Religion in politics

Candidates often touted church or synagogue membership to increase their appeal to certain segments of the electorate. Most were merely paper members of their congregations, but voters had no way of knowing that. Some, though, were more involved and earned more serious attention from voters who held strong religious beliefs.

Ald. Francis Lawler (15th) was a Catholic priest. Ald. Archibald Carey (3rd) was a Protestant pastor. Ald. Solomon Gutstein (40th) was a rabbi. Ann Seng, the leader of the Independent Precinct Organization (IPO) in 1971, was a nun.

State Rep. Woody Bowman served as a deacon at his Baptist Church in Rogers Park. Jim Masini, head of IVI-IPO, and Independent candidate for 44th Ward Alderman in 1983, attended mass at St. Sebastian Catholic Church, in Lakeview, and was later employed by the Chicago Archdiocese. Ald. Marion Volini (48th) , and many of her inner circle, were regulars at St. Ita’s Catholic Church, in Edgewater. For them, religion was an integral part of their lives.