December 30, 2009
9 CANDIDATES BATTLE FOR $1,060/HOUR MWRD COMMISSIONER JOB
In Cook County, where citizens are beleaguered with bills and debts, a well-paying part-time job is tough to find. But one that pays $1,060 an hour? There is such a plum, and it's called "Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)." You probably missed the squib in www.monster.com : "Available: Democrats only. $70,000/year. Attend 22 3-hour meetings. Health benefits, pension, free car, gas credit card, office on Michigan Ave., 2.5 staffers. 6-year term. No roll-call votes. No oversight. No job security after 6 years." Of the 5,376,741 people in Cook County, a stampede of 9 are running for 3 MWRD commissioners in the 2/2/10 Democratic primary. The MWRD disposes of solid waste and effluent, spending $1.6 billion a year. No other metro area elects politicians to oversee waste disposal. The Deep Tunnel cost $3 billion. Contractors who donate to Democrats keep busy. It's the uninformed picking the unknown. Gender, ballot position, ethnicity, race, slating, name similarity, size of field and endorsements trump qualifications. Likely 2010 winners are McGowan, Alvarez and Steele, although Connor or Spyropoulos could upset. Full Article...
December 23, 2009
"BREAKING WIND" IS APT METAPHOR IN COOK COUNTY BOARD PRESIDENT RACE
This column usually eschews metaphors. But, in analyzing the 2/2/10 Democratic primary for Cook County board president, "breaking wind" is the appropriate scatological metaphor to describe the predicament of incumbent Todd Stroger. Odious, odiferous, obnoxious -- that describes white voter perception of Todd's reign. To them, Toddlessness is happiness. The ABT (Anybody But Todd) field includes Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (5th), Clerk of Court Dorothy Brown, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) president Terry O'Brien. With three black contenders, white O'Brien should be the favorite. But Preckwinkle has emerged as the "white liberal" in the race, and is selling what voters are buying -- namely: competent, progressive (meaning liberal), independent reform. Blacks and white liberals comprise the bulk of Democratic primary voters. The latest polls put Brown ahead at 29%, to Preckwinkle's 20, Stroger's 14, and O'Brien's 11. Mayor Daley wants to replace Stroger, and wants a black to replace Stroger. In a prospective 2010 turnout of 550,000-600,000, Preckwinkle needs 37% to win. Her coalition will produce that number. Preckwinkle is surging and is favored. Full Article...
December 16, 2009
FESTERING VOTER ANGER PUTS CHICAGO ALDERMEN AT RISK
Chicago's aldermen -- or at least the 38 who supported Mayor Daley's $6.1 billion 2010 budget -- resemble lemmings who are about to plunge over the cliff, facing possible doom and destruction in 2011. On Chicago's northwest side, a bedrock of pro-Daley sentiment, 11 of 13 backed the record budget, which used parking meter sale funds to close the deficit. See the 2011 VOTE CHART which is attached to this article. Of the area aldermen, 7 won in 2007 by more than 60%. But wait! Look at the vote registration in each ward. Almost 70% of the registered voters either didn't vote in 2007, or voted against their pro-Daley alderman. Three -- Levar, Stone and Waguespack -- are vulnerable in 2011, due to their weak 2007 showing. But not a single alderman got more than 28% of his or her ward's registered vote in 2007. That gives every 2011 challenger a substantial base. The aldermen have a base of 75-100 votes per precinct, but there are 500 voters per precinct. If Daley retires in 2011, turnout will be huge; if Daley runs, given the endemic city corruption and fiscal woes, turnout will be huge -- but only if somebody credible opposes Daley. Interesting contests are developing in the 45th, 36th, 26th, 50th and 41st wards. Full Article...
December 9, 2009
A TALE OF RETREADS: 2010 IS ANOTHER CHANCE TO LOSE
Defeated politicians can be compared to tires: There are retreads, worn treads and bald treads. A candidates who narrrowly loses, was expected to lose, and did better than expected, is a retread. They get a second chance. A candidates who loses, but was expected to win, is a bald tread; no second chance. A candidate who loses respectably, and shifts to another office, is a worn tread, and gets a second chance. Jim Ryan, who humiliatingly lost to the now-disgraced Rod Blagojevich in 2002, is back. But there is no sympathy, and no great yearning by voters to atone for their mistake by electing Ryan governor in 2010. Plus, Ryan has plenty of baggage: Stuart Levine, the Nicarico case, and support for the death penalty moratorium. Nevertheless, Ryan is polling at 25% in internal polling by other GOP candidates, and could win. Nobody in the cookie-cutter Republican pack -- Dillard, Brady, Schillerstrom, McKenna, Andrzejewski, Proft -- has broken out. Ryan's residual name familiarity may be enough to nominate. Also running are 2006 losers Topinka and Rutherford. In Maine Township, Mark Thompson is a rim; there is no tire left. But he could win a county board nomination. In the 40th Dist., "Dumb Deb" Mell is back on the ballot. Full Article...
December 2, 2009
HAMOS' 10TH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL BID MAY BE "FEIGENHOLTZED"
One of the joys of political journalism is the capacity to create verbs from nouns. For example, if a candidate is "Monica Lewinskyized," we all snicker, knowing what it means: some dummy did the nasty, and got caught. In Illinois' 10th congressional district, Democrat Julie Hamos is being "Feigenholtzed" and "Footliked" -- and is headed for defeat. To the uninitiated, Sara Feigenholtz ran a stupid, simplistic and stereotyical campaign for Congress in 2009 in the 5th CD, focusing solely on women's issues and women voters. She got 17%. Jay Footlik ran an equally inept race for Congress in 2008 in the 10th CD, emphasizing his Jewishness, support for Israel, and Dan Seals' lack thereof; Footlik got 18.5%. Hamos' strategy against two-time loser Seals is to target the women's and Jewish vote. She's unknown north of Golf Road, and has never been an outspoken friend of Israel. Hamos will not win unless she demonizes Seals as a loser. Full Article...
Previous Articles