Page 31 - October 2018 FOP Magazine

Three for all
Three for all
Building the confidence of votes for the aldermen who unequivocally support Chicago Police Officers
Anthony Napolitano 41st Ward
■ MITCHELL KRUGEL
Three of 50. Six percent.
As a trio of Chicago aldermen who represent what Chicago Lodge 7 mem- bers need to keep on policing the way that makes the City safe – and to keep the faith – Anthony Napolitano, Ariel Reboyras and Nicholas Sposato have become the preeminent voice of cop- pers in the city council. Or at least the loudest, most outspoken and relentless voices in the 50-member council advo- cating for the police and the FOP.
These three musketeers stand out in front of a small band of aldermen who support the police and the union with demonstrative acts and subtle gestures. They are three wise men when it comes to explaining why civilian oversight is not needed, and why the City should do some real investigating before handing out millions of dollars to “victims” who claim unlawful use of force.
“I don’t think most of them give a rat’s ass about supporting police,” ex- claims Sposato in the not-afraid-to- say-what-he-thinks candor that makes him so popular in the 38th ward and throughout the City. “Some claim to be supporters of police, but that tends to be more privately.”
In his first term representing the 41st ward on the Northwest side, Napoli- tano, who served as a Chicago Police Officer for five years, has realized a hyp- ocritical reluctance among much of the other 94 percent of the council.
“A lot of people down there want to support the police, but for election purposes they have to pander,” he ex- plains. “What pisses me off is that the
Ariel Reboyras 30th Ward
ones who are pandering are the ones constantly begging for more police. You can’t have it both ways.”
Three stand-up aldermen are each facing challenges of varying degrees of difficulty in the February 2019 election. The ensuing pages spotlight each of these unconditional police supporters individually and note in detail why Chi- cago Lodge 7 members must come out to vote for their re-election.
All three are longtime city servants. Sposato served as a Chicago firefighter for 18 years. Reboyras, from the 30th ward, used to drive a truck for the City. Their wards are filled with first respond- ers, and they represent their commu- nities with an agenda that prioritizes what is best for the neighborhood over what’s best for the city council. And they have become allies for Chicago Lodge 7 at a time when members truly need people who have their backs.
“They’ve always supported law en- forcement and a fair criminal justice system,” notes Marty Preib, Lodge 7’s second vice president and its news and information sage. “They’re very down to earth, articulate and willing to listen. They’re the kind of aldermen the city needs.”
They were the aldermen who decid- ed to investigate the facts of the Engle- wood Four case and incited arguments in the council rather than just rub- ber-stamping the $31 million settle- ment the City offered in that case. Spo- sato and Napolitano showed up at the trial of the woman who spit on a Chica- go Police Officer during a May demon- stration, and they each contributed to the GoFundMe campaign on behalf of
Nicholas Sposato 38th Ward
Officer Robert Rialmo.
As chair of the City Council Public
Safety Committee, Reboyras has called for detailed discovery and discussion of civilian police oversight plans despite considerable public pressure from the Grassroots Association of Police Ac- countability and other public advocacy efforts.
“They see the civilian oversight movement for what it is – an attack on the criminal justice system that will cost taxpayers a lot of money and di- minish public safety,” Preib continues. “They run their wards well, and they re- spond to the people in the community.”
Between the three of them, they in- terface with Lodge 7 leaders and mem- bers up to 20 times per week. So now is the time for all good FOP members to come to the aid of their aldermen.
Napolitano faces a challenge in Feb- ruary from a candidate who started running the day after the 2015 election. Sposato just recently has been chal- lenged by a candidate who had been a friend for 20 years. Reboyras is running against the daughter of retiring Con- gressman Luis Gutierrez.
“Political minds are praying and knowing that first responders don’t really go out and vote as much as we need to,” Napolitano states. “We have to change that. We have to show how strong we are.”
These three wise men are counting on first responders to come out and vote and to get out the vote. Turn the page to read all about why members can have confidence in voting for them. d
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2018 31