August 29, 2007

GENE MOORE REJECTS "MIKE VICK SYNDROME"

ANALYSIS & OPINION BY RUSS STEWART

Is Gene Moore about to become the Michael Vick of Cook County politics?

Vick, the quarterback of the NFL Atlanta Falcons, was indefinitely suspended after pleading guilty to felony dog fighting charges.

Moore, the county's recorder of deeds since 1999, has committed what some consider a similarly egregious sin: He lost his post as Proviso Township Democratic committeeman in 2006. Therefore, in the eyes of many ward and township Democratic committeemen, he is not deemed worthy of being reslated as recorder.

Moore's partisans are enraged, and they are busily heaping abuse on Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, who is not a committeeman. How can Brown be reslated, they ask, after she ran for mayor in 2007 against Rich Daley? Is this not treachery, perfidy or disloyalty to such a degree that she should be dumped? By comparison, is not Moore's "sin" inconsequential?

Party slatemaking is set for Sept. 7 and 8, and until mid-August, Moore looked like a goner. State Representative Karen Yarbrough (D-7) of Maywood, who beat Moore for township committeeman in 2006, wanted to be recorder. She lined up commitments from 28 of 30 suburban committeemen, and she had the support of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, the powerful 13th Ward committeeman, who always helps his members. But despite her solid suburban base and the likelihood that white Chicago committeemen would endorse her, Yarbrough, who is black, abruptly withdrew from the race.

With similar abruptness, Alderman Ed Smith (28th) entered the race. Smith, age 62, is a strong ally of Daley and a towering figure on the West Side. He broke into politics in 1983 as a Harold Washington supporter, and he has been re-elected alderman six times. He's been the ward's Democratic committeeman since 1984. Of the city's 50 ward Democratic committeemen, 23 are aldermen. That gives Smith a huge base of support.

But, according to party insiders, Smith may have emerged too late. Suburban committeemen who aligned themselves with suburbanite Yarbrough are not inclined to back Chicagoan Smith. In fact, many feel betrayed. Why did Yarbrough quit? Was she simply a stalking horse for Smith?

There remains substantial resistance to Moore, age 65, of Maywood. He is a political drone. He does his duty, which is the recording, microfilming and posting online of roughly one million deeds, mortgages, releases and liens filed annually, and he will do so until he's dumped or dies. He will not use his office as a steppingstone, as did predecessors Jesse White (1992 to 1999) and Carol Moseley Braun (1988 to 1992).

Yarbrough's argument, now embraced by Smith, is that an insider -- meaning a committeeman -- should be the recorder. That may not be persuasive.

Moore has been the record since January of 1999, when he succeeded White, who had been elected Illinois secretary of state. John Stroger, then the Cook County Board president, delivered the votes to elect Moore as White's replacement. Moore was a state representative, a loyal cog in Madigan's Springfield machine and a close ally of Stroger. Moore was elected to the Illinois House in 1992, and he was elected the Proviso Township Democratic committeeman in 1998, beating incumbent Gary Marinaro 6,883-3,935.

Moore was nominated as recorder without opposition in 2000, and he was renominated without opposition in 2004.

But the recorder's office, in the pantheon of county offices, is the runt of the litter. With an annual budget of $13 million and 275 employees, it's not an office in which the holder can build a political machine.

Moore tried, but failed. In 2002 he beat Yarbrough for committeeman by 9,073-7,911, getting 53.4 percent of the vote. In 2005 his anti-Yarbrough allies, the so-called "Mighty Mayoral Machine," consisting of the white mayors of Melrose Park, Brookfield, Berkeley, Bellwood, Broadview and LaGrange Park, fielded a slate for eight township offices, including Mari Harrell for supervisor. Harrell lost to Republican incumbent Kathy Ryan, but the slate won seven of the other eight township offices. That should have provided Moore with a political base.

However, Yarbrough's husband, Henderson, was elected mayor of Maywood, getting just 31 percent of the vote, while Moore's candidate got 16 percent.

In 2006 Moore got pulverized. He obviously had no base. Yarbrough beat him for committeeman by 9,746-7,045, getting 58 percent of the vote. Moore's vote dropped by 2,208 from 2002, while Yarbrough's increased by 1,835. In the Democratic primary for state representative against Yarbrough, Moore backed his ally, Proviso Township High School District 209 Board of Education President Chris Welch. Yarbrough obliterated him, getting 9,825 votes (73.3 percent of the total) to Welch's 3,574.

