Saturday, April 13, 2019

Ald. Pawar Talks About Aldermanic Transition In The 47th Ward

Alderman-elect Matt Martin
with Alderman Ameya Pawar
Ald. Pawar posted on Facebook on April 12th:

"Dear Neighbor,

As you can imagine, the result from the election was not what I had hoped for. I fought hard, creating a platform around ideas big enough to match our current and future financial challenges. At the end of the day I came up short on this one, but I believe strongly in pushing hard and fast on these most pressing issues of social and economic justice.

I’m proud that I had the opportunity to bring issues like a public bank, moral investing, and universal basic income into the mainstream conversation. I’ve never been scared to go big and coming up short on this one won’t stop me from continuing to be an advocate for economic and social justice, most especially the work to build a coalition which transcends race, class, and geography.

I will be rooting for Treasurer-Elect Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot, and Alderman-Elect Matt Martin. In fact, Matt joined me at last night’s Ward Night to kick-off the transition process. And I am serving on Mayor-Elect Lightfoot’s transition committee for government reform. The people voted and now we must work together for the greater good.

Over the next five weeks, my team will be meeting with Matt’s team to provide insight into major capital projects, the aldermanic menu, ongoing service issues, and zoning matters. I will do everything in my power to setup Matt’s administration for success. This is my promise to you and Matt. After all, he is going to be my alderman in a few weeks!

What’s next? I don’t know yet. I still have some work to complete in the ward before I leave office on May 17. And after? I’ve been…I should say we (Charna and I) have been living the lifestyle of public service non-stop for the last 10 years. We got married and moved to our place over four years ago and have yet to hang a picture on our wall or take a real break. So my plan in the near term is to catch up on all the things we put on hold and spend time with family.

Prior to leaving office, we will host a community ward night/open house, an ‘exit interview’ town hall, and I want to leave office the same way I came in: I will be knocking on doors but this time to say thank you.

Thank you so much for giving me a chance eight years ago. Serving you has been one of the great honors of my life. In my final few weeks, I will keep you updated on the transition and provide some highlights of what we’ve accomplished together. As the days get warmer, I look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood.

Thank you for allowing me to go big. Thank you for your unwavering support.

With love and gratitude,

Ameya"

Matt Martin will begin his term as alderman of the 47th Ward on May 20th.

1 comment:

  1. "(W)ork to build a coalition which transcends race, class, and geography."

    In Chicago? Good luck.

    ReplyDelete