January 14th, 2007

Jerry Gabrielatos graduated with honors in Political Science and History. Born and raised in Chicago, Jerry studied the politics of reform movements, both successful and not so successful, in his native city before returning to work in politics after graduation. He is a Constituent Service Specialist for City Council Member Manny Flores, the youngest Ward leader in Chicago, and--as Jerry relates--one of the Good Guys whose efforts he studied back at Tulane. His duties are more broad than his title would suggest. As Alderman Flores' website relates, "Mr. Gabrielatos serves as the Aldermanic Liason to the 13th, 14th and 19th police districts as well as the Chicago Department of Transportation. In addition to that, he also handles issues related to parking tickets, subsidized housing,  the environment  and public waterway issues. His work also includes updating our website, office technology and legislative initiatives." Jerry recently answered some questions about his path from Tulane back to Chicago. Here is that exchange:

Manny's one of the good guys, yes?

Manny IS one of the good guys. He does a great job at balancing the interests of a diverse ward, in all senses of the word.

Tell me about your position with Alderman Flores.

My position is a hybrid of constituent casework, managing various issues that arise in the ward and developing legislative initiatives. Regrettably, I spend the least time on the latter than the former two.

What’s a normal day like at your job?

There are no normal days and rarely do things go as planned. During the same day this week, I sat down a table of neighbors angry about truck traffic at a local bakery and another table with the head of the CTA and other aldermen.

How did you get this job? What was your path from Tulane to Chicago politics?

The Chicago way. That is, I started as a precinct captain and worked my tail off. I've knocked on a lot of doors in Chicago winters, established relationships and the Alderman asked me to join his staff. Voila.

How did your political science degree prepare you for life after college?

Studying political science endowed me with three important skills: analytical thinking, learning how to write and articulating arguments. In my work, I am assigned an issue. After research, I draw up talking  points and present on the Alderman's behalf, always thinking, "I want  my audience to think that Manny hired someone brilliant. And on Election Day, I'm often citing numbers from classes at Tulane as to who we'll be able to get to vote for us.

If you could go back and do it again, would you have done anything  differently while at Tulane?

My experience at Tulane oscillated between extremes of too much fun along Magazine Street the first two years and too much of Howard Tilton during the last two. Finding the balance is key.

Any advice for today's Tulane undergraduates interested in a job in politics?