CBS Chicago: Play cancelled due to student sign with racial slur

[VIDEO] One parent got this right, we're talking about young people who don't know any better. A youthful prank is now a PR crisis for the suburban school district of Evergreen Park, Illinois. Those young men may have thought they done something clever, however, their actions have only served to hurt. And another question, did they get this behavior from home? I'd rather hope not!

The abandoned Lincoln Mall

[VIDEO] I don't remember the last time being at this Matteson, IL mall before it's closing. Perhaps it was within the last decade and it look largely vacant at the time. In 2015 it was closed and Matteson is charged with finding a new use for the property.

In the meanwhile, this recent video shows us the inside of the mall. The video has an eerie soundtrack to it. The still pics you see at the end makes this abandoned place look even more creepy. I thought they were in there at almost dawn and that would make it more creepy.

Either way seems like a shame this mall lost business to the point where it is now closed.

How is the game played?

Do you remember the Illinois Leader?

In year one of this blog I would often link to that formerly active online publication. By 2006, that site no longer existed, but during that time we could read about people who were active Republicans or conservatives in Illinois. These individuals are either on the grassroots end or they were literally on the front lines. That is running for office somewhere in the state.

I'm sure Chicago Heights Mayor Anthony DeLuca had a story for that late publication. A Republican elected mayor in the south suburbs. An area that is increasingly turning more and more Democrat. It was probably true at the beginning of DeLuca's tenure and probably more true in 2009.

However I'm sure the news that he's accepting an appointment by Democrats in that area to represent them in the General Assembly would be a disappointment. From the Southtown:

Congratulations are in order for Anthony Deluca, mayor of Chicago Heights, and recently appointed successor to state Rep. George Scully, who gave up the seat to become a Cook County judge. The 80th legislative district he now represents encompasses Chicago Heights, South Chicago Heights, Steger, Crete and small parts of Rich and Thornton townships.

Deluca will be my state representative. He is a nice fellow. And with what would be considered movie star good looks, he will certainly cut a fine figure on the floor of the General Assembly - to the dismay of some Democratic Party officials outside of Bloom Township. I suspect there may be a few inside of Bloom who would fall into this category as well.

The 80th is an overwhelmingly Democratic district and by all rights the seat should have gone to a longtime card-carrying Democrat. Anyone who has followed local politics for the past six years knows Deluca, a one-time Republican, has tissue-thin Democratic credentials.

However, I consider myself an independent Democrat, and want to sincerely congratulate Deluca and wish him well. If he is supportive of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s effort to build an airport in the Southland, he will be performing a major public service for the region he is charged with serving.

Well, how is the game supposed to be played?

One could play ideological game and get absolutely nothing in the process or you can make friends across the aisle. Of course depending on who's more powerful and and why they aren't willing to shake you hand for the greater good (whatever that's supposed to be) is another question. DeLuca was a Republican, but was smart enough to make Democratic friends to move up the ladder.

You know looking at this post from The Bench that rails against Illinois' GOP establishment, it could be a very shrewd move. Perhaps it's not what a very loyal partisan should do, however, if the party you're apart of can't seem to function as the state Republican party has been as of late, then the next best thing is to join the party that is functioning and winning.

Here's the more racial or heady part of this piece:

I think a clinical assessment of Chicago Heights would be instructive. A similar analysis of Chicago and the state of Illinois would be equally revealing. What is it that binds Michael and Lisa Madigan, Richard and Bill Daley, Dick Durbin and Pat Quinn, other than their Democratic Party affiliation?


That link has largely gone unnoticed by people in the African-American political establishment, who should understand the American political system and how it works. I think Deluca and his supporters, to their credit, have figured it out. That is why Deluca, a pedigreed Republican and only recent Democratic convert, was able to get appointed state representative in a district so overwhelmingly Democratic.

The issue for me, in this instance, is not whether one is a Republican or a Democrat, but how ethnic groups, which have experienced success in the organization of their families, neighborhoods, communities and cities, are able to work together, and distribute the vast majority of their resources.

Think of these ideas or elements as containers. What is it that enables someone or some group to fill up all of these containers in ways that serve and protect their interests?

The answer is found in strategies based on culture and values or a coherent sense of identity, history, spirituality and connection, which enables people to align themselves in ways that make change and a positive future possible.

Interesting analysis. A combination of political science and sociology. Cross-check different backgrounds with the larger political structure.

Is this why Mayor DeLuca was able to become a state legislator, but leaving his elected party for another. I'm not criticizing him at all, however, it's just interesting how this comes about.

Chicago Argus on the Shaw brothers

A very interesting piece about how the Shaw twin's wielded their political power in the Chicago area. From their days on the far south side of Chicago and then moving to the south suburbs with the culmination of the election of Bill Shaw as Mayor of Dolton. Even a mention of the political struggles between the Shaws and the Jacksons (ie Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr, Sandi Jackson, and associates).

