* The list of Chicago candidate filings is here. Yesterday was the filing deadline. Greg Hinz has more…
Drawing a clear path to a new term, at a minimum of $106,558 a year (before extra stipends for committee chairs) were Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th; Ed Burke, 14th; Brendan Reilly, 42nd; and Harry Osterman, 48th. Ald. Patrick O’Connor, 40th, the mayor’s floor leader, drew just one opponent.
Burke, dean of the City Council, chairs the powerful Committee on Finance. Quinn comes from Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s home ward, and Reilly represents the bulk of the central district. Osterman is from Edgewater and is a close Emanuel ally.
At the other end of the spectrum: the South Side’s 7th Ward, where 16 foes filed to take on incumbent Natashia Holmes, and the Northwest Side’s 38th Ward, where nine candidates have filed, including Ald. Nick Sposato, who decided to move to this ward after his 36th Ward was pretty much dismembered in a remap three years ago. There are also 14 candidates in the West Side 24th Ward, and 12 in the neighboring 29th Ward.
Overall, however, the number of candidates for alderman is off by about a third at this point, with 252 filing this year compared to 351 last time, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Ald. Reilly reported around a million dollars cash on hand in his two accounts.
* The Sun-Times looks at the mayoral filings…
In all, 10 people filed to run for mayor, including incumbent Rahm Emanuel.
Seven of them filed on Monday, including Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who turned in more than 63,000 signatures. William “Dock” Walls was the last filer at 5 p.m., according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
“I believe the city is not heading into the right direction, and I’ve heard that from people all over the city of Chicago,” Garcia told reporters after filing. “The fact that we submitted the highest number of nominating petitions underscores the change people in the city’s neighborhoods would like to see Chicago take.”
Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) also turned in his petitions on Monday. His campaign brought in 55,523 nominating signatures. Fioretti made note of the financial battle facing him and every candidate going up against Emanuel, who has upward of $9 million in his campaign war chest.
* More…
Amid chants of “Chu-y, Chu-y,” Garcia took another jab at the mayor’s closing of 50 schools.
“That’s the difference between me and the present administration,” Garcia said Sunday. “We believe in opening schools up.”
Just Friday, Garcia blasted the mayor over the move, portraying the incumbent as a big-money “Washington insider” who lacks the “temperament” to “listen and engage” everyday Chicagoans.
A spokesman for Emanuel said Sunday the decision to close a school is “very difficult.”
“But we cannot shy away from difficult decisions to move Chicago forward, to keep the rising graduation rates, the longer school day, and the full-day kindergarten,” Steve Mayberry said. “Last week, Commissioner Garcia said he would have closed some schools. Today, he says he would open them. In neither case did he offer any specifics. Voters deserve detailed, thoughtful plans, not inconsistent rhetoric from the sidelines.”
* Tribune…
Garcia said he believed his 63,000 signatures were “challenge-proof,” before saying he would campaign on reducing gangs and gun violence, hiring more police officers, improving schools, creating jobs, reducing the city’s deficit and addressing its looming unfunded pension obligations.
The Cook County commissioner, however, offered no specifics on how he’d achieve those improvements and would not take questions from reporters, even as they followed him through the Dunne Cook County office building, into the city’s underground pedway and through another nearby office building. […]
Emanuel had nearly $8.7 million in his campaign fund through the end of September and has raised at least $328,000 since then, according to state campaign finance records. Fioretti had $258,000 in his fund at the end of September and has raised about $52,000 since, records show. Garcia, a late entrant to the race, did not open a mayoral campaign fund until Nov. 6 and has collected $214,000 since, almost all of it from unions representing teachers and Chicago Transit Authority workers.
* And the lede of the day…
West Side aldermanic candidate Gabe Beukinga sent a series of accusatory and threatening emails to a major developer in his ward Friday. Monday, Beukinga, a Chicago businessman, says that while he regrets the emails he sent while he was drunk, he has decided to quit his day job to concentrate on his drinking relapse problem and to run for 27th Ward alderman.
- Apocalypse Now - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 10:17 am:
=Beukinga, a Chicago businessman, says that while he regrets the emails he sent while he was drunk, he has decided to quit his day job to concentrate on his drinking relapse problem and to run for 27th Ward alderman= He should fit right in!
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 10:20 am:
I can’t think of a better way to dry out and get sober…than quit everything…and run for Chicago Alderman..
