ENDORSEMENT: Tara Stamps for 37th Ward alderman

East Austin

To build a more independent City Council, one less inclined to defer to any mayor, a good place to start would be to elect Tara Stamps alderman of the 37th Ward. Stamps, a Chicago Public Schools teacher, is sharp and knowledgeable, and she has a strong record of community service. The incumbent, Ald. Emma Mitts, whom we have endorsed in the past, is simply too passive, too much of a follower. We don’t see many signs that the quality of life in the 37th Ward has markedly improved during her 19 years in office. It’s time for a change. Stamps does not fit easily into any obvious political box. She generally supports the consent decree to overhaul the Chicago Police Department, for example, but is much more interested in telling you where the plan falls short, such as in its emphasis on police training to work with the mentally ill. The real problem, she says, is the shortage of mental health clinics. Stamps’ determination to do her own thinking might be her greatest strength. Also running is Deondre’ Rutues, a UPS management supervisor.

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