BTW, on Thankgiving Day it was announced that Mayor Bill Shaw had passed away from cancer. Funeral arrangments are set. The pic to the right is of the late Mayor Shaw of Dolton.

Here is another link of interest on the story from Marathon Pundit!

Website of the Village of Dolton, IL.

The CPS boycott

I've been hearing about this over the summer. Rev. James Meeks (also a state senator representing the Roseland/Pullman neighborhood on the far south side of Chicago) has been organizing a trip to Wilmette and Northfield, IL to get inner city school kids enrolled in school. The idea of course is to bring attention to the fact that in the New Trier school district more money is spend per pupil than in Chicago.

What accounts for that?

Well in Illinois for the most part if the state isn't offering much in the form of grants to a local school district then one way to fund the schools are thru property taxes. Willmette is on the north shore region of the Chicago area. The north shore is considered very wealthy and at that can certainly afford to spend more per pupil and no doubt parents who live in the New Trier district doesn't have a big axe to grind about it.

That being said if you want to look strictly at how much money a school district recieves per-pupil then how come Chicago doesn't measure up? Chicago is much larger than Wilmette/Northfield and perhaps has more expensive real estate with skyscrapers worth millions. Indeed, I read somewhere that the Sears Tower is worth almost a billion dollars. Yet, CPS students aren't worth as much.

Why is that?

Good question but there are going to be a lot of answers to that. It's easy for me to spout off some easy answers. For instance maybe Chicagoans aren't as serious about educating their children and what that entails. Perhaps they don't realize that public schools need up to date computers, school books, even recruiting and retaining good great excellent teachers. Also if we want to keep CPS students off the streets after school it would be nice to create some activities that might capture their interest.

For instance watching a report on WBBM-TV about the boycott a parent mentioned that at his local high school Fenger, there was no water in the swimming pool. Yet, at New Trier, students there can take scuba diving lessons. Awesome is it not? Why shouldn't CPS students have that same priviledge?

When I went to high school in the public schools, I saw some old yearbooks going back as far as 1971. It was cool to see some of the teachers I had at the time in their younger years. It was also cool to see that there were so many different activities a student could be involved in.

I wasn't trying to be a baseball, football, or basketball player when I was in high school. In fact these days I consider myself more of a baseball fan and our school was near championship caliber in baseball in my time there. Still it would have been nice if there had been a swimming team as there one was at my high school or a wrestling team. For us the pickings were slim as far as sports goes.

It would have also been nice if our school had an actual marching band. I would have enrolled in a course just to learn to play an instrument even if it were the drums. Of course when I was in school the band well we largely didn't know who they were unless they were practicing an instrument before class or saw them in a yearbook. At that there was a very small group. Indeed what was king was the school choir, so I certainly can't say our school was suffering musically.

In any case, what happened in the ensuing years that some of these activities were cut out? Was it an issue of money? Were the students no longer signing up for these activities? What happened?

Another question about school funding in Chicago is to ask where is the money that Chicago does get, thru property taxes or state/federal grants, going? Does most of that money go instead to adminstration instead of the classroom?

You know I was discussing this issue of CPS with my mother. I'm sure people are discussing this all the time, but could the fact that the schools aren't producing the value for however much is spent per-pupil is because CPS is a large unweidly system. Think about it over 600 schools on the elementary and secondary level and over 400,000 students. Although to be sure the system isn't the largest in the nation but it's right behind New York and Los Angeles' school systems.

You know this could lead to another issue. Should CPS be totally centralized from Adams & Clark Street? Shouldn't the individual schools be able to chart their own course as far as what they offer to their specific communities if not the rest of the city?

The issue almost brings to mind the LSCs. In the past year or so attempts have been made to strip LSCs of their authority over their schools and allow the Chicago Board of Education more authority over the individual schools. CPS may be touted at the largest decentralized system in the nation, however, this doesn't make for a solution to the fact that the CPS isn't at this moment noted for quality results.

Here's my two cents worth.

I don't think the issue with education is a funding issue. In following this boycott story over at The Sixth on Tuesday there were plenty of blurbs. One story suggested that Naperville spent less per-pupil than Chicago and they have quality results. The issue need not be about money. Money can't hurt for sure but it's not the only issue in my opinion.

It's never one thing of course, but before we just throw money at a problem let's consider quality. What might the city of Chicago get back on it's investment of about $10K per-pupil in the schools? Let's figure that out.

Should we be concerned that our kids are ready for the world? That is they can hold a job provided with the skills they would need to be productive. Should they be ready for college? Should they just know some basic skills that we would take for granted such as the three "Rs": reading, writing, and arithmetic? What should that return be and if the CPS isn't producing that return should we honestly increase the investment?