Cook County is now habitually Democratic. All of the 17 countywide offices are occupied by Democrats. The three Board of Review commissioners are Democrats, even though one seat is wholly suburban. Of the 17 county commissioners, each elected from a single-member district, just five are Republicans.

Of the "Big Eight" posts -- County Board president, sheriff, assessor, treasurer, clerk, circuit court clerk, state's attorney, and recorder -- five are held by white Democrats and three are held by black Democrats (board president, court clerk and recorder). Of the eight, Moore is the only suburbanite. Two off the eight are women. Of the so-called "Big Four," three of the most powerful and patronage-heavy spots -- board president, sheriff, assessor and state's attorney -- are held by white Democrats, while County Board President Todd Stroger is widely regarded as a puppet of county Commissioner John Daley and the Democratic majority on the board.

Interestingly, only Todd Stroger among the countywide officeholders is a Democratic committeeman. He succeeded his late father in the 8th Ward. But Sheriff Tom Dart and Assessor Jim Houlihan are sponsored out of the Southwest Side 19th Ward, and retiring State's Attorney Dick Devine is a protege of Mayor Daley. County Clerk David Orr beat a slated Democratic committeeman in 1990, and Clerk of Court Dorothy Brown, who is black, beat a slated white alderman in 2000 (and ran against Daley for mayor in 2007). Maria Pappas, a pro-Daley independent, is the county treasurer.

In terms of jobs, the board presidency, sheriff and court clerk are critical. In terms of contracts (and campaign contributions), the board president is critical, and in terms of property tax assessments and reductions (and campaign contributions), the assessor and Board of Review are critical, but the recorder's office is not critical.

Yarbrough, before withdrawing, shopped around the story that Moore, as owner of EMM Associates, allegedly billed School District 209, where ally Chris Welch is president, $18,000 a month in premiums for many years for supplemental health insurance coverage for teachers and employees. If not a scandal, that could be construed as questionable conduct.

Smith may pounce on the issue, but Moore has two persuasive arguments: First, that he's run the recorder's office in a competent, business-like, scandal-free manner, and second, that he's the only suburbanite among the "Big Eight."

My prediction: Moore is in a win-win situation. If he is dumped he can blame the white committeemen and run as an "independent reformer," much as Brown did in 2000, tying his campaign to Barack Obama's for the presidency and to Howard Brookins' for state's attorney. He can lambaste Smith as a puppet of Daley and the white establishment. If Moore is slated, Smith won't run, and Moore's in. Expect Moore to be reslated.

32nd Ward (Wicker Park, south Lakeview, Ukrainian Village): Ted Matlak is emerging as a veritable glutton for punishment. After losing his bid for re-election as alderman in 2007 by 122 votes and spending in excess of $700,000, the hapless Matlak is being set up for another fall.

According to party sources, the resignation of beleaguered 32nd Ward Democratic Committeeman Terry Gabinski has been tendered, and Matlak will be named as his successor when the party slatemakers convene on Sept. 5. Gabinski, who was an alderman from 1968 to 1999, called in all his markers to rescue Matlak in 2007 and failed; now he's calling in his markers to get his party colleagues to pick Matlak.

State Representative John Fritchey (D-11), who is visible and popular in the ward, is already running for committeeman in 2008. He wants to solidify his political base in preparation for a run for Illinois attorney general in 2010. Gabinski knows Fritchey would beat him and is bailing out.

Fritchey has his own precinct operation, plenty of money and the support of Alderman Scott Waguespack (32nd) and his independent precinct organization. If Matlak gets close to 35 percent of the vote, it will be a miracle.

41st Ward (Norwood Park, Edison Park, Oriole Park, Edgebrook): Like the "Energizer Bunny," Ralph Capparelli keeps going and going. "I'm running again" for ward Democratic committeeman, said the 82-year-old Capparelli, who served 34 years in the Illinois House. That's great news for the ward's Republicans, as Capparelli has no precinct organization. Alderman Brian Doherty (41st) and state Representative Mike McAuliffe (R-20) will continue to get a free pass. Capparelli faces Frank Coconate and Mary O'Connor in the primary.