Chitown Politics

I don’t envy Toni Preckwinkle her position. Put yourself in her shoes. On the one hand, you’re running as a reformer against the tarnished Todd Stroger brand, on a platform that emphasizes “ending waste, fraud and abuse.” On the other hand, you’re hoping for an endorsement from a mayor whose family ties to your opponent go back more than 40 years, and who does not have a stellar reputation for combating waste and corruption himself. You’re an enthusiastic supporter of his Olympics drive– like most elected officials in the city.  So how do you respond to press reports that one of the mayor’s allies, a man he’s twice appointed to chair the Board of Education, has been developing Olympics-related real estate deals on the side while also serving on the Olympic bid committee? I bet you might equivocate, as Ald. Preckwinkle did yesterday, in footage aired, but apparently not posted online, by Fox Chicago. (My transcript of her quote: “The that idea that this is somehow, that the Olympics coming there, is going to have an untoward benefit for property owners on the perimeter is a little far-fetched.”)