An invitation from JohnKassNews.com!
February 4, 2023
Dear Chicago Mayoral Candidate:
You’re invited!
With just under a month before Election Day, it’s never been more critical for you to get your message to the voters. I am inviting you to do just that, by writing a guest column for my website, johnkassnews.com, where you will have up to 800 words to say your piece.
Since leaving the Chicago Tribune I have built an online audience of subscribers, from all corners of Chicagoland and across the United States, who care about what happens to our city. They are engaged, tuned in, and eager to know what the candidates stand for.
I am offering this opportunity to all nine mayoral candidates. I hope you’ll take me up on it. Here are the guidelines:
- Write an essay telling voters why you should be mayor, or explaining your ideas about solving Chicago’s problems, or focusing on one issue you believe is most important. Do this in about 850 words or less, which is standard newspaper column length.
- Send the column to john@johnkassnews.com by 15 February 2023. In the subject line of your email, type “Column Submission.”
- I will decide the order of publication. Your column will be published without editing or commentary.
- All guest columns by candidates will be published before Election Day on johnkassnews.com.
Thank you, and God bless Chicago.
John Kass
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Comments 22
That certainly seems like a reasonable offer to candidates, notwithstanding who writes their stuff for them.
At any event, you are giving them an unusual opportunity.
It will be revealing, at least.
I would like your stance on “Sanctuary” for city, county and state. And most important the Chicago Police Dept. People, citizens need reforming not the police. The Department needs a lot of tweeking but not more inhibiting rules on enforcing the law. Tackle that and succeed and the city could be turned around.
Christine, you are correct. The crime problems ruining our city are not seated in the Police Department, but rather are the result of the policies of our politicians (no matter how well intended) that have destroyed the nuclear families of our poorest citizens.
I would simply like to see honesty in a column from any Chicago mayoral candidate. “A once great city with many friendly, kind people has been turned into a dystopian nightmare.” Prove me wrong.
Great idea!
Based upon their statements in the 90 minute debate, I am not certain any of the candidates can string 800 comprehensible words together. They all failed to demonstrate the leadership skills and vision for the strategic direction Chicago should take to restore our great city. It will be very interesting to see if their speech writers will take you up on your generous offer.
Great idea, IF you think they’re literate enough to actually write such an article. Doubtful.
I thought that at first also. But, their publicists will do the writing. The trick would be to get a candidate on camera immediately and have them expand on whatever was submitted on their behalf
Every Chicago area news outlet should be required to carry their submissions (without edits) daily until the election.
And all Chicago region video outlets should be required to air a series of at least three debates with professional moderators (i.e. not media partisans).
I hope all the mayoral candidates take you up on this essay opportunity. Let’s see who has the guts to do so.
Any city, county, or state that reelects Kim Foxx, Pritzker, Preckwinkle, and maybe Lightfoot too, gets what it deserves.
Why do the black politicians seem to care less about the safety of their constituencies than even the Daley’s, who you know didn’t give a fig unless it hurt them politically. How can the voters let this city and county descend into hell as it has?
John, Ive said it before, but ill. Say it again. There’s absolutely no reason to vote for any incumbent for ANY office in Illinois, Democrat or Republican.
The local and national Democrats are so corrupt that they need to lose if big for the next few election cycles, and then they will “discover” that they actually need to enact some of the populist policies that 3/5 of the voters actually want i stead of just doing the bidding of the corporations and their donors.
We desperately need term limits, public financing of campaigns, an end to lobbyists, PACS, regular, transparent independent audits, strict ethics rules, with draconian penalties for violation.
If there’s little money in elected office then most of the grifters will stay away, or at least that’s what I believe.
You have a lot of good things to say.
I struggle with how I would begin to help make the changes you speak of.
Raymond, the good thing about Vallas is that he’s pushing 70, and appears to really want to make a difference, we can hope he does. He’s not looking to make this a lifetime thing. He could make substantive changes in two terms and then retire a hero.
Let’s hope he can put a serious dent in crime and stop the tax increases. With the bully pulpit of the mayoralty, he could make the whole state better.
Term limits? etc., etc., etc.?
From the grifters in charge? Not a chance.
We need a new Constitutional Convention. Who’s working on making that happen?
All is not lost. All it takes is a few honest folks t win public office and push for true change.
Nice touch Yianni!! Let the games begin! We’ll see who’s got the guts to put himself out there without cameras!!!
Excellent offer John. I hope they take you up on it. I’m certain Paul Vallas will. I’m equally certain that the current Mayor will not. I’ve been wrong before. Prove me wrong Mayor Lightweight.
The only candidate with the character and message to take up the John Kass Challenge will be Paul Vallas. The others will be dependant up robots-trolls and the stooge media (WTTW/SUN TIMES/WBEZ & etc.) to spew their views.
John, great to see you back, alive and kicking! What you propose is a great exercise in democracy, an opportunity to tell Chicago voters exactly what they want to hear. Crime? I’ll stop it. Bad schools? I’ll fix it. Taxes? I’ll ban ’em! You want a unicorn for your birthday? Done! What else do you want? In addition to the usual virtue signal posturing, ie “I oppose: Islamophobia,
LBGDQ phobia, pro lifers, guns, police, Republicans, insurrectionists, Trump, blah, blah, blah. All my cynicism aside, we can be sure the most qualified of the lot is Vallas although I wouldn’t mind Wilson winning. He may not have the college degrees the others wave around but he has three things they don’t have , common sense, a business sense and most of all a genuine heart. If either guy can dislodge the worst mayor in the history of Chicago they would be welcome. The rest are all parasites living off of the public nipple. None could make a living in the private sector if it wasn’t for clout and affirmative action hiring policies. The rapid decline of Chicago will continue if any of these political hacks and wanna be’s should win. Let’s hope Vallas or Wilson gets The Great Destroyer out. All being said it’ll be interesting to see the response to your letter. Once again, from a subscriber. great to have you back and best wishes for your health to you and your family. I might be pushing a little hard now but its been a while since we’ve had a Golden Moutza column. How about one for old times sake? Adios John, take care.
First of all having had a quad bypass myself try drinking pineapple juice it cuts down on the coughing and having to hug your heart pillow. A respiratory tech told me that, and it really works. Second why not ask all of the mayoral candidates to disclose their tax positions for the future of Chicago. Brandon is the only one that came out and said what he would do, city income tax on residents and commuters, and a securities transaction tax. I am not in favor of him. Just saying he is the only candidate to lay his cards on the table.
If you get more than Wislon and Valles, I’ll be surprised.
I think many of us already know the outcome of this timely and extraordinary offer.
Politics, especially here in the Land of Lincoln, has become an extreme blood sport.
The reason?
Opposition research. That’s right. Political opponents are interested in debates or writing a thoughtful essay for johnkassnews.com. Nope. They want to know about the skeletons and the high school hijinx that will bring their political opponents down.
I know of what I speak. I worked for a campaign some years ago and we got information that a candidate for governor had been caught in a very compromising situation and his politically powerful father-in-law had to bring in the cleaning team.
The tenor of politics in this country is beyond rotten and in a state of decay.
Nobody wants to serve because they want to “help”. They run for public office because they got a speeding ticket or their kid got a detention.
And as they seek their political office, they actually think that they are impervious to the jackals nipping at their flesh.
That is their flaw. That is their weakness. Opposition research wins again.