1. - Randall Sherman - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 10:03 pm:

   Rich, right now Ald. Stone is at 54% with 30 of 45 precincts in. Earlier, with 22 precincts in, Stone was languishing at just over 41%. I can’t say for certain, but I have to assume that five of those eight precincts were the Winston Towers, Stone’s strongest precincts. If that is the case, his percentage may easily drop below the 50% mark. I am aware of at least one precinct (not located in a strong Stone area) that could not report results at all because the printer there would not work.

   Of course, if the five Winston Towers precincts are among the precincts still outstanding, this race is over.




2. - JJSpringfield - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 10:07 pm:

   It is absolutely unbelieveable how little Natarus did with the big pile of dough he had. You’re right — it wasn’t rocket science.




3. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 10:12 pm:

   It’s curtains for Burton. :)




4. - JJSpringfield - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 10:21 pm:

   I didn’t think he’d give up before the last ballot was counted and the last bobblehead had stopped bobbling. So long, goof.




5. - JJSpringfield - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 10:28 pm:

   Wow, Arenda Troutman’s really bringing the crazy.




6. - the ole precinct captain - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 10:33 pm:

   Marge Laurino 81% Chris Belz 19%. The machine still is strong in 39. Who’s next?




7. - Levois - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 10:34 pm:

   I wasn’t surprised about Reilly. If he hadn’t have won this time he was young enough to try it again in the future. I don’t think he’ll stay alderman forever either.




8. - Randall Sherman - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 11:45 pm:

   One thing that upset me about the news coverage was how they droned on about how smoothly the voting process was going. Baloney!

   I haven’t seen any new results in either the 49th or 50th Wards in about three hours. Either the voting process has broken down yet again or something fishy is going on in those two wards. Of course, if someone has a legitimate explanation for this nonsense, please speak up now.




9. - Dougs Castle - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 11:47 pm:

   Finally an alternate to the Rosty/gabinski stooge matlak. Looks like there will be plenty of machine shenanigans in 32 over the next few weeks if the mayor paid for 75 “volunteers” to help matlak.




10. - Tweed - Tuesday, Feb 27, 07 @ 11:47 pm:

    Just caught this Randall: Stone and Moore are both headed for run-offs

    Alderman 49th Ward 42 of 42 precincts counted 100.00%
    Joe Moore 3,657 49.19%
    Don Gordon 2,162 29.08%
    Jim Ginderske 939 12.63%
    Chris Adams 656 8.82%
    Write-In 20 0.27%
    Total 7,434

    Alderman 50th Ward 45 of 45 precincts counted 100.00%
    Bernard L. Stone 5,059 48.27%
    Naisy Dolar 2,958 28.23%
    Greg Brewer 1,906 18.19%
    Salman Aftab 546 5.21%
    Write-In 11 0.10%
    Total 10,480




11. - Fire Ron Guenther - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 5:13 am:

    Hey Rich, I owe you a beer.




12. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 6:12 am:

    The name you are going to be hearing a lot in the next few years: Adam Gypalo. He did a great job winning for Debra Shore, and now he did an absolutely perfect job winning for Reilly. His strategy, including laying low at the WTTW debate (a strategy I questioned) was right on. His direct mail was some of the best I’ve seen in any race. And he did a great job making sure the field was coordinated. By 2016, this guy will be running a presidential campaign. It was a pleasure to see the organization work. In a year, the Reilly Campaign went from a good idea to a campaign with a better field operation than a 30 year incumbent Committeeman.

    Brendan Reilly himself deserves a ton of credit. One one one, he is a terrific campaigner. Unlike Burton, Reilly got out to meet with the voters and the voters liked him and what he had to say.

    They made a great team for the 42nd. This was a win for all of us in in the 42nd. The 42nd needs to be run by grown ups, and for the first time in over 30 years, we have one.




13. - Boone Logan Square - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 7:22 am:

    Will the big box ordinance be reintroduced? And what kind of support will it get now that aldermen see the power of organized labor?




14. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 7:29 am:

    The only race I was watching was Sandi Jackson. I’m not in that ward but I think the results were great. The big man Beavers got what he deserved and all the voters of Cook Country got a little justice. The hog with the big nuts is really a very small sleazy rat. Justice is so sweet.




15. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 7:36 am:

    Looking at what happened to Beavers, Todd Stroger has got to be sweating. Next election for Cook County Board President Stroger will be thrown out too. The arrogance will not stand.




16. - Bill Baar - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 7:53 am:

    I look at Jackson and Reilly and I see the start of the post-Daley world. Labor better figure out where they fit in that world instead of refighting the big-box ordinance.




17. - Suzanne ICHG - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 7:59 am:

    Brendan Reily was predicted by a lot of people. The Illinois Committee for Honest Government endorsed him and predicted he would win the minute Michael Libert dropped out. Burt did not do that well against a massively underfunded candidate 4 years ago. Brendan Reily matured as a candidate and worked hard. Burt Natarus was a terrible candidate and questionabel alderman. Reily deserves credit for finally getting rid of an embarassment. Reily can do a lot for 42nd ward residents in terms of zoning and congestion.

    The ICHG also endorsed Sandi Jackson. We had some doubts because of the DC thing and some of her husbands sheninigans. But her intelligence, beauty and vision won us over. Also, the big nuts budget and Stroger debacle made us seriously question Beavers. We had some people out in the 7th ward and they said the County budget and Todd Stroger hurt Beavers. Sandi Jackson will be a good addition to the council.

    The Illinois Committee for Honest government targetted three other races where we thought challengers could get into run-offs. One was a disapointment with Carina Sanchez in 12. But we are focused on two:
    1. 2nd Ward Bob Fioretti who is a great candidate who will not take developer money and wants to make the LLC developers accesible.
    and
    2. Pat Dowell, a educated woman, classy, community involved to finally dispatch Tillman into retirement. Tillman is a bigger buffoon than Burt. Tillman is a racist. She is a corrupt embarrassment.

    15 and 16 will be hot races.
    18 will go to Lane.
    We will go with JoAnn Thompson in 16.

    We will keep you posted of our awards, endorsements, and TV shows.

    Congrats to ALL the winners, we hope you do the right thing.
    Congrats to ALL who ran, including those who did NOT win because it is hard and everyone deserves credit for trying. It is democracy.
    Congrats to all the hard work of the volunteers.




18. - Squideshi - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 8:10 am:

    We should use runoff elections like this, and eliminate the so-called spoiler effect, in all single-seat elections throughout the state. Better yet, we should save taxpayer money by using Instant Runoff Voting.

    How about it Speaker Madigan? Are you willing to let those IRV bills out of the House Rules Committee, or are you fine with splitting the vote?




19. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 8:20 am:

    ICHG - what a joke. I was at one of your meeting with the politician your organization endorsed. This candidate paid all his supporters to join your organization therefore stacking the deck. All you endorsees do the same thing.
    The problem was I kept getting all your propaganda mail afterwards. Again you people are a joke.




20. - Bill Baar - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 8:21 am:

    Stone is just barely heading for a runoff with Naisy Dolar. She has a lot of ground to make up, but the unions could play a major role here if they choose to intervene.

    SEIU sure ducked a commitment first time around.




21. - RfC - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 8:30 am:

    I predicted Reilly and Natarus–that really wasn’t that surprising, given Natarus’ inability to break 55 or 56 percent…ever. How great that a good Democrat will represent this potentially very powerful and important ward. His ability to raise money for himself and fellow Democrats state wide could make Reilly a very important player down the road.

    I also don’t think this was as big a night for labor as you’re indicating Rich. You can hardly put Sandi Jackson in their “win” column–that was the Jacksons. Dorothy Tillman had faced Dowell before and only narrowly avoided a run-off–and she could still win in April. The 15th was an open seat and has long been a stronghold of ACORN and SEIU. As for Ted Matlak, Scott was running a good shoe leather campaign before labor stepped in for him.

    In other words, if you look at the past performance of many of these aldermen, they were sitting ducks. Brookins was screwed by his fellow aldermen denying his Wal-Mart back in 2004 more than by CFL forces, who will have to redouble their efforts their in April.

