June 4, 2003
DALEY CREATES "FEUDAL" DEMOCRATIC HIERARCHY
ANALYSIS & OPINION BY RUSS STEWART
Being a Democratic ward committeeman in Chicago, at best, means you have a pleasantly honorific title and, at worst, is a pain in the butt.
But being an unofficial committeeman of Chicago's unofficial Richard Daley Party is a rare and much-coveted sinecure, which bestows upon the occupant much clout and insider glory. The Daley Party, consisting of the mayor and a handful of City Hall insiders and longtime political allies, controls city and county government. As such, it doles out services and capital improvements to the city's 50 wards, dictates aldermanic behavior (which means capitulation to the mayor's wishes), rewards Daley allies and supplicants (and their buddies) with city patronage jobs and lucrative city contracts, and generally acts as if the reign of King Richard II shall extend in perpetuity.
As long as that perception persists, the city's aldermen, 49 of which are Democrats, and the city's 50 ward Democratic committeemen will bow and scrape before their ruler. But while many city aldermen and Democratic committeemen are political paupers, lacking city patronage jobs and raising only modest sums of campaign money, there is no dearth of riches among the unofficial Daley Party committeemen. Like a feudal system, King Richard II has created a political hierarchy of clout-heavy bishops (key committeemen), influential warrior knights (aldermen), irrelevant pawns (non-job-holding committeemen), and out-to-the-pasture princes (elder committeemen).
Of Chicago's 50 aldermen, 22 are Democratic ward committeemen (counting Alderman Marge Laurino, whose husband, Randy Barnette, is the 39th Ward committeeman). Another 12 aldermen are either allies of or under the thumb of pro-Daley ward committeemen. Another five committeemen have no control over their alderman, seven are political has-beens, and four are on senior -- meaning nearly irrelevant -- status. Here's an analysis of the Daley Party hierarchy:
Level I: Bishops. These are committeemen who have clout well beyond their ward. They anoint their alderman. Their alderman accepts instructions from them. They have independent sources of jobs and money. And they deal with King Richard with some semblance of equality . . . as they can do much for Chicago, and King Richard knows it. As such, they are showered with plenty of city patronage and contracts.
Included in this elite group is the mayor's brother John Daley (11th), a county commissioner and County Board finance chairman; County Board president John Stroger (8th), the mayor's chief black supporter; Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (13th), the father of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; former county assessor Tom Hynes (19th), the father of state Comptroller (and 2004 U.S. Senate candidate) Dan Hynes; U.S. Representative Bill Lipinski (23rd); Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White (27th); county Democratic chairman Tom Lyons (45th), a longtime Daley ally; Board of Review Commissioner Joe Barrios (31st); County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (26th); and Chicago Housing Authority chairman Terry Peterson (17th). On the fringe of this group is Patty Jo Cullerton (38th), an employee of the county assessor and the heir to the "Cullerton Dynasty" in the 38th Ward.
For these Daley insiders, their ward's alderman is their vassal, and Daley deals directly with them in terms of the allocation of ward patronage jobs and contracts. Each of these "bishops" has hundreds of city job holders in his or her ward, and they control their deployment. In their wards, the "Daley Organization" is their organization. Therefore, the influence of Aldermen Jim Balcer (11th), Frank Olivo (13th), Mike Zalewski (23rd), Todd Stroger (8th), Pat Levar (45th), Latasha Thomas (17th), Walter Burnett (27th), Tom Allen (38th), Ginger Rugai (19th), Ray Suarez (31st) and Billy Ocasio (26th) derives from their committeeman.
Level II: Knights. Every alderman has a "King of the Hill" fixation, and they forever plot to achieve political supremacy in their ward. If their clout-heavy committeeman anoints them for the job, they're loyal and they accept secondary status. If they win the job because of their own efforts, they want to make sure that nobody arises to challenge them. That means they need to be a committeeman or to oust their ward's Democratic committeeman, especially if that committeeman happens to be their predecessor as alderman. These re-runs, in which an alderman/committeeman loses for alderman and then gets beat by the new alderman for committeeman the next year, are quite common.
