June 24, 2015
"SELF-PROTECTION" IMPELS ALDERMAN TO RUN FOR COMMITTEEMAN
It's all about self-protection. Being a Chicago ward (or suburban township) Democratic committeeman is a job nobody really wants, but it's also a job nobody wants anybody else to have. Nasty 2016 Committeemen races are underway in three wards: 31st---Joe Berrios will face new Ald. Milly Santiago; if he loses, he's out as County Democratic chairman. 30th -- Ald. Ariel Reboyras backed Emanuel, estranging his constituents. 38th -- Ald. Nick Sposato wants the job, in a ward where the Cullerton Clan has been dominant since 1935; Rob Martwick and Cynthia Santos may challenge. 35th -- New Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is going places, and will take the party post in 2016. 41st -- Mary O'Connor got beat for alderman on April 7 by 615 votes, despite Rahm's support, but she looks likely to hang on as committeeman in 2016, portending a 2019 rematch. Full Article...
June 17, 2015
WOMEN LOOK FORMIDABLE IN "LAND OF ESTROGEN" IN 2016
The "Land of Lincoln" will be the "Land of Estrogen" in 2016. Virtually every Democrat nominated for statewide and major Cook County office will be a non-white woman. Hillary will lead on the presidential ticket, but U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D) will take the U.S. Senate nomination, beating black attorney Andrea Zopp. Three black females are out of the gate in Cook County: Kimberly Foxx, Toni Preckwinkle's chief-of-staff, for state's attorney, against incumbent Anita Alvarez; and Recorder Karen Yarbrough and Clerk of Court Dorothy Brown. Brown may have some scandals. But a few hardy men have surfaced: County Comr. John Fritchey is running for state's attorney; St. Sen. Dan Biss is running for Comptroller, against slated, Madigan-backed Susana Mendoza; and Jacob Meister is challenging Brown. It will be tough to beat Mother Nature. Full Article...
June 10, 2015
MADIGAN-RAUNER PROXY WAR LOOMS IN 2016 COMPTROLLER RACE
Bring on the Big Boys. It will be Madigan vs. Rauner in the 2016 contest for Illinois Comptroller, an obscure job which has historically led to nowhere. The speaker is backing Chicago clerk Susana Mendoza (D) for the job, but she faces a difficult primary against St. Sen. Dan Biss (D). The governor appointed Leslie Munger (R) to fill the Topinka vacancy. The proxy war is on. The Big Boys will each dump or direct up to $10 million intro the contest. Turnout in Illinois in presidential years crests 5.2 million; in 2014, when Rauner won by 118,000 votes, turnout was only 3.5 million. If Hillary Clinton is on the Dem ticket, every statewide Democrat will win -- and Sen. Mark Kirk (R) will lose. In the primary, despite Madigan's support of Mendoza, give Biss an edge. Biss will have mucho money, and Mendoza, being a Latina, will be a hard-sell in the suburbs, Downstate and among black voters. Full Article...
June 6, 2015
A TALE OF 3 “ALDERWOMEN”: STAYING, GOING, AND GONE
In Chicago, there are no “Alderwomen” – at least not legally. The council's 50 members are all “Aldermen,” including the diminished contingent of females. Why is it that there are increasing numbers of women as state senators and representatives, but diminishing numbers of “alderwomen”? Only 12 of 50 aldermen are not men. And that may decline in 2019. On the north side, Ald. Deb Mell (33rd) squeaked to a win; Ald. Marge Laurino (39tht) won barely with 52%; Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th) got over 64%. They are, respectively, gone, going, and staying. Unlike Illinois' legislature, which has an increasing number of women, the Chicago council is, as Deb Mell laments, a “men's club.” It's do-it-yourself: Raise the money, deploy the workers, frame the issues. This may sound sexist, but men do it better. That's why women lose. Full Article...
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