- regular democrat - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 10:24 am:
Oconnor drew one opponent who submitted a paltry 1500 signatures and has 900 dollars in the bank according to another publication. Sounds like a suicide mission to me. Last time I drove thru the 40 ward it looked very nice. Good luck with that one.
- A guy... - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 10:29 am:
A guy going into Rehab before running: indicates a keen understanding and careful preparation. Ugh.
- Anon - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 10:44 am:
It’s nice when those reporting chase a candidate and ask for specifics, and instigate another opponent, but don’t ask for specifics. It’s hard to be a journalist (and attempt to be fair and evenhanded) apparently.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 10:59 am:
Cleaning up a drinking problem while running for alderman? No biggie, Fred Roti had to get rid of the bodies while he was doing it!
- Wordslinger - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 11:34 am:
Charles Tnomas had a piece on Willie Wilson, one of the candidates for mayor. Guy had an interesting story.
- Knome Sane - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 11:56 am:
=decided to quit his day job to concentrate on his drinking relapse problem and to run for 27th Ward alderman.=
Didn’t Hinky Dink Kenna utter these exact words back in 1897?
- William j Kelly - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 12:06 pm:
Say what you want about me but I will not tolerate any insults or rumors about the great Hinky Dink Kenna!
- Knome Sane - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 12:59 pm:
Yes, William j Kelly, all roads lead back to you.
- Under Further Review - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 1:21 pm:
Cook County commissioner (Garcia), however, offered no specifics on how he’d achieve those improvements and would not take questions from reporters. . .
We just elected a new governor who campaigned in the same manner. . .
- William j Kelly - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 1:47 pm:
Non sense, did you forget what you said about me yesterday? I guess that is the purpose of anonymity, you say something one day then you say something else the next. In my opinion that is the definition of a coward.
- Chris - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 1:54 pm:
“he would campaign on reducing gangs and gun violence, hiring more police officers, improving schools, creating jobs, reducing the city’s deficit and addressing its looming unfunded pension obligations”
Sounds like the only thing that distinguishes Chuy’s campaign from Rahm’s is the “hire more police” promise.
- Carhart Representative - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 2:06 pm:
O’Connor does only have one opponent and she’s poorly financed at this point, but there are a lot of people in his ward who are increasingly upset with the job he’s doing as alderman. It would be an upset, but it’s not out of the question.
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 2:32 pm:
Doesn’t Mr. Beukinga have it backwards? Thought the sequence was run, win, do something stupid/illegal and then rehab.
- Anon - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 2:56 pm:
Chris, I think that one thinks that he’s supposed to #@&% off everyone when he decides to do something, the other wants to consider different folks before he makes a decision. Right now, Rahm wants folks to know that he cares, but for more than three years, he’s shown a disregard for what people think when he makes the “hard decisions.”
- VM - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 3:25 pm:
Anyone else notice that the same guy filed in both the 30th and 37th? (Zarnecki)
I mean, it’s the first election post redistricting, so he probably can file in either ward. But doesn’t filing for two different wards get you booted from both?
- ZC - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 4:33 pm:
The best line on Beukinga has to go to Alderman Burnett: “I want to know what he’s referring to [by pay to play] — I guess I’ve got to catch him when he’s drunk and ask him.”
- Chris - Tuesday, Nov 25, 14 @ 7:09 pm:
“Chris, I think that one thinks that he’s supposed to #@&% off everyone when he decides to do something, the other wants to consider different folks before he makes a decision.”
Based on … what? They both say they care about the same things–*exactly* the same list.
And during the past 3.5 years, the following *has* happened in Chicago:
Homicide rate down
Schools improving in measurable stats
Jobs created
City’s deficit reduced
Looming unfunded pension obligations beginning to be addressed.
So, Chuy is going to continue what has happened the past 3.5 years, but hire some more cops. Sounds pretty good–other than that, what would he do that Rahm hasn’t? Make *you* feel like he cares more about *you*? That sounds like a therapy session, not a quality that is an unmitigated positive in a mayor.
In sum, Chuy’s agenda = Rahm’s, with a smiley face, and more cops.
- low level - Wednesday, Nov 26, 14 @ 7:41 am:
The Chicago City Council has become the most boring legislative body in the western world. Only 5 votes at most really matter each year, and with those the result is 46-4 give or take.
Even with the so called progressive caucus, you really don’t want to take a high school student to 2nd Floor of City Hall to teach them about checks and balances in American democracy!