As the fourteen mayoral candidates geared up for the election of February 26, six others vied for the position of Alderman of the 43rd Ward. Democrats Derek Lindblom and current Alderman Michele Smith advanced to the runoff on April 2. Among the various debated issues, many Lincoln Park residents will be looking for how both candidates will pledge to uphold a significant ordinance; one agreed upon by Parker and its neighbors that ended an eight month period of opposition more than eight years ago.

On January 11, 2011, Parker announced plans to install stadium lights on the turf field, which would include four six-story light towers with lights on as early as 4:30 PM and as late as 9:00 PM for up to one hundred nights.

In response, Parker’s Lincoln Park West neighbors organized and launched a petition drive and website entitled “Francis Parker Neighbors” (FPN). Within two weeks, more than five hundred residents had signed, and by mid-February, all the aldermanic candidates for the 43rd ward had declared their opposition to stadium lighting, while nine buildings took official stances against Parker’s proposal.

After eight months of negotiations, Alderman Michele Smith conveneed a “community relations committee composed of Parker officials, residents from neighboring buildings, and Parker parents.” In 2012, they reached an agreement in the form of a City of Chicago ordinance that prohibits permanent lighting on Parker’s field.

Throughout the eight months, Parker and FPN argued over the necessity of lights and the impact on the surrounding residents and businesses. When asked why the lights are necessary, Parker responded that “lights are required because it is risky for youngsters to be playing in darkness,” though FPN countered this statement because “a quick fact check reveals that darkness is rarely, if ever, an issue in Parker’s regular schedule and that Parker and all of the other teams in its conference have been playing without them for decades.”

Weeks later, Parker changed its position to “lights are necessary because several new teams need practice time,” and that “there will be a new tier of nighttime play after the old schedule ends.”

Coach Mimi Chauhan, who was a freshmen at the time, had always supported the lights on the field. “I was for it because I was an athlete, and we should have had more of a discussion as a whole school with more student input,” Chauhan said. “If we could have had all the student athletes together to say we wouldn’t have full on night games, but if it’s February or March and we can play on the field, we would only need 45 more minutes to get the whole JV game in.”

Under the headline Everybody Plays, Principal Dan Frank provided information on Parker’s plan to expand the field’s use. “The school’s emphasis on the physical well-being of its students as well as the inclusive tradition of the athletic program has led to notably high use of the field, a level of use which the current field cannot safely support,” Frank said. “Parker’s facilities must be updated so that every student who chooses to can participate in programs. A field lighting system intended to allow Parker’s sports teams to play outside into the early evenings during the Fall and Spring athletic season.”

FPN weren’t convinced by Parker’s argument. “In an attempt to justify its stadium light project, Francis Parker has confirmed all the worst fears raised by its prior statements,” FPN said. “Parker launched a new PR Campaign–“Everybody Plays”–which attempted to put a friendly face on what is essentially a huge expansion of nighttime play at the gateway to Lincoln Park.”

Originally, the plan for the lights as outlined in FPN’s provided information, the stadium lights would be manually operated and used during March, April, October, and November. Lights were not expected for use in the morning and will always be turned off no later than 9 pm.

“Wrigley waited a century for night games and then got a handful,” FPN said. “Parker is taking an unlimited number.”

Another issue with the stadium lights was concern for traffic. According to the information in Everybody Plays, any light falling onto neighborhood property will be less than that produces by existing street lights, and the changes should not affect existing traffic or parking patterns.

FPN, however, countered this statement.“Parker makes the puzzling claim that because the lighting project will be focused on their students, there will be no new traffic problems. But won’t the new nighttime athletes have to be delivered and picked up from evening play, recreating the familiar morning and afternoon traffic jam?” FPN said. “Once this is no longer an after school event, will families attend practices? If there are games, who will come to watch them? What about the audience, opposing teams, and their spectators? Where will all of these people park?”

One complaint was Parker’s ironic lack of ‘civil-mindedness.’ “Parker’s response to its neighbors hardly hits the school’s rhetoric about the democratic process,” FPN said. “Parker apparently thinks it can steamroll over the neighborhood.”

Under the 2011 agreement, Parker cannot use temporary or mobile stadium lights. To change the ordinance, Parker would need to give six months’ notice to its neighbors and comply with a major amendment to its Planned Development, which would require hearing before the Plan Commission and the City Council Committee on Zoning.

In 2016, Caroline Vickrey challenged Alderman Michele Smith, and residents asked both about the positions on the Parker lights ordinance. As the Aldermanic runoff approaches, FPN hopes that Smith will uphold her position on stadium lights. “The ordinance and the community agreement was the result of fair and good faith negotiations among the neighbors and the Francis Parker community,” Smith said in 2016. “I wholeheartedly support them.”