June 29, 2005
NORTHWEST SIDE DEMOCRATS PILE UP CASH ADVANTAGE

ANALYSIS & OPINION BY RUSS STEWART

If, as onetime California Assembly boss Jesse Unruh observed, money is the mother's milk of politics, then the Northwest Side is awash in that dairy product.

As the adjoining chart details, most local Democratic ward organizations, and certain political committees run by local aldermen, have demonstrated impressive fund-raising prowess, and some began 2005 with huge cash reserves.

33rd Ward Alderman and Democratic Committeeman Dick Mell had $443,029 on hand, 40th Ward Alderman and Democratic Committeeman Pat O'Connor had $365,186, 47th Ward Alderman and Democratic Committeeman Gene Schulter had $393,943, 36th Ward Alderman and Democratic Committeeman Bill Banks had $754,822, and 41st Ward Democratic Committeeman Ralph Capparelli, who was defeated for re-election to the Illinois House in 2004, had $910,967 on hand.

The 2007 municipal elections are still 21 months away, but any prospective aldermanic challenger knows that victory is contingent on three criteria: money, manpower and an issue of sufficient magnitude to unseat an incumbent. At this early date, the cash advantage built up by certain aldermen, combined with their capacity to rapidly raise and spend nearly $100,000, as well as to deploy vast numbers of precinct workers, must give pause to any opponent. Even if voters are restless and want a change, the incumbents' money advantage is daunting.

All receipts and expenditures are for the calendar year 2004, and cash on hand is as of Jan. 1, 2005. Here's a look at local fund-raising:

45th Ward: Alderman Pat Levar won with 65 percent of the vote in 2003, and he is expected to face a tough challenge in 2007. Certain community activists in both Jefferson Park and Portage Park grumble that he's too political, too inaccessible, and too indulgent toward those seeking commercial redevelopment, but a credible challenger has yet to emerge.

During 2004 Levar's campaign committee raised $201,112 and spent $168,177, and he had $38,936 on hand. There is no doubt that Levar will stockpile another $200,000 in anticipation of the 2007 race. But Levar is only one of three political pillars in the 45th Ward. The 45th Ward Democratic Organization, led by Committeeman Tom Lyons, who also is the Democratic county chairman, raised $68,310 in 2004 and had $9,255 on hand, and state Representative Joe Lyons' committee raised $117,071 and had $53,928 on hand. The three campaign entities spent $321,835 in and around the ward during 2004 -- and they'll do it again in 2006. Levar will be hard to beat in 2007.

36th Ward: Alderman Bill Banks, chairman of the City Council Zoning Committee, was unopposed in 2003, and he likely will be unopposed in 2007. As Democratic committeeman, his organization raised $194,069 in 2004, and he had cash on hand of $12,451. Banks' other two committees have 2005 balance of $742,371. Banks has been an alderman since 1983, and he is unbeatable.

38th Ward: Although the area is undergoing major demographic change, with an influx of Hispanics, the "Cullerton Clan" still rules unchallenged. Committeeman Patty Jo Cullerton raised $64,470 during 2004 and had $41,513 on hand. But Alderman Tom Allen did much better, raising $100,870 and having $67,731 on hand. Allen will win another term.

47th Ward: Gene Schulter, alderman since 1975, finally deposed his nemesis, Ed Kelly, in 2004. Schulter raised and spent a total of $373,031 through his two committees, and he beat Kelly for Democratic committeeman. He had $393,943 left over, and he goes into the 2007 election as an overwhelming favorite. Who can raise the $300,000 needed to beat him?

41st Ward: Alderman Brian Doherty, the City Council's only Republican, posted modest fund-raising numbers, having receipts of $71,666, with just $4,317 on hand. But the 41st Ward Democrats virtually fell off the charts, with receipts of just $100, and $5,805 on hand. Capparelli's two personal committees raised $405,270 and spent $622,871 for his 2004 campaign. Doherty's ally, state Representative Mike McAuliffe, who beat Capparelli, raised $369,038 and spent $361,678 in 2004. McAuliffe also is the ward's Republican committeeman, and he had $1,871 on hand.

The money and manpower that helped McAuliffe in 2004 will surely resurface to aid Doherty in 2007. And don't expect Capparelli to back or fund a Doherty foe. But if a self-funding challenger chooses to spend upwards of $100,000, Doherty could have a problem.

40th Ward: O'Connor has been an alderman since 1983, and he has a solid lock on his ward. He was unopposed in 2003. Given his cash on hand of $365,186, only the foolhardy would contemplate a challenge in 2007.

39th Ward: Like the 45th Ward, there are three political pillars in this ward. Alderman Marge Laurino's committee raised $154,593 during 2004 and had $109,320 on hand, the Democratic organization, led by Committeeman Randy Barnette, Laurino's husband, had $19,191 on hand, and newly elected state Representative John D'Amico, Laurino's nephew, raised $121,889 and had $23,581 on hand. Overall, the "Laurino Clan" spent $258,582 in and around the ward in 2004. No challenger to Laurino has emerged for 2007.

33rd Ward: Dick Mell has lots of political problems, all of them attributable to the fact that he helped his son-in-law get elected governor. He promised everybody that there would be plenty of state jobs for worthy Democrats if Rod Blagojevich got elected in 2002. Thus far, there have been none. But in the 33rd Ward, with its growing Hispanic population, Mell is impregnable. His two committees had a total of $495,536 on hand, raised $379,874, and spent $409,011. Mell got 86 percent of the vote in 2003, and he will do as well in 2007.

50th Ward: Berny Stone, first elected in 1973, may choose to retire in 2007, but if he runs again, he'll win. His two campaign committees had $57,411 on hand, raised $118,860, and spent $154,882. Stone got 76 percent of the vote in 2003.

30th Ward: First-term Alderman Ariel Reboyras has been a longtime operative of the controversial Hispanic Democratic Organization, which has become enmeshed in the Hired Truck scandal. In 2003 the HDO dispatched hundreds of workers into the ward, and Reboyras was elected with 77 percent of the vote. He has been a loyal Daley supporter in the council. His fund-raising numbers aren't overly impressive, but he has $33,846 on hand and no opposition in sight.