All Jerry Pritikin wants for his 75th birthday on Jan. 18, is for his senior citizen’s building at 150 W. Maple St. to remain in the 43rd Ward.

“We’re being farmed out to the 27th (Ward),” said Pritikin. “I’d like somebody to fight to keep the building.”

Pritikin is one of a whole lot of Chicagoans unhappy with the city’s ward remapping. And that “somebody” he’s referring to is 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith.

During the last aldermanic election (which was mighty heated and close in 43 if you recall), Pritikin helped put together an aldermanic debate at his senior’s residence and appeared in two of Smith’s mailings. He said he and other seniors in the building fought diligently to help Smith win the election.

Now he wants her to fight for them.

“People in this building really came out for Michele,” said Pritikin, who recently received a call from Smith’s office asking him to rally residents to back a map leaving them in no-man’s-land. “She knew how hard we worked … it was a labor of love.

“It’s the senior citizens being pawned off,” said Pritikin. “It’s really a kick in the face.”

I consider Pritikin to be a pretty hip guy, not some grouchy old dude who complains about everything. And I like 27th Ward Ald. Walter Burnett, but Pritikin, he says not so much. Pritikin said his building used to be in 27 and, “The best thing that ever happened was when we were put into 43.”

Seems Ald. Burnett threw a rock ’n’ roll street party once and at 10:30 p.m., even though the crowds were gone, the music was still blaring, “showing me he didn’t care about the seniors building,” said Pritikin. When he was in 27, he said garbage collection was lousy and dozens of cab drivers used to park free for 25 to 45 minutes every day while buying goodies from a food truck on Oak Street. Pritikin said he called and emailed Burnett “many times” about that, and received no response.

“To wind up in his ward when I know this is the kind of guy he is, is not my cup of tea,” said Pritikin.

“Who draws up these things?” he asked. “Don’t the people have any input?”

I’m not really sure how much power the people have. But when I met Ald. Smith for breakfast last week at Nookie’s — before I had heard from Pritikin — she said aldermen do have input. I hope she’ll give Pritikin a call.

The remap has taken the focus off of other ward issues, Smith said. We discussed several, including Children’s Memorial Hospital’s redevelopment, where the planning process is moving forward; Lincoln Elementary School’s overcrowding; St. Clement kids visiting her and being shown memorabilia including a catcher’s mask passed down from alderman to alderman, “Protecting you from stuff coming in”; Healthy Fare for Kids, a commitment by ward restaurants to make healthy options for kids, the idea of 43rd Ward resident Diane Schmidt, who’s working with Chef Sarah Stegner; refreshing Goudy Park; a pedestrian and bike safety plan; the Lincoln Park Hospital site, and more.

Smith said her greatest challenge has been neighborhood diplomacy, trying to diffuse community tensions and get people to see each other’s point of view.

“I love my job,” said Smith. “It’s a profession where I can make a difference in someone else’s life, an opportunity to really make a difference on all levels.

“I think I’m getting good reviews,” she said. “I hope I am.”

From what I hear, it’s so far so good. But if 150 W. Maple St.’s future is not included in the 43rd Ward, you can be sure that’s going to change.