Chitown Politics » preckwinkle

Citizen Reports of Cook County Board President Candidates’ Forum

Slats — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:40:11 +0000

We haven’t found much traditional news coverage of last night’s Cook County President’s forum at Malcolm X College (was it the first forum anywhere of the ‘10 cycle?), but luckily, our correspondent Jagger was on the scene:

Toni was mostly dry and one could tell she was sort of an unknown to many; her cheering section was very light. Danny was Danny. The forum was his territory so he had an automatic following. Dorothy seemed like a preacher and whiny. Stroger did quite well. He made a play for the youth vote by stating his age of 46. He made a comparison to City government and how Daley has raised taxes many times over the years AND still has a $500 million deficit– Cook has no such deficit. (Adds fuel to the fire that there is a racial double-standard.) The moderator (Cliff Kelly) was not great– not many could control a sometimes an unruly crowd and a panel of egomaniacs.

It was clearly a black nationalist affair— the few white folks in attendance must have felt uncomfortable when audience members and Stroger blamed the media and the white man for the lies. I like Todd to win again if the others split the anti-Stroger vote—the path is set for a well-financed white candidate to take it.

Apparently, Republicans weren’t allowed on the panel, but at least there was one in the audience, and on Twitter.

@mjcarrjr: Rep. Danny davis says “don’t expect to cut my hair if you ain’t an affirmative action barber.”

@adam_doster also tweeted the forum: ” Hey! There’s Laura Washington! I’ll have to tell her I changed out of my bathrobe before I left the office.” [Background on LW's dig on bathroom bloggers.] Adam also just posted a full length summary at Progress Illinois.

Preckwinkle’s Pickle

Slats — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:26:46 +0000

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.”)

Scoping Out Potential Daley Challengers

Slats — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:38:10 +0000

In addition to the passing of Michael Jackson and John Callaway, 848’s Month in Review last week focused on the difficult days unfolding at City Hall. The panelists (Laura Washington, Eric Zorn and Sam Hudzik) agreed that the Mayor is in trouble (”The teflon is wearing thin,” said Washington; “his competence is starting to come into question,” said Zorn), but no one could identify any serious challengers to him in 2011. “I don’t see anybody on the horizon who has reform credentials and the possible fundraising ability to take on Mayor Daley,” said Zorn.

A year ago, a list of potential 2011 candidates would have started with two Congressmen who came close to running in 2007, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Luis Gutierrez. Recent events make it unlikely that either will run for anything other than re-election any time soon (and Gutierrez may not even do that, according to some rumors.) City Clerk Miguel Del Valle likewise seems an unlikely candidate, despite winning praise for professionalizing his office and avoiding indictment. (Last month, Sneed passed word that Del Valle could be the next City Colleges Chancellor.) Forrest Claypool has left the game. Ald. Sandi Jackson could be a city-wide candidate some day, but her husband Jesse’s headlines are too fresh for a ‘11 run; States Attorney Anita Alvarez is at least a cycle away from trying to match the leap Daley made in 1989.

So who’s left? The three most vociferous Daley critics on the Council of late are Manny Flores, Scott Waguesback and Joe Moore. Word is Moore is thinking of moving on, Waguesback is only halfway through his first term and has a low profile citywide. Flores, who was mentioned as a possible candidate in the Race to Replace Rahm earlier this year in the 5th Congressional District and previously declared an interest in succeeding his former boss Gutierrez, has taken a leading role in the Council’s new found quest to examine City Hall decision making. Inspector General David Hoffman’s name has been bandied about, thanks to a set of attention-grabbing reports and a speech to the City Club. Mike Quigley, fresh off one Congressional campaign and gearing up for another, is no fan of Daley and we’ve heard whispers. Mick Dumke aside, Lisa Madigan is not on the list.

We will have a better picture about 2011 on October 2, when the IOC selects its 2016 host city, and on February 2, when Democratic primary voters select a candidate to lead the Cook County Board. Although Chicago is a long shot to get the Games, it’s tough to imagine Daley being defeated if Chicago is selected. City Hall’s decision to, reportedly, play footsie with Toni Preckwinkle makes sense from a ‘11 lens: should she run well but lose against Danny Davis or Tom Dart, Preckwinkle could consider casting her gaze towards City Hall.

While 2011 is shaping up to be inopportune for many potential mayoral candidates, there remains a wild card in the from of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald whose team remains, presumably, actively curious about doings in and around City Hall. Likewise, a lengthened recession, doomsday layoffs, more taxes and an additional PR disaster or two like the parking meter privatization could speed up the political timeline of some of the potential 2015 (’19?) candidates.