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* Kristi Dunn Kucera has served as spokesperson for Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia. She sent this e-mail to reporters today…
As of December 12, 2018, I no longer represent Mayoral Candidate Amara Enyia as Communications Director. In light of several unknown and troubling factors that I was not privy to during the campaign, I am unable to effectively continue in this role. I wish her the best in her endeavor.
I’ve followed up by e-mail, phone and Twitter direct message. I’ve heard nothing back.
*** UPDATE *** Enyia campaign…
As we step into the next and final stage of this campaign, internal transitions and shifts are to be expected. We are excited for the opportunity to expand our growing team ahead of this critical next phase of work, and we remain grateful to all of our colleagues, past and present, for the exceptional work they’ve done thus far.
More details to follow.
* Meanwhile…
State Comptroller Susana Mendoza on Tuesday ripped fellow mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle, who chairs the Cook County Democratic Party, for challenging her campaign petitions and those of four African-American women in the race.
Mendoza’s campaign also said she has more than enough names to get on the Feb. 26 ballot and called Preckwinkle’s challenge of her petition signatures “shoddy.” The Mendoza campaign is planning to file a motion Wednesday seeking to dismiss the challenge filed by Preckwinkle, who also is the Cook County Board president.
“It’s ironic that in the year of the woman, in Trump’s America, the highest-ranking woman in Cook County government, who happens to be the boss of the party bosses, thinks it’s a good idea to challenge five women of color and no one else, by the way,” Mendoza said. […]
“After multiple reviews of Mendoza’s petitions, it is clear that she meets the requirements necessary to be on the February 2019 ballot and that fact further underscores that Preckwinkle’s sole motive in challenging her petitions was to deny voters their rights and stop Susana from making the ballot,” the Mendoza campaign said in a statement.
As we’ve already discussed, the Preckwinkle campaign will have to be successful on 85 percent of its challenges to kick Mendoza off the ballot. That’s likely only if Mendoza’s sheets were some of the worst ever.
* Interesting thread…
Thread: I went to both mayoral candidate forums tonight. Story to come later this week, but I'll tell you want left a real impression: 1) candidates' seamless transition across the city in a half hour time span
— Maya Dukmasova (@mdoukmas) December 12, 2018
4) that @AmaraEnyia rolls with not one, not two, but THREE body guards
— Maya Dukmasova (@mdoukmas) December 12, 2018
So, Amara Enyia has three bodyguards and her spokesperson just resigned because of “several unknown and troubling factors.” Hmm.
* Speaking of those two debates…
Last night’s mayoral debate at the Copernicus Center on the Northwest Side started calmly enough. Candidates made their opening statements, sticking to their bios. When it came to Gery Chico, he lit into Toni Preckwinkle, saying, ”Toni, that soda tax really hurt us. That sales tax you said you’d repeal hurt us.”
The discussion moved fast with 10 participating candidates covering TIFs, crime, workers’ comp and pension issues. The event was sponsored by the 38th Ward Dems.
A few zingers: Lori Lightfoot challenging Preckwinkle: “Join me in calling for taking away the $100 million ‘ATM’ that Ed Burke controls with the Workers Comp system.” Ja’Mal Green, whose petitions have been challenged by Willie Wilson, talked about Wilson, saying, “He’s not black first. He’s rich first.”
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
The mayoral campaign of attorney and neighborhood advocate Jerry Joyce on Wednesday withdrew its challenge to the ballot submission of William Daley, though the challenge process revealed a widespread pattern of forgery and fraud in the petitions gathered and submitted by Daley circulators.
Three individuals collected more than 11,000 signatures, all using the same notary. One of the three collected more than 5,000 signatures..
The Daley submission included thousands of examples of:
— incorrect addresses
— unregistered voters
— forged names
— duplicate signersSaid campaign spokesman Graeme Zielinski:
“The idea that a single individual collected 5,000 signatures and that three circulators collected more than 11,000 signatures, almost enough to qualify for the ballot, is unbelievable even by Chicago standards. Using paid-per-signature circulators with no idea about the campaign, candidate or election is a practice that screams for reform.
“In the end, we’re withdrawing our challenge. We can’t spend the next months scouring the earth for purported circulators who, in many cases, are gone with the wind or who don’t live at the addresses that were provided.”
