* If you think controlling Paul Vallas is gonna be tough for the Quinnsters, controlling Vallas’ brother Dean could end up being a nightmare.
Dean Vallas used his significant wealth to steer his brother’s ill-fated 2002 gubernatorial campaign. It didn’t go well. Eight years later, Dean backed Republican Sen. Bill Brady against Gov. Quinn. Carol Felsenthal recalls her 2010 interview with Paul Vallas’ mercurial brother…
I described Dean, a resident of Palos Park, as “the ringleader” that year in recruiting Democrats to support Brady, who is not only a Republican but a conservative Republican. Dean told me that he had signed on to back Brady before the Republican primary, and that his title was Cook County finance co-chairman. […]
But the 2010 gubernatorial race was different, Dean—a retired owner of restaurants and a food service company—argued. The very future of the state depended on businessman Brady vanquishing lifelong politician Quinn. Vallas was lavish in his praise of Brady, calling him “completely independent,” a man who “has been in business [a family home construction company] for his whole life, has had to meet a payroll—knows what it’s like not to sleep on Friday night because you can’t make the Saturday payroll.”
Most important, Dean said, was that Brady was not part of “the old guard” (Mike Madigan, et al) who have “made a mess of the state.” He gave Quinn his due as “a real good man” but one who lacked “the political skills to navigate around a Mike Madigan.” […]
In the wake of Brady’s loss to Quinn, Dean Vallas told me, “I’ve never worked that hard for a Republican candidate,” but added that his work was not so much “anti-Quinn as pro-Brady.” He said that had Brady eked out a victory he would have “fully engaged the legislature” and “basically you would have had a democracy back in Springfield.”
Discuss.
- Laurper - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:24 am:
Even Jimmy Carter had a brother!This to shall pass.
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:26 am:
Oh man, this gets more entertaining by the minute….
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:27 am:
Marriage is tough enough without the in-laws chiming in, lol.
- RNUG - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:33 am:
The Internet never forgets …
Going to be a real circus sideshow the next 12 months.
- William j Kelly - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:33 am:
We all know Brady had his chance in 2010, a lot of people gave him the benefit of the doubt but in 2013 it is safe to say everyone knows better.
- GA Watcher - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:35 am:
Has Bill Brady released a new campaign brochure featuring Dean Vallas yet?
- dupage dan - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:42 am:
What will Dean name his new beer? Illinois Stout?
Vallas Shandy?
Dean’s Hard Milk?
- Obama's Puppy - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 9:44 am:
Dean is right, mjm has no competition and any change in leadership in the state at least gives Illinois hope.
- Cook County Commoner - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:04 am:
Well, Dean, being a leader in Illinois is not only about losing sleep on Friday night because payroll is due on Saturday. It’s also about understanding the plight of low wage earners, many of whom work in the food service industry that made you rich. It’s about governance for all the people and not just those that can can buy the microphone, like you.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:10 am:
Perhaps I missed it, but has there been a report as to whether Paul Vallas voted in Illinois in 2010?
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:15 am:
Someone should lock up the rights to the Dean Vallas/Tom Quinn meetings…pronto
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:16 am:
Also Dean, being a leader isn’t just about figuring out how to cut school transportation funding so you can screw over the areas of the state that didn’t vote for you, it is figuring out how to keep Brad Paisely happy. It’ about keeping the press out of state prisons so they can’t see how bad things are. Because you know Dean, it’s people like you employee people who are in fact the problem, if you just agreed to pay them more and pay more taxes then everything would be fine.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:18 am:
@Wordslinger
“The 2010 primary Vallas requested a Republican ballot which was sent to New Orleans, although he didn’t return it; 2010 general voted in person”
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=9319113
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:27 am:
If Dean Vallas has the potential to be a big nightmare for Quinn, will the Quinn campaign be able to drag anything damning out of Rauner’s wife, who he repeatedly claims is a liberal Democrat? Either way, things are more complicated than sound, especially since Paul Vallas himself can undercut a fair amount of Rauner’s education reform mumbo jumbo since Rauner himself claimed he used to speak all the time to Vallas.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:32 am:
–“The 2010 primary Vallas requested a Republican ballot which was sent to New Orleans, although he didn’t return it; 2010 general voted in person”–
Thanks, PC. And the $64,000 question is….
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 11:22 am:
“you would have had a democracy back in Springfield”
I owe everyone an apology. I thought that when I went into the voting booth, I actually voted.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 11:36 am:
If I were Bruce Rauner, I would relish the thought of someone trying to go after my wife because she’s a liberal Democrat. Diana (his wife) is a heavyweight in the early childhood education community as President of the Ounce of Prevention Fund. She’s widely respected and a real hidden asset for him. While he will want to keep her hidden in the primary, if he get’s past it, look for her to come out and demonstrate his bipartisan bona fides.
