Why Is It So Hard To Run For Office In Cicero?
Illustration by Jasmin Hernandez
By Jorge Martinez
Local elected officials hold immediate power when it comes to town issues, such as a broken stop light or community funding. The decision-making power lies in the hands of a few public figures. However, many Cicero residents don’t see themselves as a part of that process.
“Larry Dominick is a very inaccessible ‘Leader’ and ‘Mayor,’” said Cicero resident and activist Leslie Cortez, a youth organizer and member of the Multi-Collective and Multi-Generational Group in Cicero.
Cortez says that Cicero leadership does not make accommodations for their constituents to speak on issues of importance and despite the group’s advocacy— including hand-delivering a 50 page report detailing exactly what Cicero community members needed during the COVID-19 pandemic— Cicero officials still remain unresponsive to their requests.
Ed Hershey is a candidate trying to change that in this year’s general election on November 8, 2022. Hershey is on the ballot for Illinois’ fourth congressional district, which includes most of Cicero and around half of Berwyn. Hershey said that working voters in communities like Cicero are often excluded from local government.
“Working people don’t see that the political process is theirs. This is bigger than any election, there is a real possibility here [to make a change],” Hershey said.
Hershey is running as a member of the Working Class Party, dedicated to electing working persons to public office and ensuring more representative governments. He will be facing off against longtime incumbent Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL) and Republican challenger James Falakos. However, he said that many candidates— especially working-class candidates like himself— will always face an uphill battle.
“There is a huge hurdle to being able to run. The system is designed by the machine,” Hershey said.
He explained that to run as an independent candidate, the necessary amount of petition signatures is “double” the amount normally needed. That requires a significant amount of time that proved to be challenging for candidates who also work full-time jobs.
Working-class persons are under-represented in government. Workers make up less than 3% of all the state legislatures, with many legislators belonging to a class of millionaires. The issue is not a question of qualifications or electorate bias against workers. According to an article from The Guardian, voters consider working-class candidates to be just as qualified as any other. Rather, working-class people tend to not run for public office.
Those who do face two main issues.
“Name recognition and money,” said Juliet Sorenson, an international human rights attorney and a longtime advocate for transparency in government. She currently serves as Executive Director of Injustice Watch, a journalism organization dedicated to investigating institutional injustices.
Unless a town’s chief executive is buried by scandal, voters will often be unaware of any other candidates, according to Sorenson.
“Let’s say the [town’s chief executive] is doing a mediocre job. Voters won’t know of the challenger and will default to the name they recognize,” Sorenson said.
Scandal does not always guarantee the downfall of a town’s chief executive. Cicero Town President Larry Dominick has faced numerous scandals since his inauguration in 2005. Allegations of sexual misconduct with a former town employee, the misuse of town funds and spreading unbacked theories against Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Sorenson said that a large part of why Dominick has remained in office is not only because no other candidates challenge him, but due to a lack of information.
“With transparency comes the opportunity for the electorate to be informed and have a meaningful say in their local government officials. It starts with informing and increasing awareness. It starts with education and outreach,” Sorenson said.
Even with access to information, working-class candidates still face a critical second issue.
“Excessive money in politics also plays a coercive role in undermining the democratic process. A level playing field has to include significant limits on campaign finance. Otherwise, money talks,” Sorenson said.
Cicero is notorious for the influence money has on politics, according to an article from The Guardian. Previous Town President, Betty Loren Maltese, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for attempting to steal $12 million from the town’s funds. A 2015 Huffpost article went as far as to call Cicero “ripe for corruption.”
Despite the challenges this reputation brings, working-class candidates have still tried to run for office. In 2021, Cicero resident and Morton athletic coach Ricardo “Santi'' Santillan launched his campaign for Cicero Town President as a write-in candidate. Launching his campaign in Thanksgiving 2020, Santillan found his movement quickly gaining speed and then began facing legal challenges from the Cicero electoral board. The electoral board includes members of Larry Dominick’s Cicero Voters Alliance and current town employees. Their impartiality has been cause for concern in the past.
The legal claims attempted to disqualify him as a candidate stating that Santillan did not have a city sticker and did not reside in Cicero. Despite, as Santillan said, having lived in Cicero for two years before starting his campaign.
Hershey and Santi have both tried to run for office as outsiders, but are quickly met with heavy resistance. Despite the challenges, working-class candidates are not alone in their campaigns. Organizations like Run For Something lead national movements to assist everyday citizens to run for public office. Run For Something works with candidates who are committed to representing their communities, regardless of their backgrounds.
“Candidates feel like they have to do this by themselves and we always say to candidates early [in their campaign] that you really can’t do this alone,” said Kandice Harris, the Midwestern Regional Director at Run For Something.
Harris works closely with candidates in Cook County.
Harris said that many candidates feel an internalized fear that they’re asking too much of their supporters. However, she said that candidates must abandon this negative mindset if they hope to run for office.
“Candidates don’t realize how much people want to help them. When you see people running successful campaigns it's because they tapped their network and let people know what they needed,” Harris said.
Manny Espitia, the Northern Regional Director at Run for Something and New Hampshire State Representative, said anybody can be an elected official. He said they have tocare about the community and meet the needs of their constituents.
Espitia was a candidate supported by Run For Something and now works to support other candidates seeking higher office. He said that any preconceived notion of what an elected official should look like is false.
“Ground your campaign on something that is meaningful,” Espitia said.
Espitia said that, often, the “right” person for the job doesn’t see themselves in the same light and it takes a community to rally behind a candidate before they’re convinced. Once they get that to that point, Espitia said candidates should listen to the issue of the community and be authentic.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Running for office is a big lift but when you have people there to support you, you can really engage people,” Espitia said.
***Corrections: This article incorrectly stated that it was the town’s legal team that challenged Santillan’s campaign. It was the Cicero electoral board. It has been updated to reflect those changes.***
Jorge Martinez is currently a student at Bennett Day School and a community activist for queer and youth voices.
Want to read more stories like this? Consider making a donation to support our work. Your money goes directly towards paying journalists of color to report on local news.
SUBSCRIBE
Bringing you news from the 60804
We respect your privacy and will only use your information to send you our latest posts.