    Nobody who was considered safe has been taken out, with the possible exception of Shirley Coleman. Also, three labor-backed incumbents were pushed into run-offs, including Joe Moore, who wrote and introduced the BBLWO (the other two being Chandler and Rey Colon).

    Just as you can’t blame those labor-backed incumbents going to run-offs on labor, you also can’t attribute every anti-labor incumbent going to run-offs to labor.

    In the 50th, labor’s candidate performed pretty miserably.

    SEIU ED Morrison talked so tough about taking out the mayor and all aldermanic enemies that this almost humiliated him. They did just enough to back up their tough talk.

    That said, kudos to SEIU and CFL staff and members, who pounded the pavement tirelessly yesterday. They performed as well as they could have–leadership simply set the bar too high out of hubris.

    Labor did a good job and should be proud, but they didn’t necessarily carry the night.




22. - whatever - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 9:28 am:

    Actually Natarus going down was NOT a big surprise. Good grief, 4 years ago the slimy Republican ward committeeman in the 42nd came pretty close, and he had no noticeable campaign, and only spent about 30 Grand.

    Reilly must have spent many, many, many times that. He was mailing practically every day in the final weeks.

    Everyone (in Chicago at least) knew Burt was ripe for a fall.

    Look, we love all of our friends from the sticks, from places like Springfield. But it’s tiresome when you try to take credit for what we already knew.




23. - irishpirate - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 9:29 am:

    I thought there would be more runoffs and that some incumbents who are in runoffs would have done much worse. This elections really demonstrates the power of money and incumbency and da machine. I am amazed that Moore and Stone almost got 50 percent. Given the election results 4 years ago I am not amazed Reilly won.

    I called the 19th wrong also. In the 46th ward my candidate was beaten by 700 votes by Alderman Shiller. In a race as heated as that only 11 thousands folks voted. I thought it would be 13 thousand plus.

    It may take a real mayoral race to see higher voting numbers. Say I don’t know…….a Jackson v Daley slugmatch. I thought Beavers would have done better. Shows the magic of the Jackson name .

    I am glad that Troutman and Natarus lost. Hopefully their replacements will be decent and avoid scandal and buffoonery.




24. - Suzanne ICHG - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 9:39 am:

    Anon 8:20 You are confusing the IVI-IPO with the ICHG. We do not sell memberships nor allow stacking the deck during endorsement sessions.
    We also give candidates an ability to promote through Cable Television shows that are allowed on the internet.

    Our last event was an awards ceremony at a top west Loop restaurant and club called PLUSH (check it out at www.plushchicago.com great food)
    Obama got an award. Manny Flores got an award. The young man Aaron from Peoria came all the way to get an award. Judge Wright got an award. Larry Rogers got an award.
    The candidates were endorsed in an open process.

    The ICHG is the Illinois Committee for Honest Government it is not the IVI-IPO nor is the Coalition for Better Government. It is not that hard but the names get confused.

    Check out our TV shows on (lined from):
    www.aldertrack.com
    www.chicagoclout.com
    or do a GOOGLE video search




25. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 9:51 am:

    “whatever” that shot was directed at the media, who almost completely ignored the race and never gave him a chance. there were plenty of doubters here as well. so, no… not “everybody” knew he was going down as you say. the oldtimers i talked to thought he was in trouble, yes, but nobody i spoke with believed natarus would actually lose.




26. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 9:53 am:

    also, if it wasn’t such a big surprise, why did burt’s campaign start so late? his mail was all jammed up at the end and his tv ads were thrown together and the time bought at the very last minute. it may seem “logical” now that burt would lose, but it didn’t then to many, many people, and to no pundits or political reporters.




27. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 9:57 am:

    Another good illustration of this phenomenon is that it took the Tribune until after midnight to finally move a story that clearly indicated that Natarus had lost, even though it was abundantly clear four hours earlier that he was going down. they couldn’t make themselves believe it had happened even after it had happened.




28. - Objective Dem - Wednesday, Feb 28, 07 @ 11:06 am:

    I think the media is going to miss Burt a lot. He always gave them something interesting to write about.

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