Marianne Lalonde is Running for Alderperson in Chicago’s 46th Ward
Environmental Scientist & 2019 Runner-Up Wants Your Vote in 2023
When I speak with Marianne Lalonde on Friday, January 6th, the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve native is suiting up. Not just to run for office but to walk her dog. Both efforts require a standard yet time-consuming Chicago practice: layering. With chemistry degrees from Case Western Reserve and Northwestern Universities, it should not surprise anyone that Lalonde has found the formula to solve the winter chill of running for an alderperson in Chicago.
“When I ran in 2019 it was the Polar Vortex year and I would wear a pair of thermal leggings, jeans, thermal undershirt, a regular t-shirt, a sweatshirt, two pairs of wool socks, hand warmers, a down parka, fingerless gloves underneath wool mittens… You also need to carry an external charger because your phone battery will die immediately. Earwarmers. Scarf. I think that’s it.” — Marianne Lalonde
It was this formula that Lalonde’s 2019 campaign garnered 18.1% of the initial vote — enough to qualify for the runoff. And it would be in that runoff where the…
