The race for Chicago mayor took a turn toward the bizarre on Thursday as bickering between two candidates over petition challenges escalated to accusations that a high-profile adviser offered money to the other campaign if it would drop its challenges.
The claims of dirty politics grew after an Instagram account posted three video clips that purported to include the voice of former state Sen. Rickey “Hollywood” Hendon, an aide to wealthy businessman Willie Wilson’s mayoral campaign, offering money to a staffer for candidate Ja’Mal Green if Green’s campaign dropped its legal efforts challenging the validity of Wilson’s petitions. […]
Flash-forward to Thursday, when the Instagram account named “chicagomediatakeout” posted the video clips with the caption: “Willie Wilson’s campaign manager Rickey Hendon trying to bribe a Green staffer to drop the legal challenge against Willie Wilson and to join their team.” Hendon is not Wilson’s campaign manager but is a paid adviser, Wilson campaign spokesman Richard Boykin said.
Hendon does not appear in person in the video clips, but a male voice that is purportedly Hendon’s says over the phone to a man on the other end of the line: “If you withdraw, I will take care of you. And you can tell me how much you would need.” That person, listening on speaker while wearing a Green campaign shirt, was identified later by Green’s camp as campaign volunteer Kevin Hobby, who filed the objection to Wilson’s signatures.
Green is also accusing Wilson of violating the residency requirements to run for Chicago mayor, claiming Wilson’s main home is in south suburban Hazel Crest. The two candidates have a history dating back to at least the 2019 Chicago municipal election, when Hendon—who was Wilson’s campaign advisor at the time—challenged Green’s petitions. After that, Green clashed with Hendon, with Hendon later posting on Facebook that he and Green exchanged threats about fighting one another. […]
In a response to The TRiiBE, Wilson’s campaign spokesperson Richard Boykin confirmed that Hendon’s voice is on the recording.
“The comments made by former Sen. Rickey Hendon were not authorized by me or my campaign. This is a personal issue between Sen. Hendon and Mr. Green,” Boykin wrote in a press release on Thursday. […]
Illinois law makes it a felony to intercept, record or transcribe any private telephone or electronic communication unless all parties consent. The TRiiBE has not yet been able to verify if the conversation was recorded legally.
Hendon: We both know ya’ll wasn’t in there looking at them [petition signature] lines. So Willie is gonna make it. Ja’Mal is not. So, why do you have to suffer? We can work something out. You can come on our team, or not. But I don’t want to jam you, bruh. I got people that know you that’s like ‘He’s cool, brother, can you give him a call?’ So that’s where I’m calling.
Kevin Hobby: Well, what you offering?
Hendon: Say what now?
Hobby: What you offering?
Hendon: Well, you know, everybody can use some help financially. So I would help you there, if that was the case. I mean, I could just go through [with] the case. You know, Willie got money, he can pay the lawyer, you know he done paid the lawyer already. But I’d like to get it over with, you know, so you let me know what you’re trying to do.
[Crosstalk]
Hendon: So, if you withdraw, I will take care of you. And you can tell me how much you would need. You know, don’t nobody want you to lose money. You know? Ja’Mal ain’t gonna be on the ballot, bruh. I went through that sh*t. I had 25 people down there for a week. Sawyer ain’t gonna be on the ballot. I never miss. Don’t shoot if I’ma miss. So what about what’s gonna happen with you? You know, you got a family. You know, kids and sh*t. They gotta eat. Christmas coming up. Why go through this? And then, you know, the [Chicago Board of Elections] can look at the shotgun [challenges, which are against the law] that they did it on Willie because they don’t get every name on every page, you know, and refer that sh*t over to the states attorney. Who wants to do that? I won’t to do that to you.
Hobby: Right.
Hendon: So just think it over, and then you let me know if there’s something you willing to do. You know, you’d have to, you know, file it as a document, you’d have to file it, you know, 69 W. Washington [the Chicago Board of Election headquarters]. Just withdraw the objection against Willie and I’ll look out for you. I don’t like putting, you know, amounts and stuff. We are talking on the phone. But you can tell me, look, ‘Okay, I’ma do it.’ Soon as you do it, I’ll meet up with you. I’ll meet you down there. You know what I’m saying? If you talk in the streets with people who know me like, the people who called me about you, they’ll tell you, Rickey Hendon keeps his word. Whether it’s good or bad [laughs]. I’ma keep my word, you know?
Hobby: Right.
Hendon: You know, that’s why I’m kicking Ja’Mal off because I told him, that [redacted], you know, if you run for dogcatcher or bootylicker, I’ma kick you off every time. Your sh*t better be perfect every time. I guess he thought I was joking. And I don’t, I’m serious.
Ja’Mal was recently made aware of the leaked conversation a volunteer made online. The Go Green team takes discretion very seriously and as such is taking steps to ensure this does not happen in the future. He was surprised a volunteer would leak this. After talking with our counsel, the video did not break the law as it was a public setting & Rickey was engaging in criminal activity. We want the proper authorities to investigate this matter further…
The leaked audio in question was a conversation between Rickey Hendon and Kevin Hobby. What was witnessed was appalling, to say the least. The complete brazenness of Mr. Henderson, to offer a quid pro quo to such a dedicated member of our team, is illegal and abominable. Mr.Green condemns the open nature of Chicago’s rampant political corruption and calls for Willie Wilson to fire Hendon. […]
Mr.Green is hoping to run a clean campaign, which is what we expect from anyone who works for our organization. However, Ja’Mal Green had this to say…
“I’m glad someone was able to capture the corrupt openness Ricky has. Let me just say that the old way of politics is pulling some desperate moves to drag me and my campaign down, going so far as to offer financial compensation to my ally. This city’s corrupt nature shows its face almost out in the open now. The sleazy deals, the open bribery, the big money talking, it needs to end! That’s why I am running for mayor in the first place.
“It’s time for the new generation of leadership, if the audio didn’t prove it then I’m not sure what will.”
