Local Elections Roundup
Thursday, Feb 22, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bridget:
Today one of Alderman Berny Stone’s supporters called and told me that he was going to “firebomb” our office. When I asked him if he was threatening us, he said that he’ll “do whatever it takes to keep Bernard Stone in office” and reiterated his intention to “firebomb” the office. I hung up and called the police.
The bomb squad came and checked out the place and took a police report. While it was probably just some idiot running his mouth with no intention to do much more than that, I was not about to take any chances.
This is the same person who called on Feb. 16th after repeatedly sending us emails saying that Greg Brewer “had a lot of nerve to run against Bernard Stone”.
* Heated developments in the 2nd Ward
* Two aldermen endorse Walls over Daley:
Arenda Troutman (20th) and Howard Brookins (21st) are believed to be the only aldermen taking sides against Daley, the favorite in Tuesday’s election. The fact that Troutman and Brookins chose Walls over Dorothy Brown makes the endorsement even more surprising.
* Alderman complains of spliced youtube video showing drinking & driving
* Daley to pay college students $100 for election day help
* Last Day for early voting in Chicago
* Retail debate in Lidenhurst mayoral race
* Ex Daley foe, Del Valle, now an integral part of mayor’s ticket:
“Given the changing political dynamics in the city, this was a good time for the mayor to reach out to me,” del Valle said. “I’ve evolved too. I’m more of a policy person than when I started. One thing you need to learn is to be a consensus builder.”
* No fines issued against Villa Park president’s party
* Pradel And Krause Endorsed By Daily Herald In Naperville Mayoral Primary
[I’ll post Mayor Daley’s newest TV ad later this morning.]
- Cassandra - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 9:02 am:
Stroger is correct in publicly criticizing Dart and Devine if they are not getting with the program. If, instead of slurping at the public employment trough, they worked in the corporate world as top execs, they’d be long gone if they exhibited this type of public oppositional behavior. Stroger should find replacements for them in their next elections if they continue to
protest. As old-time Dem pols, it is probably time for them to go anyway.
Could it be that Stroger is actually going to pull it off without a property tax increase? I am still reluctant to bet. But laying off some Shakman-exempt employees (500 of 27,000 County employees total), while having public relations value, is hardly going to make a dent in the budget. The problem is the thousands of unionized employees who got their jobs through patronage and who now are extremely difficult to dislodge because of complex and arcane union layoff rules.
The overtaxed public is going to have a really hard time getting rid of them. And thousands of them need to go. Maybe next year?
- Skeeter - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 9:25 am:
I always thought Burton Natarus was the biggest numbskull in the City Counsel.
I stand corrected. Brian Doherty makes Natarus look like a genius. Doherty ADMITS that after working out (playing basketball), he has a two or three beers and then drives. I hope he starts posting his schedule so we can all stay off the roads after he’s had his fun.
- Pat Hickey - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 9:32 am:
Troutman and Brookins are diving on a dud grenade. ‘We stood up to Daley, in a meaningless gesture’ - now that’s entertainment!
A couple of blocks away in 19th Ward John Somerville’s Campaign is doing a lovely cork-screw into the terra! Plenty of would be real estate moguls are losing their Haynes over this dope’s Campaign run by Josh ‘Where’s Western Again’ Kilroy. This guy is a Champ!
- fedup dem - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 10:08 am:
Oh Bridget… the “firebomb the campaign office” line? Hey, one would think that while serving that “40 lashes with the wet noodle” sentence last year, Congressional husband Bob Creamer would have come up with something a bit more original for the candidate his wife (Cong. Jan Schakowsky) is trying to ram down the throats of 50th Ward residents (Greg Brewer).
Hopefully, voters will see past such nonsense and give their support to businessman Salman Aftab, who has spoken out against the aldermanic pay raise.
- Garp - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 10:19 am:
I agree with Doherty that this was a crude setup by his opponents but he really needs to curtail his D&D. He is a legendary drinker and everyone knows it. Why give your opponents the opening?
- Not So Fast - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 10:45 am:
I think Doherty said in the WGN interview that he believes he can drink two drinks PER HOUR and still not be legally drunk, not two or three over the course of an evening. In one of the newspaper articles today, he justified his behavior by saying that he doesn’t drive on the expressway and only has a mile to drive. Like you can’t kill someone just as easily on Northwest Highway as on the Kennedy. And don’t most accidents occur within a mile of home anyway, because people put their guard down in familiar surroundings?
I think it’s odd that the bars he frequents — Zia’s and Emerald Isle — are located in Edison Park, an area where a ton of cops live. Are they looking the other way because he is an alderman?
- Jerry - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 10:58 am:
I’ve met Doherty. We were at an event, and he kept bumming cigarettes off of me.
- Pat Hickey - Thursday, Feb 22, 07 @ 11:09 am:
OPs the People’s Choice! Not quite as flavorful as Chesterfields but easy on the Bull Durham sack.
Doherty sounds like a solid man!
- Sahims2 - Friday, Feb 23, 07 @ 7:19 am:
Daley paying college student “volunteers”? In college that’d be called an “internship” - that’s good that he’s given them a start in their experience with Illinois politics, get money in their pocket in exchange for ….