Ortiz: My take on Chicago’s DSA candidates for council

Roushaunda Williams and Patrick Nagle. While I can see the runoff going to any two of these five candidates, I predict it’ll be between Angela Clay and Kim Walz, both of whom are endorsed by influential politicians such as Governor J.B. Pritzker.

endorsements from the DSA, CTU and mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson. Unfortunately for Sanchez, he might be facing the best overall candidate in the city this cycle.

Chicago is gearing up for the upcoming municipal elections. We’ll focus on some candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. The most likely pickups for the DSA in city council this year are in the 46th and 48th ward elections. Both wards are on the city’s North Side. Both wards contain incumbents who chose to retire. This is where the similarities end.

The 46th ward is predominately white. Running to replace Ald. James Cappleman (46th) is DSA candidate Angela Clay. She ran for the same seat in 2019 with little support but came in fourth place. This cycle, she’s running with solid backing from the Chicago branch of the DSA, the Chicago Teachers Union and Ald. Matt Martin (47th).

Four other viable candidates running against Clay are Kim Walz, 2019 runner-up Marianne Lalonde,

Running for the 48th ward is DSA candidate Nick Ward. Ward, a restaurant worker, is a first-time candidate. Like Clay, he has support from the DSA and CTU. However, Ward’s biggest rival is Joe Dunne, a housing developer in Chicago. Dunne has support from incumbent Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) and the organizations like Chicago Federation of Labor. Because of Dunne’s fundraising efforts and endorsements, I expect him to win the election.

Some DSA-endorsed candidates are most likely to lose. The 10th ward — the largest in Chicago — has a majority Latine population and borders Indiana. This ward is idiosyncratic, with a history of voting for progressives and conservatives. This election will likely come down to endorsements.

The 10th ward candidate Óscar Sanchez garnered recognition for stopping General Iron from establishing operations in his ward out of environmental pollution concerns. He’s also raised $85,000 and has

Ana Guajardo’s fundraising slightly lags Sanchez’s, giving him an edge of almost $15,000.

Guajardo has big endorsements from nearly every union chapter in Chicago, including two different Ironworker local chapters and left-leaning Service Employees International Union chapters. Most importantly, she is endorsed by Jesús “Chuy” García, which will likely be the deciding factor in Guajardo’s win.

The last two DSA-endorsed candidates are Ambria Taylor in the 11th and Warren Williams in the 30th ward. I don’t think either of them has a chance to win because they face strong opposition and do not match the ward’s demographics.

Despite Taylor’s character and work ethic, she’s a left-leaning, white woman running in the nowmajority Asian 11th ward. She is running against Chicago’s first Chinese alderperson, Ald. Nicole Lee (11th). A win for Taylor seems unlikely.

Williams’ primary opponent is Jessica Gutiérrez,

Reif: Burnt out? Embrace a culture of less

organizations, do volunteer work, participate in professional internships, play sports and take part-time jobs. And then some. This whirlpool of activities, coupled with the stress of the modern world, can drive them to the point where they need to seek help from mental health resources.

In a Jan. 22 article, two Weinberg sophomores stated that Northwestern students “lack mental health resources at an institution with a culture of perfection.” When I was a student at NU, I too felt the pressure for perfection but just in terms of my academics. To cope with the increased pressure, the University should improve mental health resources by increasing funds and staff for Counseling and Psychological Services, as well as the Center for Awareness, Response and Education programs. As a non-profit — with a $14.4 billion endowment and a positive margin of $138.7 million — NU surely has adequate funds to deal with this. But why does the University need to show a positive margin anyway?

Confronting a culture of perfection is a much more complex and difficult task. Based on what I’ve read in The Daily, NU students today feel compelled to be “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” but without that movie’s 11 Oscar nominations. In addition to their academic studies, students join campus who nearly beat incumbent Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th) in 2019. She is also the daughter of former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), who was the only Latine representative from Chicago until 2018. Beating Jessica Gutiérrez would be hard enough for another Latine candidate to win, so for Williams, who does not publicly identify as such, does not really stand a chance.

Some pressure is a necessary part of campus life. Every generation of NU students — including mine in 1964 — has faced intense academic pressure. This is appropriate for an institution like NU, which has consistently been ranked among the top 10 U.S. universities and colleges, according to U.S. News. Students on scholarships must devote much of their time to the craft that earns them a place at NU, be it a sport, the arts or academia. Many low- and middle-income students must also take part-time jobs to help finance their education at a school with an annual tuition tab of $60,000 and rising, as well as a total yearly cost of more than $80,000. NU can ease their pressure by increasing financial aid, which could be funded by the University’s adequate financial resources.

Non-Greek organizations embrace activities that range from performing arts to political protests. While they may enrich students’ lives, they can also drain students’ energies and place onerous demands on their time.

Before joining, students should ask themselves: Is sacrificing my personal time worth the benefit I might gain from sharing in a collective experience? If the answer is no, don’t do it. But because of the strong impact of imposter syndrome, NU students face a dilemma — they feel like they have to forfeit their personal time. But, being at an elite school like NU should be enough.

NU’s passion for perfection is reflected in the school’s slogan: “AND is in our DNA.” It’s time to adopt a healthier tagline: “Less is a lesson we learned.” I’m not advocating that NU foster a culture of slackers, but it should not push students to a breaking point and beyond. Studies are important, but students can still get a life while getting an education.

Hit the pause button when you’re not hitting the books. Stop trying to be “Everything Everywhere All At Once” — that only works in the movies. Consider doing less — you might find it can lead to a more rewarding and saner college experience.

Richard Reif is a Medill alum. He can be contacted at Dick.reif@gmail.com. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

The 2023 Chicago municipal elections are shaping up to be fascinating. The DSA-endorsed candidates will have a tough fight on their hands, but some of them have a good chance of making it to the runoff. While the election results are hard to predict, it’s essential to keep an eye on the various candidates and their respective campaigns, as these elections will significantly impact Chicago’s future.

Sterling Ortiz is a SESP fifth-year. You can contact him at sterlingortiz2022@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

The Daily Northwestern Volume 145, Issue 7

Editor in Chief Alex Perry

Opinion Editor Kadin Mills

Assistant Opinion Editors

Loretta David Yiming Fu

Managing Editors

Seeger Gray

Joanne Haner Angeli Mittal Olatunji OshoWilliams

Kara Peeler Nicole Tan

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR may be sent to 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, via fax at 847-491-9905, via e-mail to opinion@ dailynorthwestern.com or by dropping a letter in the box outside The Daily office.

Letters have the following requirements:

• Should be typed and double-spaced

• Should include the author’s name, signature, school, class and phone number.

• Should be fewer than 300 words They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar.

Letters, columns and cartoons contain the opinion of the authors, not Students Publishing Co. Inc. Submissions signed by more than three people must include at least one and no more than three names designated to represent the group.

Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily’s student editorial board and not the opinions of either Northwestern University or Students Publishing Co. Inc.