*Click HERE to download a .zip folder containing images of examples from the Daley submission.
* Related…
* At odds with Obama: 6 Chicago mayoral candidates say presidential center should guarantee community benefits: On Tuesday night, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot, public policy consultant Amara Enyia, activist Ja’Mal Green and former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy all said Obama and the city should agree to protections for the nearby neighborhoods. It was a popular position in a room full of Chicagoans who have pushed for more equitable and affordable housing at an event hosted by the Chicago Housing Initiative.
* Progressive aldermen move to strip Burke of $100M-a-year worker’s comp program: Mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle is also on record as supporting the worker’s compensation shift—even though Burke held a recent fundraiser for her re-election campaign as county board president.
* Chicago aldermen raise white flag in $1.5 billion TIF fight: Add mayoral candidates Toni Preckwinkle and Paul Vallas to the list of those urging the city to slow down on the Lincoln Yards TIF. Said Preckwinkle in a statement: “Chicagoans deserve an open and transparent conversation on TIF reform before the approval of any new TIF moves forward. I stand with community groups and say delay the TIF.” And Vallas says that until the TIF program is completely reorganized, under a new mayor, no new TIF districts should be created at Lincoln Yards or anywhere else.
* Chicago mayoral candidates face off in 2 forums
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:18 pm
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the anti Burke/work comp ordinance just got buried in the Council’s Rules Committee thanks to a move by Ald Carrie Austin
Comment by NotRich Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:27 pm
Didnt the great charles thomas just sign on as a communication expert for this lady? I wonder if there is a connection. I say yes
Comment by Regular democrat Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:32 pm
I’m not sure how factors can be “unknown” and “troubling” at the same time, but that’s quite a big matzoh ball Kucera just plopped in the soup.
It can’t be ignored.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:34 pm
I wonder if she is taking too much advice from Kanye?
Comment by Anonish Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:38 pm
I can’t wait until Mendoza compares Preckwinkle to Rauner.
And three body guards? The Hollywoodization of politics (I just made that term up has given people a distorted version of politics. Heck even Frank Underwood had only one bodyguard. As horrible as PQ was governor I remember as LG he would drive himself across the state to attend funerals for Illinois soldiers who lost their lives in battle in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know these are two extremes, but two of those body guards are better off knocking on doors and getting out the vote.
Comment by Almost the weekend Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:43 pm
The factors have been biopsied but they’re still waiting to get the test results back from the lab?
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:44 pm
Why does Amara need one bodyguard let alone three??? That’s just bizarre.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 1:46 pm
When he ran for McHenry County Board Chairman, Jack Franks had two body guards.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 2:35 pm
==Why does Amara need one bodyguard let alone three??? That’s just bizarre.==
Maybe she thinks her acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy trump supporters will anger her progressive twitter followers and lead to violence?
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 2:55 pm
How is Maya defining bodyguard? Could’ve just been muscley campaign workers, right?
Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 3:03 pm
Amara seems a bit of a cipher so far. I can’t find much about her actual positions on specific issues. She is a Chamber of Commerce employee. She got zero run from progressive unions like SEIU, and she’s got the celebrity thing going with Chance and Kanye. It’s all a bit odd for someone who appears to be a viable candidate at first glance. I look forward to learning more. People hunger for someone like Lauren Underwood.
Comment by Molly Maguire Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 3:13 pm
Her history and resume needs to be examined. She never brings up where she works, for example, and I’d be interested to see how her claims hold up.
Comment by WSJ Paywall Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 3:37 pm
Once the Joyce campaign challenged a Daley circulator, the burden fell on the Daley campaign to produce the circulator. The Joyce campaign would not be required to “scour the earth” looking for the circulator. The Daley campaign would be required to do that.
Comment by Michael Westen Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 6:48 pm
– We can’t spend the next months scouring the earth for purported circulators who, in many cases, –
Um, your main point is that there are just three of them…
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 6:51 pm
==circulators who, in many cases, are gone with the wind or who don’t live at the addresses that were provided==
Seems like that would be enough to get the petitions tossed.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 8:52 pm
Hands down - Amara is the most socially conscious and likely the brightest of the stable of candidates. If her voice is heard, and her positions understood - you’d know her to be something special.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 8:13 am