August 23, 2006
BOYKE TO CHALLENGE ALD. LEVAR IN 45TH WARD

ANALYSIS & OPINION BY RUSS STEWART

The proverbial cow pie has hit the proverbial fan in the Northwest Side 45th Ward.

Alderman Pat Levar's worst nightmare has materialized: His top aldermanic aide, Terry Boyke, has resigned and is running against Levar in 2007. Boyke, age 41, was on Levar's staff for 6 years, and he has been a Democratic precinct captain for 16 years.

Boyke intends to portray Levar, age 55, as ill, ineffectual, inattentive, complacent and intending to resign during his next term and hand off the job to his son, Pat Levar Jr. "He is not seen and is not heard," Boyke said. "There's been scandal after scandal in city government. It's time for a new energy level in the 45th Ward. It's time for a change."

Levar suffers from diabetes and back disc problems, and Boyke said that he has repeatedly muttered that he's "sick of the job." When Levar tried for a promotion in 2000 as the slated candidate for clerk of the Circuit Court, he got trounced in the Democratic primary by Dorothy Brown 216,631-123,309, getting 27.5 percent of the vote to finish a distance second in a four-way race. Afterward, rumors swirled that Levar blamed 45th Ward Democratic Committeeman Tom Lyons, the Cook County Democratic chairman, for not doing enough to get him nominated.

As for Boyke, Levar views his candidacy as nothing short of perfidious. "I treated him like a member of my family," said the alderman. "He was a city tree-trimmer when I hired him. I taught him much. He made $59,000 a year. He told me he was quitting to become a builder and developer. He lied to me. I am very disappointed."

Levar said that he is healthy and that he is "on call 24/7," adding that he may be "occasionally frustrated" by his job but that still enjoys it, is not ready to quit, and "still has much to do" in terms of ward projects. The alderman pledged to serve his full 4-year term if he is re-elected. As for his son, "I see a bright future for him," Levar said. As for his 2000 countywide defeat, Levar acknowledges that he was the "wrong candidate at the wrong time." "I don't blame anybody for my loss," he said.

In most Chicago wards the alderman is the Democratic committeeman, and thus atop the political heap. In the 45th Ward, the heap is occupied by a trio of Democrats:

*Levar, who first was elected alderman in 1987 with 54.5 percent of the vote over incumbent Gerry McLaughlin and re-elected in 1991 (82 percent), 1995 (68.6 percent), 1999 (unopposed) and 2003 (65 percent). The alderman's father, Joe Levar, has been a precinct captain in the Six Corners area for almost 50 years, and his brother, Tom Levar, is the ward's former sanitation superintendent. In 1986 Levar, then an employee of the Circuit Court clerk and a longtime precinct captain, won a precinct captain "convention" to be the organization's choice to face McLaughlin, who beat Lyons' alderman, Dick Clewis, in 1983.

*Tom Lyons, age 75, who has been the committeeman since 1968. An attorney, Lyons was a state senator in 1965-66 and 1971-72, and he lost a bid for state attorney general in 1972. A longtime ally of Rich Daley, Lyons backed Daley in the tempestuous 1983 mayoral primary and carried his ward 15,920-14,309 for Daley over Jane Byrne, with 483 votes for Harold Washington. With Byrne out of City Hall, Lyons rallied his troops and dodged a bullet in 1984. In that year's committeeman race, Lyons got 10,609 votes (48 percent of the total), to 7,152 (33 percent) for McLaughlin and 3,331 (15 percent) for John Donovan. Donovan, Byrne's Department of Streets and Sanitation commissioner, surely would have beaten Lyons in 1984 had Byrne been mayor.

Lyons had heart bypass surgery in April, and he is rarely seen in the ward or at his law office. His term as committeeman runs through 2008.

*Joe Lyons, age 55, Tom's cousin, id a veteran precinct captain who was first elected state representative in 1996 and who has been easily re-elected since. He is part of the House Democratic leadership as an assistant majority leader. He makes no secret of his desire to spend another decade or two in Springfield, perhaps rising to be majority leader or speaker. Lyons has long been a double dipper, holding the job of manager of training and education of the Cook County Department of Human Resources.

It is presumed that Joe Lyons will become committeeman when Tom Lyons retires.

