Complaints Department

THE LAYOUT IS SIMPLE: OFFICEMAX CHAIRS NESTLED behind Ikea desks topped with PCs. No cubicles. When I arrive in the morning, the phones are already ringing. I drop my bags and run to answer. Today the caller asks, “What’s an alderman?” It’s a strange question — they’ve got to know they’re calling an alderman’s office — but a surprisingly common one. I don’t imagine other professionals get these calls at their place of business: “Hello. What is a dentist?”

Before living in Chicago, I’d never heard the word “alderman.” I did a quick Google search. I found the definition — a member of a city council tasked with dealing with legislation — as well as five pages of Chicago-related links and a company