Ward organization endorsements mean very little in the 12th ward. The current alderman, Heitert, has a long record of working well with other elected officials, even as the only elected republican in the city.

Seems to me that it was Heitert who put together a group of republicans who endorsed Tom Villa, the democrat, for citywide office twice.

Forget (D) and (R) after the name and political organization endorsements. Neighborhood groups replaced the need for political clubs long ago.

At the ward level, the alderman either delivers or not. And when the time comes that Heitert no longer listens to the voters and is not active in our neighborhood organizations, he too will be gone. But until then, I would expect voters to opt for his record of performance over the opponents without records.

The interesting question will be who the 12th Ward Democrats endorse in the April general election. Will they go with Republican friend Fred Heitert or will they automatically endorse Jim Pree as he is a Democrat?