* This is more than a little strange. DuPage County Republican Party Chairman Sen. Dan Cronin boosted Democrat Paul Vallas for Cook County Board President this week…
“I think he is genuinely interested,” Cronin said, noting he talks to him often enough to have his number in his cell phone.
Cronin backing a Democrat is one thing, but Cronin doesn’t live in Cook and he has his own problems to deal with in DuPage.
But Sen. Cronin also said something else worthy of note…
Cronin said he intends to make some moves to strengthen the GOP in neighboring Cook County. When asked if [Tony] Peraica was part of those plans, he flatly said “no.”
* Peraica, he of the now infamous midnight march on the County Building, doesn’t appear to have much interest in the job he’s currently seeking. Instead, just about everybody figures he’s trying to keep his name in the mix for the 2010 county board president campaign, or maybe even a statewide bid.
Even if he is completely wiped out next week (and that looks like a very real possibility), good luck keeping Peraica quiet. He appears to relish all the attention, even though it’s abundantly clear that he has a tin ear…
As Republican Tony Peraica and Green Party candidate Thomas O’Brien pleaded their cases inside the Chicago Urban League’s headquarters to be state’s attorney, a campaign van circled outside the building Wednesday night blasting a “Vote for Peraica” message.
“It’s ridiculous; especially in this building, there’s a lot of kids,” said neighborhood resident Leigha Hooper about the van using a loud speaker to broadcast its message. “You’re getting into people’s bedtime.” […]
Peraica, who had just participated in the candidate’s forum inside the league’s facility on the 4500 block of S. Michigan, said the van is usually silent during evenings and in residential neighborhoods.
But Mark Stevenson, Peraica van driver, dismissed neighborhood concerns.
“What’s wrong with it?” Stevenson said, ending the two hour broadcast at about 8:20 p.m. “It’s my right to do that.”
“And we need votes.”
Oh, yeah. That’s a great way to get those votes, dude. Turn it up!!! Maybe mix in a little AC/DC while you’re making your nighttime neighborhood cruises.
* And endorsements like this from the SouthtownStar will only encourage him…
Peraica, an Croatian immigrant orphaned at the age of 11, has consistently used his position as a county commissioner to rail against the status quo in Cook County. He promises to beef up the office’s pursuit of corruption cases while maintaining its focus on reducing crime.
Simply put, Cook County cannot afford otherwise.
We endorse Peraica.
- Snidely Whiplash - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 9:31 am:
Man, Rich, you really hate Peraica, don’tcha?
- Joe in the Know - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 9:39 am:
Snidely:
Seriously, what’s to like?
- Levois - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 9:40 am:
What? It seems he always been campaigning for Cook County Board President even if he was running for state’s attorney. To be sure I don’t like the Democratic choice either.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 9:44 am:
Cronin’s move is strange at first blush, but ultimately makes a lot of sense.
Power abhors a vacuum. The Cook County GOP organization is a ghost, so somebody’s got to make a move to build it back up. A lot of the DuPage types live in the suburbs, but work in the city, so it’s natural that they would do it.
There are still more potential GOP votes on the Northwest and Southwest Sides and Cook suburbs than anywhere else in the state. With Todd making more and more friends every day, it’s about time someone in the Illinois GOP tried to tap that for 2010.
- Ravenswood Right Winger - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 9:51 am:
It’s a smart move by Cronin looking towards 2010, as wordslinger notes.
- GOP'er - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 10:01 am:
I agree with Cronin about Peraica. Unfortunately Dan Cronin is every bit as much a part of the problem within the GOP.
Both should hit the bricks.
- Wumpus - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 10:16 am:
Peracia had his chance and blew it, largely due to his angry temprement. All he did was complain. Any rational candidate coul dhave beaten Toddler. I am not familiar with Cronin.
What would be Rich’s Reaction if we have a 2010 GOP Gubernatorial ticket of Schock/Peracia? I think he may lose it.
- Phil Collins - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 10:26 am:
Instead of Vallas, a better opponent for Stroger would be Commissioner Greg Goslin, of the 14th District, which includes Barrington, Northbrook, Glenview, and Hoffman Estates. Goslin’s website states:
“Gregg Goslin, was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners on November 3, 1998, pledging to work to “professionalize, modernize and privatize” County government. Prior to that, he has held elected public office for more than twenty-five years. He served in the 89th General Assembly as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, where he successfully sponsored legislation that strengthened local government, capped real estate taxes and reformed medical insurance coverage. Commissioner Goslin was elected Northfield Township Supervisor in 1985 and re-elected in 1989 and 1993. Before that, he successfully ran for township Collector in 1981 and subsequently served as a township Trustee. In 1994 he was elected Northfield Township Republican Committeeman, and re-elected in 1998 and 2002.”
- Bob Dernier - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 10:47 am:
tony couldn’t convert the eaasiest layup in political history in the 2006 president’s race. he is a person that costs himself votes everytime he speaks. tony=cook county oberweis.
- Heartless Libertarian - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 10:54 am:
I agree with alot of stuff that people say about Peraica, but Cronin should mind his own business and worry about his own problems.
- Truthful James - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 10:56 am:
Tony the P’s campaign is running a closed operation.
He is getting zero help from either Lee Roupas (The County’s wet behind the ears Republican Chairman.) He is getting zero help from Andy Panda McKenna, the State Chairman.
Yet he has not reached out to locals in many areas.
