Missed the Shore

Bopping along to my Best of 2005 mix on the way to catch the El this morning, I politely declined somebody handing out political flyers by the Bryn Mawr entrance. It wasn't until I was halfway up the stairs to the platform that her introduction had registered through the batter of my musical biscuits. "Hi, I'm Debra Shore!" "No thanks," I had mumbled as I walked into the station. But wait...Debra Shore?! Wasn't there an article about her in the Chicago Reader a couple months back? Didn't Cathy tell me more about her? And, in fact it was her.

Shore is running for office, one of those offices that you usually don't give much thought about (if you're like me, you find an organization you trust who has already vetted the qualifications of such mystery candidates and offers their recommendations-- this is particularly useful when it comes to judges) but one that's incredibly important nonetheless. She's running for the office of Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water District (or MWRD, which I've heard my fair share about through Cathy) and she deserves your vote. You can read more about her here. Here's a little taste of what makes her so worthy from her campaign site:

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is a vitally important and altogether overlooked public agency. With an annual budget of more than $800 million and as owner of more than 7,000 acres in the region, it deserves more scrutiny. Its responsibility to treat wastewater and to manage storm water for the five million residents and many industries in Cook County makes it an essential contributor to our quality of life.

Yet few people know what the agency does and it has virtually no benchmarks with which to measure performance. With your help I intend to bring environmental accountability and leadership into the MWRD. I believe we cannot be merely users and abusers of natural resources but must become caring stewards.