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Willie Wilson contributes $1 million to own campaign

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Illinois

* One of Mayor Emanuel’s opponents is about to write a big check…

[Mayoral hopeful] Willie Wilson tells Chief Correspondent Jay Levine that he’s about to write a seven-figure check to begin running a series of his own TV commercials.

Wilson’s initial outlay of $125,000 will be followed by $1 million check next week, for a series of campaign commercials that the former McDonalds restaurant-operator-turned-medical-supplier plans to start airing next week. Wilson shared two of them with CBS 2 on Friday. […]

The mayor has been running TV spots for weeks, spending at a rate of $500,000 a week to boost his re-election efforts.

With just about $100,000 in his campaign account, Fioretti’s fundraising is trailing Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s total of nearly $1 million and Wilson’s $1.3 million, if he follows through with those contributions. Still, all three combined don’t approach the nearly $10 million the mayor could have by the middle of the month.

Wilson deposited the check in his campaign bank account today.

* But, wait a second… Wasn’t hizzoner’s campaign boasting before Christmas how they’d easily knock Wilson off the ballot? Well, after initially challenging Wilson’s own petition signature, Emanuel’s vaunted campaign quietly dropped its efforts on Christmas Eve…

Wilson, who is black, has alleged that racism motivated Emanuel’s challenge of his petitions.

Emanuel denied that, but Wilson’s lawyer, Frank Avila Jr., said last week that Emanuel fears going up against “a strong African-American candidate.”

Avila said Wilson had collected far more than the 12,500 valid signatures needed to appear on the mayoral ballot.

“I’m very happy, excited and elated that this fraudulent, racist, unconstitutional and false objection has been dropped,” Avila said. “It showed how scared Rahm Emanuel is of Dr. Willie Wilson.”

* Meanwhile…

Usually when a family member runs for political office, it’s all hands on board. However, the son of Willie Wilson, a candidate for Chicago mayor, said he’s not supporting his dad because his dad barely supported him.

“I did not believe it. I did not believe it,” said Wilson’s son Mario Shannon.

Mario, 28, said he was stunned when he turned on the news recently and saw his father, Doctor Wilson, running for mayor of Chicago.

“If he can’t take care of someone, how could he run for mayor of Chicago? And I thought I would let the world know he is not the guy you all think he is,” Mario said.

* But another son defended his dad…

Terrell Wilson told FOX 32 that Willie has been a good father to him, especially after he became an adult and wanted to join his multi-millionaire father in business.

“I’m heading up the Youth, the youth side of the campaign,” Terrell said.

However…

Terrell said there were times in his life when he, too, was estranged from his father, who worked long hours and was often away from home. Terrell said he and two older brothers joined a criminal street gang as teenagers. In the mid-1990s, he said then 20-year old Omar Wilson was murdered in a gang-related dispute.

And…

Terrell said that at the age of 27, he re-established a closer connection with his father. He said he ran a factory in Tennessee for his father, with more than 100 employees, closing it down when it became uncompetitive. He said he’s made more than a dozen trips to China, helping his father move production to factories in that country.

FOX 32: It was cheaper to produce it over in China?

“Absolutely, Terrell added

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 12:52 pm

Comments

Well, thank goodness William J. Kelly blew off the caps…

I mean, if it wasn’t for Kelly, no way does Wilson drop $1 million on himself.

No way.

lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 12:55 pm
Outsourcing jobs to China and running as a former McDonald’s franchise owner when minimum wage for such workers is a hot issue makes for interesting campaign topics. Does he have a red light camera contract or a coal burning power plant somewhere to complete the trifecta?

Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:00 pm
A million bucks is some real money.

How does Mr. Shake ‘Em Up spin not backing Wilson, who campaigned for and with him in black churches all over the state, over Emanuel, who publicly backed Quinn?

Wasn’t Rauner’’s spin that Democrats took the black community for granted and only showed up at election time? How’s about a little reciprocal support?

Wasnt the talk

Comment by Wordslinger Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:02 pm
Word shouldnt liberals be ripping Wilson for outsourcing jobs. Will we be seeing coverage of the lawsuits against Wilsons franchises or his factory. No

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:27 pm
@oswego willy why are you so obsessed with Kelly? You have a man crush or something? Garcia has been raising some big dollars with the caps off making this mayoral race competitive. So your theory on Kelly was pretty off? Unless Wilson is going to donate $13 million to his campaign, none of these challengers was going to beat Rahm at fundraising. They need all the help they can get. (PS - stop your kelly obsession and get some help.)

Comment by anon Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:31 pm
- anon -,

Kelly is comic relief.

He acts like a Dope, why not point it out? lol

You don’t have to read it. Honest.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:37 pm
Any story that focuses on multiple challengers has to help the Mayor, particularly stories like this one which makes at least one (Wilson) look very bad, and another (Fioretti, and his “war chest”) look slightly ridiculous.

Right now, there is no clear alternative. There is no single figure for people to rally around or get excited about.

If there is one primary challenger, people may believe that the person can win, and that’s going to help turnout.

If it looks like Rahm and the clown college, it is going to decrease turnout.

