* Here are a couple of interesting highlights from today’s Tribune story on union involvement in Chicago city council races. You should read the whole thing, but these are the juiciest parts.

Service Employees International Union officials said they hope to count on more than 1,500 “block captains.”

That’s quite a field operation.

Alderman Howard Brookins, Jr. is a top target, and his opponent has some high hopes for big union dollars.

Leroy J. Jones Jr., who has the backing of the unions in his race against Brookins–and expects $300,000 in union support–counters that “labor is trying to raise the standards.”

That would be absolutely huge if Jones is correct. Jones, by the way, works for SEIU.

* And to those who still consider Dorothy Brown and Dock Walls serious candidates in the mayoral race, take a gander at this:

Brown reported raising $338,252 during the last six months of last year and had $118,674 left on Dec. 31. Walls raised just $11,069 and had only $4,103 left.

Daley took in $3,110,354 during the period, leaving him with $4,245,288 on Dec. 31. Since then, he raised another $1,725,589 and spent at least $266,107, leaving him about $5.7 million, said Patt Kilroe, his campaign treasurer.

At a similar point in his last re-election bid, Daley had $4.2 million in mid-February.

* In case you’re still interested, Brown has a new 60 second radio ad that you can listen to below…

[audio:D_Brown_Spot_1_ver_3.mp3]

* Back to aldermanic races for a bit, columnist Russ Stewart has changed his mind about Alderman Bernie Stone’s re-election chances. Last year, he predicted that Ald. Stone would win “easily.” His latest column, however, concludes thusly:

My prediction: Stone admits that if he wins outright on Feb. 27, he won’t get much over 50 percent of the vote. Brewer predicts he’ll win a majority, which is absurd. But all this activity in the ward will spur turnout to about 10,000. Stone will come in with about 4,200 votes, Brewer with 3,500, Dolar with 1,800, and Aftab with 500. That means an April runoff, a low turnout, and a flood of outsiders descending on the ward. Stone could lose.

* The Chicago News-Star (a Pioneer paper) ran a story this week on the impact of blogs on city council races, focusing on wards 49 and 50.

So far, Rogers Park, on both sides of the 49th and 50th Ward border, seems to have the largest number of citizen political blogs, about a dozen in total. While some have drawn criticism for their negativity, Rogers Park blogger Toni Duncan, whose “24/7 North of Howard Watchers” covers housing and community issues in the North of Howard neighborhood, views her blog as a historical document of a place.

“It’s an ongoing chronology, past and present. I’m waiting to see what the camera sees in the future,” Duncan said.

Always interesting, always opinionated, and at times, more rancorous than a middle-school lunchroom, neighborhood blogs are beginning to draw the attention of local candidates interested in knowing what residents have to say.

“It’s not to your advantage to ignore them. I have folks who keep an eye on what people are saying and stay on it in a respectful way,” Adams said.

* And the Tribune had a very good roundup of the “free for all” in the 2nd Ward race.

The building boom that has transformed Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood could translate into political change for the storied 2nd Ward.

Hoping to take advantage of an influx of newcomers, several viable challengers are running against 14-year incumbent Ald. Madeline Haithcock, a loyal ally of Mayor Richard Daley, in the Feb. 27 election.

* Back to the 50th Ward, which is perhaps the most Internet-savvy battle in the city, Naisy Dolar has been taking heat for allegedly lying about whether she has lived in the ward all of her life. She hasn’t, but she has claimed she has. Here’s a funny little video clip that her opponents are hoping you’ll watch.

* And finally, the Daily Herald looks at today’s vote for Cook County Democratic Party Chairman.

A longtime Latino tax appeals commissioner and lobbyist appears to be the front-runner as Cook County Democrats gather today to pick a new party chairman.

If that edge holds, Joseph Berrios, 54, would replace longtime chairman Thomas G. Lyons, who died last month at 75 after serving in the unpaid post since 1990.

Berrios, who would be the first Latino to serve in the post, is running against state Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie and West Side Chicago alderman Isaac Carothers in a contest that will be decided by city ward and suburban township committeemen at an 11 a.m. meeting in a downtown hotel.

Berrios picked up key support from Michael J. Madigan, the House speaker and Illinois Democratic Party Chairman.

*** UPDATE *** Berrios won.

The Cook County Democratic Central Committee unanimously voted today to elect Joseph Berrios as its new chairman, replacing Tom Lyons, who died last month.

Berrios is a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review and the Democratic committeeman of the 31st Ward.

Berrios was elected unanimously after Isaac Carothers and Lou Lang withdrew their names from nomination.

More here.