To the Editor:

While I normally enjoy her witty and insightful musings, Alyssa Rosenberg set the wrong tone in her most recent column, “Shalek: Now comes the toughest work” (1/9). I will admit that I, like Rosenberg, believed Nick Shalek to be the less qualified candidate during the campaign. However, over the past two months I’ve had a good opportunity to get to know Nick a bit better, and I’ve been nothing but impressed.

Similar to his predecessors Rebecca Livengood and Ben Healey, Nick possesses something we see so rarely in our politicians: a reasonable streak. So far, he has been very thoughtful in his approach to dealing with charged situations, and he clearly recognizes the tremendous value of consensus. Like Rebecca and Ben, Nick prioritizes a politics of inclusiveness and open-mindedness and has quickly demonstrated that he brings positive traits to the Board that will indeed be of benefit to the whole.

I think you’ll find that Nick is more than prepared to do the hard work of being the Ward 1 alderman, and I rest assured that he’s ready to be part of the broader movement on the board to craft and implement a progressive city-wide agenda. I hope that in the coming months all those invested will recognize that they agree far more than they disagree, and that the hatchet will soon find itself buried.

Joe Jolly

Jan. 10, 2006

The writer is the Ward 14 alderman.