Jerry Sullivan is the real deal. A good Catholic from Chicago, Sullivan is often seen in his trademark hat (think Dick Tracy), uncovering the good and the bad in downtown LA as founder/publisher for the Garment and Citizen. His instincts are sharp and his timing perfect, as he brings real community issues to the public in a smart way. He talked with Zócalo on September 23rd, 2008, before moderating a discussion on The Garment Industry at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, a few blocks away from L.A.’s “Fashion District.”

Q: What’s your favorite word?
A: Qwertyuiop – it’s the top row of a typewriter, not really a word. This goes back a long way with a nephew who used to torture me a little bit by screwing up my typewriter.

Q: What inspires you?
A: Family.

Q: How would you describe yourself in five words or less?
A: Tough but fair.

Q: What is your greatest extravagance?
A: Books.

Q: If you could take only one more journey in your life, where would you go?
A: Mongolia.

Q: What would you like to be in your next life?
A: I’d be a baker – I’d bake breads.

Q: What is your fondest childhood memory?
A: Walking in the rain around the block with my father.

Q: Who is the one person, living or dead, that you’d love to have a beer with?
A: I would say John Paul II….but if i could have two, the other guy I’d want is Genghis Khan.

Q: What do you consider beautiful?
A: My wife.

*Photo by Aaron Salcido.