Ald. Bill Beavers

He was the subject of a profile of Chicago Aldermen in the Tribune Magazine. As is being pushed in Chicago media as a possible successor to John Stroger as President of the Cook County Board. Of course contrary to that this article has him saying that he wants to be around to see the changes that are coming to his ward (7th ward which contains the neighborhoods of South Chicago and South Shore)...

His Far South Side ward (to see a map go to www.cityofchicago.org and click on the "Your Ward and Alderman" link) is in for big changes, as is John Pope's 10th Ward to the east and south, as the now vacant land once occupied by U.S. Steel is to be transformed into an area of new housing, parks and businesses.

"Rainbow Beach will be extended along the shore," says Beavers, standing by the lake at 80th Street in Osgood's photo. "It is now the finest beach in the city. I took my fist and got that built and now it will be even better. This will be part of what I call the Chicago of the future. I always said I want the South Shore to look like the North Shore and it's coming, and I want to stay and see it," he says, meaning he'll run again next year.

Having been alderman since 1983 he recieved his first lesson in politics...

He has been an alderman since 1983, winning his first race against 15 opponents and coming into the City Council "all young and feisty." That was the year Harold Washington was elected mayor and the council was split into warring factions: 29 aldermen aligned with then 10th Ward Ald. Ed Vrdolyak and 21 in Washington's camp.

"Right away I got the best lesson you could ever get in politics," Beavers says. "I challenged Vrdolyak over a soccer field that I wanted in my ward and he wanted in his. I fought, and for the next three years they punished me, taught me my lesson. For three years they wouldn't even give me a new stop sign in my ward."

This was pretty interesting. Ald. Beavers is a former cop and like I image many of his constituents he like to go the "gambling boats" twice a week to play the slots.

I have been slacking for weeks on this. Perhaps I'll get some links to those other profiles that I've missed although I one may need to register with the Tribune to see them. Perhaps it was a tougher task to try to get all 50 on this blog than I thought.