Ten new city aldermen were elected in 1995, and in 1996 four of them (counting Laurino's husband) were elected Democratic committeemen. In 1999 another 10 new city alderman were elected, and in 2000 six of them were elected Democratic committeeman. In 2003 seven new aldermen were elected, and all seven -- Manny Flores (1st), George Cardenas (12th), Howard Brookins (21st), Ariel Reboyras (30th), Rey Colon (35th), Emma Mitts (37th) and Tom Tunney (44th) -- are poised to run for committeeman in 2004. Each likely will win.
As an aldermanic "knight" of King Richard II, each warrior/alderman has ample opportunity to prove his or her fealty to the realm. Those who produce on primary or election days for the king and his specified candidates get rewards, such as a profusion of ward services and plenty of patronage jobs; those who don't get ignored. At present, aldermen are Democratic committeemen in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 28th, 29th, 33rd, 34th, 36th, 40th, and 50th wards (plus the alderman's husband in the 39th Ward), for a total of 22 wards.
Level III: Prince Emeritus. Several longtime committeemen, while lolling in the green pastures of retirement, retain a modicum of clout, but only barely. George Dunne (42nd), a former County Board president, has influence only because his alderman, Burt Natarus, is a key Daley ally, but Dunne has few city jobs. Likewise, former alderman Terry Gabinski (32nd), a protege of disgraced Daley ally Dan Rostenkowski, a former congressman, has clout and a lot of city jobs, which gives some heft to his successor, Alderman Ted Matlak. Equally senior, but far less clout-worthy, are state Representative Ralph Capparelli (41st), whose ward boasts the council's only Republican alderman in Brian Doherty, and former city parks superintendent Ed Kelly (47th), who has been trying to dump his alderman, Gene Schulter.
Both Capparelli and Kelly are ignored by King Richard II and get no city jobs. Capparelli's clout emanates from his connections with Rosemont Mayor Don Stephens, who is seeking a casino license, and from his $1 million campaign fund. Kelly likely will be ousted by Schulter in 2004.
Level IV: The Limbo Man. U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-1), the 2nd Ward committeeman, is so far out of the Chicago political loop that he's orbiting somewhere beyond Jupiter. Rush ran against Daley for mayor in 1999, and got obliterated. He was the 2nd Ward alderman until he resigned in 1992, when he won a seat in Congress. Daley named Madeline Haithcock to the vacancy. Rush backed his sister, Geraldine Laury, for the job in both 1995 and 1999, and she lost; Haithcock tried to oust Rush as committeeman in 2000, and she lost. Haithcock is allied with Daley, but until she ousts Rush as committeeman, she's not Queen of the Hill -- and Rush keeps a job with absolutely no party influence.
Level V: Has-beens, who have been banished to Sherwood Forest. Aldermen/Committeemen Vilma Colom (35th), Leonard DeVille (21st) and Jesse Granato (1st) lost their City Council seats in 2003, and they likely will be ousted as committeemen by their successors in 2004 -- if they seek re-election. Also, Aldermen Mike Wojcik (30th), Ray Frias (12th) and Bernie Hansen (44th) retired in 2003, and they likely will relinquish their committeeman jobs to their successors in 2004. Wojcik just got a cushy job with the CTA, so he will make way for Reboyras. Hansen is a longtime Daley ally, and he will step aside for Tunney.
Level VI: Relevant pawns. Two pro-Daley committeemen, Mike Volini (48th) and Peg Roth (43rd), are the key allies of pro-Daley aldermen Mary Ann Smith (48th) and Vi Daley (43rd). They helped put the aldermen where they are. So, they get a few crumbs (jobs) from the king's table.
Level VII: Irrelevant pawns. In the Uptown 46th Ward, pro-Daley Committeeman Sandra Reed has tried twice and failed to oust Alderman Helen Shiller (46th). That gives her zero clout with the Daley Administration. Likewise, the 49th Ward's (Rogers Park) pro-Daley David Fagus is irrelevant in a ward dominated by Alderman Joe Moore (49th) and County Clerk David Orr. In the black-majority 6th Ward, Marvin McNeil, an ally of former mayor Gene Sawyer, is still boss, but he could be ousted by Alderman Freddrenna Lyle (6th) if she runs against him 2004. In the West Side 37th Ward, Committeeman Calvin Giles was convicted of corruption charges; his successor as alderman, Emma Mitts (37th), surely will take his job as committeeman in 2004.