The tides of change never shift as quickly as one thinks they will when there is an impetus they have long awaited with either hope or fear. Regardless of the wind’s influence on the waves, it’s the moon and sun that determine the ebbs and flows, remaining predictable and intangible. Yet, some insignificant beings made of only skin and bones believe there are ways to impact events and existences so much bigger than them simply by raising their voices, by casting a vote. As if they are more powerful than the predetermined orbit of the planets and their stars. While others tried to levee the sea, I waited on the shore, knowing the outcome would be the same for all of us despite discrepant effort. If I was in any other business, perhaps I would have been pleased that Anton Cermak was elected mayor of Chicago. But I wasn’t, and his hulking victory against incumbent Big Bill Thompson was proof positive that I was swimming against the current, headfirst into waves of people who wanted change and believed Cermak would move heaven and Earth to deliver it.

While I wasn’t convinced Cermak would make good on his campaign promises, I didn’t want to see him try. The Democrat wanted to clean up the streets and put a pin in organized crime, something Thompson had never been willing to do. It was common knowledge that the former mayor was in bed with Capone, and as corrupt as he was, his willingness to turn the other cheek was a kiss to every guy working the undertow and padding our pockets with pirate treasure. The last thing the hustlers needed was an idealist selling dreams to an increasingly desperate population of people who were ready to rally behind anyone offering relief. Cermak was the remedy, an immigrant like the rest of us, who faced challenges and remained afloat. He was a buoy to hold onto in the choppy waters of the time, who vowed to keep our heads above the breaks. The problem was that Cermak’s intention to end Prohibition would most certainly have sunk me. As soon as alcohol was easy and available, I was out of a job. There would be no need for bar owners to rely on a middleman when they could order directly from the source.

Luckily, Cermak was only human, and he was facing a force of nature in Capone, dealing with a drought of money, and entering a temperamental political climate. One man backed by a sea of screaming supporters could not change the landscape of the city by the lake or the trajectory of the country as a whole. I refused to brace myself for his impact because I doubted there would be any. Like the rest of the government, it was a matter of time before Cermak would prove himself static and find himself treading water rather than walking on it.