The audience at the second mayoral debate held at Pipers Banquets in Aurora included a good number of folks running for local offices. And there likely will be more at the Feb. 6 forum at Eola Community Center, as residents are invited to a 6:30 p.m. meet-and-greet with candidates for school boards, City Council and other offices before the mayoral contenders take the stage a half-hour later.
One of the most interesting attendees of that recent debate, however, was a young man not even on the ballot — although it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Alex Perez’s name was tossed earlier this month after a Kane County judge upheld an East Side resident’s objection to his nominating papers.
Which is a shame. While the older candidates running for local office may have a lot more experience than 25-year-old Perez, few could exceed his exuberance for public service. And it’s that lack of enthusiasm from the younger generation that has some experts concerned. Even as this most educated generation in the history of this country is struggling with student debt and high levels of under- and unemployment, voter turnout among millennials in the 2016 election was down considerably, as were their enthusiasm and support.
These youngsters could be turned off by the paralyzed and partisan political system, of course. Or we parents could shoulder some of the blame for simply making life too easy for them. But that’s certainly not the case with Perez. He came from a single-parent home that included family criminals and gun violence. And he readily admits to dealing marijuana and gang-banging as a teen, until he got involved in a youth mentoring program that not only turned his life around but brought honors his way for giving back to the community in ways big and small.
Perez was at last week’s debate in a professional rather than political capacity. A graduate of the Columbia School of Broadcasting, he’s director of the city’s public access television station, which put him behind the camera and up close to the dais where the four mayoral candidates — state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia; Rick Guzman, assistant chief of staff in the mayor’s office; Ald. Richard Irvin; and Ald. Mike Saville — fielded questions from the audience.
I caught up with Perez after the forum to say hello. I had written a column in 2015 about the way he’s changed his path in life and not only wanted to ask about his unsuccessful first attempt at public office but also offer encouragement. Instead of looking for ways to thwart the ambitions of these young residents, we need to look for ways to harness their spirit and help it spread.
Perez assured me, as painful and disappointing as it was, he’s not about to let this experience keep him from trying again. Which came as no surprise. Being a greenhorn when he jumped into the race, he added, led to his rookie error: The announcement at his church asking for registered voters to sign his ballot petition ended up drawing some names of those who were not registered to vote.
The young man also took hits when it was made public he’d pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Perez, who says the charge stemmed from a police raid on a house he shared with his parents, knew it “would come out at some point” in the campaign. And, while it hurt like heck when it did, he insists now he’s glad.
“I did not want that to hold me back from running for office, so getting the information out there was liberating,” he said. “If that’s the worst thing that’s out there about me, then I can handle it.”
Perez calls his first dive into politics “an eye-opener” because it gave him a taste of internet trolls and haters and how dirty politics can get.
“People tried to warn me,” he said. “But I didn’t believe it until I put myself out there.”
Like many of us, Perez couldn’t help but notice the sea of gray in the debate audience. As much as anything, he wants to help mobilize the younger generation to register to vote and become more involved in the community. Last April, for example, he organized some of his fellow East High graduates who’ve found success in life to speak to current students through a “Tomcats Talk” series that is scheduled again for this spring.
Perez insists he’s not looking for a handout when it comes to his ambitions, nor is he necessarily looking for mentoring, despite his rookie gaffes. And, while the young man is considering a move to Chicago at some point to gain big-city experience, he is adamant he’ll return — “I love my job and Aurora,” he said — in time to make another school board run in 2019.
“I’m watching, and I’m learning,” he said of the political forums he’s filming. “I have front-row access to all of it — and that’s not a bad position to be in.”