Chuy needs to get in front of this so that he’s seen as a real alternative and not just the best of an odd bunch. He’s got the money. He needs to spend it now. It it still early, but the clock is ticking. He’s got to raise his profile.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:37 pm
If Mr. Wilson just “loaned it to himself” in the campaign fund, this is no big deal. The real test of his resolve will be how, when and where he chooses to spend it. Any polling data showing this guy is on the radar screen yet? I suspect not. It’ll take a heck of a lot more than $1 million to get this guy name recognition and branding throughout the city and build the organization. I think he’ll have a hard time lining up the deep pockets for him to work against Rahm, and unions aren’t too likely to back him with his McD background. This guy needs the AA community to come out strong for him to have a chance. I just don’t see that happening.

Comment by Arizona Bob Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:42 pm
Thank you Oswego, it is officially 2015 now that you have attacked me, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! FYI your point is sooo last year! http://youtu.be/N2cMHAyouCk

Comment by William j Kelly Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:49 pm
@oswego you doth protest too much. Really, your obsession, fixation with Kelly is disturbing. Please seek treatment.

Comment by anonymous Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 1:58 pm
Has William Kelly ever shown, definitively, that he deposited $100k into his own account? I wonder if he really ever had that amount to contribute in the first place.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:00 pm
Kelly, the questions about conduct might go away if you explained the conduct.

Why write a check if you weren’t going to take real steps to get on the ballot?

What was the reasoning, if any?

Whether the conduct was legal or not (and I have no opinion on the issue) the conduct looks odd and odd behavior tends to be a subject for comment.

Which, I suspect, was your real goal. I think you knew it was meaningless but you knew it would people talking about. You might just as well list it as an advertising expense for yourself.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:11 pm
McNope

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:20 pm
You’re welcome William J Kelly.

Your Dopey “run” that was never happening, ever, fior a reason, of breaking caos after Wilson broke the caps just highlights your lack of political acumen.

- anon -, just don’t read them, lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:21 pm
@anonymous - Sun-Times article said that Kelly sent a proof of his bank records to Dan Mihalopoulos. It’s sad that Oswego and others don’t have a life beyond Cap Fax and just post here all day. Maybe that is why you are dumbfounded that Kelly has some big wads of cash. If you are really that unhappy about it, stop posting on capfax and get a real job. @oswego all you do is post on capfax all day. Do you get paid to do that or do you have a real job, Dopey?

Comment by real anonymous Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:29 pm
From my count, that’s three different aliases William Kelly used in this thread.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:34 pm
I guess back receipts reflect political acumen? lol

William J Kelly, by Wilson dropping 7 figures, looks ignorant to the political landscape he hopes to be a part of in his own “uniquely awkward” way.

Pointing out a real candidate dropped a million, versus a caricature pretending to relevant is hilarious.

Wilson highlighted in his run and check for mockable Kelky is in comparison.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:36 pm
Oswego Willy,

I suspect Kelly’s going to try to contact you to put you on his payroll. You are doing what Kelly wants done.

The fact that we are talking somebody who never has and never will run a competitive race rather than talking about Wilson or Chuy is disappointing.

Chicago is going to have an interesting race if one of those two can build some momentum but instead of talking about them, we are talking about the new Ray Wardingley.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:44 pm
Frank Avila is a good election attorney; from what I understand, he very much saved Wilson’s butt.

Comment by Just Observing Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:46 pm
- Gooner -,

You are 100% right.

Kelly can’t afford me because I would cash the check, no matter the size and not give back the money.

It was fun pointing out the differences in Wilson actually running, however.

“Moving on…”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:50 pm
Gooner, please explain your conduct of questioning my conduct, your behavior of of questioning my behavior seems very odd, is your goal to get me to explain my goal your real goal? Is it legal for you to question the legality of my contributions? Or are you just trying to get me to talk about you by talking about me?

Comment by William j Kelly Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 2:54 pm
==Is it legal for you to question the legality of my contributions?==

See Amendment, 1st.

Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 3:05 pm
Precinct captain, I see you and I have the same sense of humor and/or punctuation!

Comment by William j Kelly Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 3:15 pm
Since the “personal is political,” failure to raise and care for his children does to the character of Willie Wilson. I remain open-minded, but I do not like this development one bit!

Comment by Black Ivy Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 3:33 pm
Every time I see the phrase “medical-supplier” in the context of a millionaire entrepreneur, I flinch. Hopefully his source of funds is not primarily governmental.

Comment by walker Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 4:06 pm
This guy might be the one and only guy who I couldn’t possibly vote for, even to get Rahm out of office.

Comment by Cheryl44 Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 5:11 pm
So is this more Rahm’s people saying, “Look at those signatures we can get this self-funder kicked off the ballot…” to “Hey, we’d much rather be in a runoff vs this guy than vs Chuy”?

Comment by ZC Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 6:17 pm
So is Sharita from Rahm.s commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHlGT-KT-p0 the same Sharita that was on Maury Povich’s show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRnzViPROKw She looks like the same person to me, is she an actress ?

Comment by WindyCity Monday, Jan 5, 15 @ 11:06 pm