, she said.
'It would have increased my credibility, my independence from my father, you know, assuming I won,' she said. 'That sticks around. People like to choose their leaders. … It was something I kind of struggled with, because I guess deep down, I don't think that's a good way to go.'
Real estate agent Cynthia Bednarz is also seeking the 27th Ward seat. The 55-year-old ran for the office in 2019 with calls for a property tax freeze. She pulled in 31.4% of the vote, but failed to make a runoff as Burnett Jr. cruised to a seventh term.
Bednarz described herself as a 'Democrat and a liberal,' but said she is foremost an 'independent thinker.'
'I feel like that's what the citizens of this ward deserve,' said Bednarz, who has not worked in government. 'I'm beholden to no one.'
She criticized Johnson's veto of an ordinance giving Chicago's police superintendent power to declare sudden teen curfews and added that building more affordable housing is a top focus.
'What I really want is someone who goes out, listens to the public and then reacts accordingly,' she said.
Bednarz, who has also been a substitute teacher, a community activist and a block club president, argued that Johnson placed Burnett allies on the committee charged with recommending an appointee.
Johnson named three community members to the 27th Ward selection committee, including a former neighborhood group leader, a chamber of commerce president and a job-training nonprofit's community engagement coordinator.
Of the three, two have donated to Burnett Jr.'s campaign fund in the last two years, according to state records.
'I feel like the process is really set up to let the mayor pick whoever he wants,' Bednarz said.
She also noted a striking change to the process compared to when Johnson appointed Ald. Anthony Quezada to fill a 35th Ward vacancy in April.
Applicants for the seat to which Johnson appointed Quezeda were required to have 'a minimum of 5 years of experience in government or public service' as a qualification. The mayor listed no such requirement when he announced the 27th Ward selection committee last week.
Johnson on Tuesday said he had not made the change himself. The requirements are set by the committee, he argued. Johnson appoints the selection committee.
'It has more to do with the fact of the makeup of the particular ward,' Johnson said. 'I don't micromanage to that extent where I put forth a blanket, uniformed requirement, because the city of Chicago is far more diverse, and you need more of an eloquent process.'
Asked last month what he would say to Chicagoans who believe an inside-the-family appointment would be unfair, Johnson said 'a number of people' will make the recommendation.
The ultimate pick must be someone who 'understands the assignment' of building 'the safest, most affordable big city in America,' Johnson said.
'And anyone who is committed to that will be imbibing the spirit of the renowned former vice mayor,' he said.
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