A Peraica election and hard work over the next two years in the slam dunk corruption area is a necessary condition for a Republican to be elected County Board Chairman in 2010. He could be the John the Baptist presaging Vallas.
Phil — Greg is not the man. He is a good soldier Board member. Vallas would drag in votes from everywhere.
- Lurker - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 11:03 am:
I’m a huge supporter of Paul Vallas. How much different things would be now had he won that gubernatorial primary!
That said, Tony has done a lot for his own community (of which I am a member), including spearheading renovation and development of the Cermak children’s pool.
- Wumpus - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 11:15 am:
Vallas needs to settle on a city, a party and a career political aspiration. he is becoming Oberwesian/Coxian in his future plans!
Was he really that good of a School director? Is that why he was nudged out by Daley? Was he a threat?
- Snidely Whiplash - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 11:32 am:
Am I correct in remembering that Vallas had moved out of state until recently to take a job heading a school system?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 11:41 am:
SW, he has reestablished official residency in Chicago.
- siriusly - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 12:00 pm:
wordslinger is dead on, there are Republican (or anti Dem) votes to be had - Stroger is probably more hated than GRod in most of Cook County
Peraica has run for office and lost at least 3 times in cook county, he’s giving Obie a run for his money for biggest loser.
- JonShibleyFan - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 12:07 pm:
First off, the DuPage GOP has been leaking oil for the better part of the last decade. And Cronin is going to ride in on his white horse and create the Cook County GOP?
Is he planning to finance this by selling a bridge?
And Southtown…shame on you.
- CookGOP - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 12:31 pm:
www.CookRepublicanParty.com
- 19 warder - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 12:46 pm:
Rich,
Vallas moved his family to Palos Heights, Illinois a year ago after renting a house in Philly for 5 years while receiving national acclaim for his SECOND turnaround of a major school system. He currently is commuting to New Orleans trying to build a school system from scratch.
To answer Wumpus’s question about him..please go to this link showing Vallas on the cover of U.S.News and World Report as one of the 20 Best Leaders in America.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/leaders/
I’m so tired of Illinois elected people whose only qualifications are that “they CAN get elected”!
- Captain America - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 1:58 pm:
I’m a Vallas fan, albeit not a Republican. I actively supported him in the 2002 primary against Blagojevich.
Vallas would be a very attractive GOP candidate for Cook County Board President and far more formidable than Goslin, Gorman, and exponentially more attractive than Tony Peraica as a standard-bearer for the Republican Party in Cook County.
I’d be proud to be a Democrat for Vallas running as a Republican candidate for Cook County Board President, but not for Governor! There are other viable Democratic alternatives for governor - Hynes, Madigan, etc… As far as I know, none of these “blue chip” Dems are interested in running for the CCB Presidency against Stroger - they’d probably consider it political suicide to do so. I think Claypool is likely to take an appointment in the Obama administration
A Vallas candidacy would be an excellent way for the Republican Party to begin rebuilding itself for the future. By nominating and electing Todd Stroger, the Cook County Democratic Party has shopwn itself to be unfit to govern.
We need a two party system to keep the Democratic Party honest and responsive to the needs and concerns of the genral public instead of the arrogant power brokers in the Democratic Party.
I think Cronin has exactly the right idea. Anti-Todd and Rod sentiment is extremely high - I hear a whole lot of Democratic anger in suburban Cook County and on the lakefront, and among independents, that could become the basis of a very interesting coalition. People are really fed up with the status quo! Vallas could become the local equivalent of “change we could believe in.”
- John - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 2:57 pm:
There is little question that Forrest Claypool was right in 2006 and he is the logical person to run against Stroger in 2010. The big question is whether the talented Claypool will want to run for county Board President. Stroger’s poll numbers must be in the toilet, and it appears that not a day goes by that there isn’t another story about the Stroger administration’s corruption or ineptitude. The FBI is now investigating missing Homeland Security money.
- Anon - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 5:53 pm:
I hope Vallas stays in Cook County, he ran one of the worst downstate primary races of all times. If he is so smart how come he could not figure that out?
- Wumpus - Thursday, Oct 30, 08 @ 7:26 pm:
Claypool blew it when he backed stroger
- lobbyman - Friday, Oct 31, 08 @ 1:39 am:
Strogers favorable rating went from 10percent in jan., to 39percent in July. So even though folks on here may not like the guy his numbers are going up and remember everyone who did the “I’m against todd stroger in the last round of races LOST”.His numbers will continue to go up, those who opposed him blew their wad with all the negative stuff too soon. Vallas won’t run and Claypool can’t beat him. Oh and to all those who say they is crooked, nope.Stroger will win in 2010. Cronin should be worried about DuPage trending more blue and stay out of Cook.
- Dan-o - Friday, Oct 31, 08 @ 9:15 am:
If Tony Peraica is the best the GOP can come up with, they are in even worse shape than most think. Peraica will not only lose BIG in his race against Anita Alvarez, but he is going to have a very hard time winning his own board seat again.
Also, you need to consider the distinct and likely possibility that Stroger is not going to be the issue in the next race for CCB Pres. He will almost certainly be knocked off by a Dem challenger. It would be very difficult if not impossible for any Republican to win against any of the potential dem candidates for CCB Pres. Its hard to imagine the Republicans choosing Peraica to be their standard bearer in that race and another (ANY OTHER) Republican, would beat Peraica in that primary.
Peraica is done after he loses (gets crushed) on Tuesday.