Residents should not have to wait months for basic services, as I have experienced in the 39th Ward on Chicago’s Far Northwest Side. Those basics matter. Residents should not have to repeatedly report the same pothole because a temporary repair failed, wait month after month for a dangerous tree to be trimmed, live with a broken sidewalk indefinitely, or spend months waiting for a damaged or missing garbage cart to be replaced.
These may sound like small issues in comparison to the city’s multibillion-dollar budget, but they are how most residents experience government every day.
Potholes are a good example. Filling a pothole matters to the person who drives over it every day, but repeatedly filling the same hole without addressing the underlying street condition is not an effective use of taxpayer dollars. If a resident has reported the same pothole several times over several months, the question should no longer be: Has a 311 request been entered? It should be: Why does this keep happening, and what will permanently fix it?
An aldermanic office should know which streets generate recurring complaints, whether resurfacing is needed and how those streets are being prioritized for capital improvements.
The same standard should apply to replacing garbage carts. If a resident reports a damaged, missing or unusable city garbage cart, waiting months for a replacement should not be considered acceptable service. Garbage collection is one of the most basic functions of municipal government. When something as routine as getting a replacement cart becomes a monthslong process, the question should not simply be whether a service request number exists. The question should be: Why has the request not been completed, and who is accountable for resolving it?
Sidewalks and trees matter as well. Broken and uneven sidewalks are more than an appearance issue. They affect seniors, people with disabilities, children, pedestrians and parents pushing strollers. Dangerous or overgrown trees can threaten homes, cars, pedestrians and utility lines. Residents should not have to report the same problem year after year. Aldermanic offices should track sidewalk conditions and tree-trimming backlogs, identify hazards and work with city departments to get problems resolved before they become emergencies.
Public safety should be just as important. An alderman does not command the Chicago Police Department, but that does not make crime somebody else’s responsibility. Aldermen should know what is happening in the neighborhoods they represent, communicate regularly with police district leadership, and make sure residents’ concerns about shootings, robberies, burglaries, car thefts and other crimes are reaching the appropriate people.
Residents should feel that someone is paying attention when crime patterns begin affecting their neighborhood. Aldermanic offices should be asking whether police resources are appropriately focused, whether streetlights or abandoned properties are contributing to safety concerns, whether residents and businesses are receiving timely information and whether repeated problems are actually being addressed. Public safety also means supporting responsible policing, accountability and prevention strategies that protect residents while maintaining community trust.
The larger problem is that too much government performance can become centered on activity instead of results. Opening a 311 request is activity. Resolving the problem is the result. Holding a meeting is activity. Fixing the recurring problem discussed at the meeting is the result. Announcing a program is activity. Demonstrating that conditions improved is the result.
That is why every aldermanic office should maintain a simple ward performance dashboard. Residents should be able to see how many potholes remain outstanding, how many are locations of recurrence, how long residents are waiting for replacement garbage carts, which sidewalks need repairs, where tree-trimming requests remain unresolved, where streetlights are out, which infrastructure projects are underway and what major public safety concerns are affecting the ward.
The dashboard does not need to be complicated. The point is accountability. How many requests came in? How many were resolved? How long did resolution take? Which problems repeatedly return? Which city departments are experiencing the longest delays?
At the same time, aldermen cannot become merely customer service representatives. They are legislators. They should scrutinize budgets, question department heads, examine contracts, evaluate development proposals and understand the long-term consequences of their votes. Residents should expect them to understand those issues and explain the reasoning behind consequential decisions.
Good representation also requires balancing neighborhood interests with the interests of Chicago as a whole. An alderman should advocate vigorously for the ward while recognizing that decisions about taxes, development, transportation, public safety and city finances affect millions of residents.
Ultimately, Chicagoans should be able to judge their alderman using two straightforward questions: Are they effectively representing us at City Hall? And is our neighborhood getting better? Those are not minor issues. They are among the most visible tests of whether local government is working.
Chicago residents should not have to become experts at navigating City Hall simply to receive the basic services their taxes already pay for.
Vince Fattore lives on Chicago’s Far Northwest Side.
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