A Word with the Alderman

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of Hawken’s proudest alums. Claiming that he was, “pleased as punch” to be back on the campus he once called high school, Mr. William Burns '91, accompanied by his mother, shared with me his insights on a number of topics.

Mr. Burns is currently serving his first term as the Alderman of the Fourth Ward in Chicago, Illinois. Being a Clevelander used to the government system we use here, the term “Alderman” was foreign to me. But this title is nothing to be underestimated. It turns out that an Alderman is responsible for virtually everything in his or her constituency. Based on the last census, Mr. Burns told me that the 4th Ward is home to roughly 60,000 people who populate the areas from 26th Street in the North to 53rd Street in the South. Just seven miles from Downtown Chicago, Mr. Will Burns needs to make sure that aspects of the community such as education, the police and fire departments, parks and recreation, and even seemingly little things like building code violations are operating smoothly.

I asked the Alderman what his foremost goals as a politician are. This question launched us into a conversation about Mr. Burns’ personal life meaning: public service. He fervently expressed his objective to continue to build a community that people can live and invest in. He also wants to invest in quality public schools so that families can confidently seek alternatives to private schools. In order to better serve the Fourth Ward community, Mr. Burns also wants to continue to protect affordable housing and develop new retail and business options.

All I could think was, “wow.” To run virtually all aspects of a 60,000 member community is a task that must be hard to handle. Then the question came up, “Why go into public service, anyway?” I learned that Mr. Burns’ father was a police officer and his mother a social worker. So, one could say that a career in public service was in his blood. Being surrounded by parents who served the community instilled a certain responsibility in him. Will also gave credit to a revelation he had made while attending Hawken. Being at Hawken, we sometimes forget how lucky we are to have such an experience. Mr. Burns realized this, and spent time wondering what made Hawken School different from Cleveland area public schools like East Tech. That was when Will Burns made the decision to give back to the community; which he has been doing in the Chicago area since his time at the University of Chicago. This issue of service then branched into a discussion concerning the latest holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. day.

“What do you think MLK’s message was?” I asked. According to the Alderman, King’s message was to offer another way possible for us to coexist. King’s words were a “call to action for all of us to make the world a better place,” he admitted. This specific way “favors love over hate and hope over fear.” Mr. Burns then let me in on a motto of his; that public service gives life meaning. As a politician, public service has put himself in a situation where the world does not revolve around him. He advised me that if we want to change the world, then serve. It’s that simple. Volunteering time at non-profit organizations, mentoring young children, or making an effort to protect the environment are few of many ways we can serve our world. King said so himself that, “everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”