Marianne Lalonde is Running for Alderperson in Chicago’s 46th Ward
Environmental Scientist & 2019 Runner-Up Wants Your Vote in 2023
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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 collective would display its stunning ground game — Lalonde would garner 4,560 new votes — falling just 25 short of the ward’s veteran alderman James Cappleman.
Marianne will have new ground to cover with the 46th Ward’s new southwestern bump on the opposite side of Graceland Cemetary and Arboretum. In 2023, her path to victory cleared a bit as James Cappleman decided to retire. But Cappleman’s absence should not suggest that Marianne’s decision to run again was simple.
“Honestly, I waffled a bit… I had to ask myself if I wanted to run again. It’s taxing on the candidate in a lot of ways. It’s emotionally taxing, a financial burden, and it can negatively impact your relationship with your family and friends because you are not as available as you normally would be.”…