And now along comes Boyke, upsetting the apple cart. "A lot of (45th Ward Democratic organization) precinct captains will be supporting me," Boyke claimed. "They're tired of Levar. They're demoralized by city scandals. They resent the idea that the alderman's job is hereditary. And they don't want young Pat to succeed old Pat."

Boyke's logic is flawed. To be sure, the mayor appoints a new alderman should a vacancy arise. If the vacancy occurs before the mid-point of the 4-year term, a special election is held, so the presumption is that Levar would resign some time after April of 2009. But if Daley is mayor, he surely would consult with Tom Lyons and not let Levar dictate a successor. Of course, that presumes that Lyons is still committeeman in 2009. What if Lyons retires in 2008, and Levar, after winning re-election in 2007, runs for the post and wins? Then he's atop the heap.

Boyke thinks that the Lyons' faction captains will switch to him to beat Levar in 2007 and save Tom Lyons in 2008. That's absurd. They remember McLaughlin. If Boyke beats Levar, the temptation to run for Democratic committeeman in 2008 and consolidate his political base would be irresistible.

"Tom is running for re-election," insisted Levar. "I support him."

Boyke hopes for a one-on-one race against Levar on Feb. 27, figuring that outsiders could flood the ward in an April runoff. Two other candidates may run: Dave Haynes, a police officer and the ward's Republican committeeman, and Bob Bank, a board member of the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association, who got a measly 23 percent of the vote for committeeman against Lyons in 2004.

"I have never been in a runoff," Levar boasted. "I will have a majority." Levar got 15,615 votes in 1987, 15,850 in 1991, 10,842 in 1995, 14,199 in 1999, 6,883 in the 2000 clerk primary and 8,667 in 2003. "He's clearly losing support," Boyke said. That's the "Pucinski Syndrome": Over time, voter fatigue sets in with any alderman. Roman Pucinski, who was the 41st Ward alderman for 18 years, lost in 1991. Levar probably has a rock-solid 7,500-vote base. To win, Boyke needs a turnout of well over 15,000.

Boyke hopes to raise $100,000 for his race, but, surprisingly, the "L&L Boys" aren't too flush. As of July 1, Levar's campaign account had $45,281, the 45th Ward Democrats $2,483 and Joe Lyons $61,685. They better get busy.

On issues, Boyke must tread a fine line. He boasts about his knowledge of ward issues and his ability to push the right buttons in City Hall, but, having worked for Levar, he can't criticize Levar's ward service operation. He must criticize Levar personally.

Boyke said he is a "full-time candidate" and that he would be a "full-time alderman." "I will be accessible," he said. "I will invite the residents to be part of the decision-making process." Boyke promised to create a zoning advisory board composed of community leaders to get input on residential and commercial zoning matters and to have "frequent town hall meetings" throughout ward.

In particular, Boyke referred to the $1.32 million allocated annually to each ward for infrastructure and capital improvements. "(Levar) spends virtually all of it on resurfacing streets and alleys, even if they don't need it," Boyke said. "I will go to every community and ask people how they want their money spent."

Boyke said he also will focus on revitalizing the Portage Park and Jefferson Park shopping districts. He said that people want to shop in their neighborhood but that they are deterred because of parking problems and lack of variety. "They've revived the commercial district in Ravenswood," Boyke said. "We can do it here."

Boyke's first test will occur on Sept. 19, the first day to circulate petitions. It takes fewer than 300 signatures to get on the ballot for alderman, and the ward has 30,666 registered voters. In September of 2002, Democratic precinct captains (including Boyke) scoured the ward on the first day and gathered almost 12,000 signatures for Levar. The signature of a voter who later signs for another candidate is invalid. On that pretext, Levar challenged police officer Mike Lappe's petitions, and Lappe withdrew.

"I will have 40 people on the street, and I will get 3,000 signatures," Boyke said.

The early outlook: Lyons' organization suffers some decrepitude. Gone are the days when it could muster seven workers in each of the ward's 53 precincts. The organization's members don't want an outsider (like McLaughlin) as alderman, and they definitely don't want an insider-turned-outsider (like Boyke) as alderman. There is Levar fatigue in the ward, but he is still the early favorite to win.