December, 2018
"TIME OF TROUBLES" AWAIT NEXT CHICAGO MAYOR, ALDERMEN
The "magic number" is 225,000. With 21 candidates having filed for Chicago mayor (and 243 for alderman), and with a Feb. 26 turnout in the realm of 975,000 (65%), 200-225,000 votes is what it will take to move on to the April 3, 2019 runoff. 12 mayoral candidates are black, 2 Hispanic and 7 white. Updated 2016 census figures put the city's population at 48.7% white, 31.3% black and 29.1% Hispanic.Winning one's base is the key, not necessarily money. The top tier includes Preckwinkle, Daley, Mendoza, Chico and McCarthy, but the huge black field dilutes Preckwinkle's vote, Daley is another Jeb Bush, and Mendoza's petitions are being challenged, putting her campaign in limbo for a month. Only McCarthy is assured of 20%-plus. Full Article...
November 28, 2018
"GROUND ZERO" IS AVOIDED BY COUNTY BOARD REPUBLICANS
The good news for Cook County Republicans is that the 2018 election debacle still left them with 2 of 17 county commissioners, a loss of 2. The frightening news is that a switch of 6,970 votes in the 9th and 17th districts would have left them with ZERO commissioners. The county and state Democrats, plus unions and Asian Indian donors raised close to $1 million to beat 3 Republican commissioners -- Sean Morrison, Gregg Goslin and Tim Schneider. Goslin and Schneider went down, reducing the Republican contingent to a record-low. Pete Silvestri (R) won in the 9th District because his Democratic foe raised and spent ZERO, albeit by just 4,976 votes. With president Toni Preckwinkle running for Chicago mayor, a successor may be needed. Commissioners John Daley and Larry Suffredin are in he mix. Full Article...
November 14, 2018
RAUNER BLOWOUT MEANS WORST IS YET TO COME FOR ILLINOIS REPUBLICANS
When an incumbent governor loses statewide by 659,527 votes, loses Cook County and Chicago by 820,960 votes, and loses the collar counties by 27,525, it's time to abandon ship. Bruce Rauner (R) got crushed, and he cannot blame President Trump. He did a poor job of governing, messaging and defining himself. But IL has become so lopsidedly Democratic that no Republican could have won. Democrats gained 2 US House seats, 6 IL House seats, and beat 2 Republican Cook County commissioners. 2020 and 2022 will likely be worse. Full Article...
November 7, 2018
OPEN CITY TREASURER POST DRAWS A "GIVE-ME-MORE-WORK" 2019 CROWD
There are misguided people who like to create more work for themselves. They're called neurotic. There are politicians -- such as the assembling 2019 field of candidates for Chicago city treasurer -- who want to create a whole lot of work for themselves. They're called ambitious and opportunistic. The open $133,545-a year post is a steppingstone to nowhere. Of the recent occupants, one got dumped, another appointed state's attorney (and then lost), another indicted and convicted on corruption and bribery charges (which were later reduced in a plea bargain), two others resigned mid-term, and the current treasurer is retiring. Governing magazine called the job a "backwater." 2019 candidates include Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), who wants some of the treasurer's $6 billion of city revenues to be invested in affordable housing and child care centers. Bring on more risky investments. Peter Gariepy and Melissa Conyears-Ervin are also running, and all three want the staid office to do more than it does right now. Voters want a new treasurer who won't quit and won't be indicted. Good luck with that. Full Article...
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