I know people like Oswego Willy write him off, but he’s the best shot the R’s have to win back the mansion.
- William j Kelly - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 11:38 am:
I guess you can add Vallas’s name to the list of people who once supported Brady who now no longer do, which at last count includes everyone who ever supported Brady.
- A guy... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 11:57 am:
Dean may be “Mercurial”, but he’s a sharp guy and self made. He was a 20 hour a day guy in the restaurant business, was extremely charitable, likable and is a guy of faith. This will blow over. The conservative Southwest Side Dems who moved to the suburbs often tended more GOP when they moved there. The Dems in those Republican Townships were often of the kooky variety, far different from the 19th ward, etc. types. He won’t be a lingering distraction in this.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 12:38 pm:
Look, I only have one question when it comes to Dean Vallas… and Paul Vallas…. and anything anyone can say about the two, who did what …. who said what …whatever.
Dean and Paul … who is Michael and who is Fredo?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 12:55 pm:
===Diana (his wife) is a heavyweight in the early childhood education community as President of the Ounce of Prevention Fund.===
Was that before … or after …their Denied New Trier living Daughter got Clouted into a Chicago School?
“Education. The Rauners “advocate” over worthy kids, no matter where they need to buy a Condo.”
- A guy... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 12:58 pm:
Willie, since you asked, Dean is Michael. Paul is more like Sonny than Fredo. But there might be a Fredo in the picture. lol
- Formerly Known As... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:38 pm:
Those sound like the words of a person speaking from the heart about their concerns for the state. Better yet, he backed up his words with his actions.
Both parties could use more people like that getting involved in the process, and there is no doubt he will work just as hard for the Quinn ticket in 2014 as he did for the Brady ticket in 2010.
Moreover, history proves him to have been fairly accurate in at least one regard:
=== He gave Quinn his due as “a real good man” but one who lacked “the political skills to navigate around a Mike Madigan.” ===
That doesn’t sound like a dunce to me.
- Formerly Known As... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:45 pm:
Now if we could just hear from Paul Vallas in regards to why he requested a Republican ballot in 2010…
Was he really that disenchanted with Quinn’s leadership and the party at that time?
So much so that he was considering running against them publicly and voting against them privately?
What changed in the meantime to bring him back into the fold, other than an offer of power?
- A guy... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:49 pm:
Who says he ordered the Republican ballot for himself?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:58 pm:
–Who says he ordered the Republican ballot for himself?–
Huh? Can you request an absentee ballot for someone else? How many?
- A guy... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:03 pm:
Yes Slinger, Are you a precinct captain? Ever sent a kid to college out of town. Yes you can.
- A guy... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:03 pm:
One per voter.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:15 pm:
–Yes Slinger, Are you a precinct captain? Ever sent a kid to college out of town. Yes you can–
You can pick up an application, but the voter must sign it. The “request” to vote absentee is from the voter.
- A guy... - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:55 pm:
He went through all the trouble and never sent it in. I seem to remember some talk about him being courted to change parties for a run. It appears he (or someone very close to him) may have taken a preliminary step just in case. Maybe his brother wanted him to support Brady too. Whatever.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:58 pm:
A Guy, the story linked above said he requested a GOP absentee ballot. That’s not picking up an application. That’s signing your own name to the application as the voter making the request.
- Juvenal - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 5:56 pm:
Dean has established his credentials to head up Republicans for Quinn.
“I supported Bill Brady in 2010 because I had my doubts about Quinn. I was wrong.”
Look, all this is academic. A tentative date is set for the pension vote. A vote is going to happen. If it passes, as I expect, Quinn will be untouchable in the General Election.
If it fails, which I doubt, it will be because the majority of Republicans opposed it. All hell will break lose. And Quinn will be untouchable.
Unless you think Rauner is gonna campaign on how he knows how to deal with Jim Durkin?
- Just The Way It Is One - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 7:51 pm:
What can ya say about DEAN, romping around the State throwing all his weight and dough behind the GOP’s last Gubernatorial Candidate, BB, not to mention Bro. PAUL? Because soon thereafter or around that time, Paulie admits that he’s, well, YOU know, ACtually a Republican as it turns out, would RUN the next time for any Office AS a Republican, (oops–what happened THERE?! And the PQ “Inner Circle” is just fine with all this, hmm? Guess they’re trying to lure in some GOP Voters? Or, rather, TWO-FACED/”Speak with Forked-Tongue” Voters like their LT. GOV. Candidate?), PROCLAIMS ALso a couple years back to the Media he’d be running, again, AS a Republican (true to his word up until THEN at least!), for President of the Cook County Board (and then backs down from all of THAT hot air)…!!!
What can ya say? (Pun INtended)…”OH, BROTHER!!!”