Chicago firefighter Nicholas Sposato worked his last shift at his northwest side firehouse Tuesday.
Soon, he'll enter the ranks of City Hall. A firefighter for 18 years, Sposato won an upset election to become the city's 36th Ward alderman
"This is a great job, one of the best jobs, I work with some of the greatest guys you could ever want to work with," Sposato said of his firehouse.
Not many expected him to win his political fight.
Sposato ran against Ald. John Rice, who was the hand-picked successor of longtime Ald. William J.P. Banks.
Sposato credits his fellow firefighters,
"I believe one of the main reasons I'm elected is because I am a fireman. Guys that came out and worked and helped me, you name it, they did it for me," he said.
One person who didn't support his campaign was Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, but Sposato said he's ready to move past the election.
"We've had conversations. There's no hard feelings. I'm not going to be any bit disruptive to him but by no means am I going to be a rubber stamp, " he said.
As a former firefighter, Sposato said he'll be very understanding of city workers' issues once inside City Hall, but won't stand in the way of needed change.
"We have to take everything step by step, and take a good close look at everything," he said.
He admits that his new title will take some time to get used to.
"I keep telling everybody just call me Nick, It's a weird feeling. People treat you different," he said. And he acknowledged the new high-profile job will come with more scrutiny,.
"If I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do, then I'm open to hearing about it."