Perhaps this is what the CPS boycott should be about. We should be discussing various issues that will affect CPS students and their parents. In addition to that we should certainly consider the standard of living of this city in doing so.

Also in what ways can we turn our schools into New Triers? Not so much that they have to offer the same programs, activities or curricula. Still our schools can be places where students can learn the three "Rs" in addition to teaching our students some scuba diving.

Fact is if education should be a priority let's come up with some ideas on making CPS better. It's OK to focus on funding because obviously we have to figure that one out depending on what is expected for the schools to offer. Let's also focus on quality because even if the schools spend only, to throw a random low number, say $5K per-pupil and yet producing students ready for college and the workforce then it would still be a worthwhile investment. Would it not?

LINKS
CPS's problems: Monopoly and Teacher's Unions - The Sixth Ward
How does Chicago school funding stack up? - The Sixth Ward
Does “boycott” equal “busing?” - Chicago Argus

A church wants nothing to do with a politically manipulated land deal

This is a story from out in Aurora, Illinois from OpenLine...

Rev. Jesse Hawkins had a pretty good deal going. Sell part of the land his St. John's AME Church owns to Indian Prairie School District 204 for the new 3,000 student Metea Valley High School, keep part of the land for a new church and future campus expansion with plenty of money from the proceeds of the sale.

Except Aurora Mayor Thomas J. Weisner's buddy, State Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Plainfield?), decided to manipulate and interfere with the deal for reasons that have little to do with the future of children or a church and more to do with cronies, special buddies and campaign contributions.

A few days ago, citing "pressure" Midwest Generation announced it was backing out of selling the school district, which effectively kills the Eola site for the new high school AND the new church for the oldest African-American congregation in Aurora.

The minister is playing a form of hardball thus there is a twist...

...Rev. Hawkins says the church may be willing to sell all of its land, including its proposed church campus. That would still allow to generate millions from the land sale, but they would have to find an alternate location for their church.

This would make Midwest Generation's sale to the school district irrelevant giving the district enough land and, more specifically, knock down the Holmes-Weisner strategy of forcing the district to end up selling it to Holmes' buddies at Macon Corporation, who have another site they want to sell to the district.

Weisner (D-Florida), in political damage control (at taxpayer expense) claims he is "disappointed" the deal fell apart to build the new high school on Eola Road, but if this new twist goes through, it means his close buddy Linda Holmes gets foiled again.

I used to think we had it bad in Chicago, but looking at the state of things in Springfield perhaps I should have realized that this has certainly always been the way to do business in Illinois unfortunately. Ideally a change should be made although there is certainly no guarantee in any case.

It's been a long time since I've done this

Since I rode the L late at night. Well it's never been later than 7PM or maybe even 7:30. I like to keep it rare if I can you never know what'll happen if you do it long enough. Though it should be OK if you're doing this during rush hour which by that point is slowly winding down anyway.

It was made much nicer because it rained tonight with an unusual thunderstorm during the month of January. It was strange to find lightning streaks in the sky during the winter, it's not even March or April yet so it's very unusual. Just think we had our cold snap last week and by the end of the past weekend all the snow that had covered the ground had melted.

I took a ride all the way from Evanston back to the south side. I rode the Evanston Express for the first time (or I should call it the CTA Purple Line). Almost like I was on a Metra train and I got lucky enough to catch an express train. It was an express making no stops between Howard and Belmont. That was certainly the coolest part of the trip because I'd get irritated at having to make all stops on the Red Line between Howard and Belmont.

This is one way I have figured it. From Howard to Belmont on the Purple Line express it's express. After Belmont the Purple Line express is more or less a local or all-stops train. The Red Line is local between Howard and Belmont but is basically an express between Belmont and Fullerton. You know I have to admire how they configured the north side L, they certainly had some forsight in what they were doing.

Anyway I saw lightning and bright white lights emanating from the train's third rail. Something you'd have trouble catching during a bright sunshining day but it can be seen during the day. This was an interesting night hopefully nights like this will be rare.

Feds to Metra: Transit gridlock might kill rail upgrades, new projects

From the Daily Harold. My goodness our leaders in Springfield might truly be playing with dynamite here. One can't stay serious long enough and the others are just playing politics. Even one politician I can respect down there more than others. Anyway read on...

Gridlock in Springfield could lead to disastrous consequences for Chicago-area mass transit even beyond higher fares and service cuts, federal lawmakers warned today.

The Federal Transit Administration has told Metra officials that work on projects, including the STAR Line, which would link the North and Northwest suburbs with O'Hare International Airport, already is on hold.

And if state lawmakers fail to come up with a capital bill that provides matching dollars for transit improvements, the STAR Line and upgrades to the Union Pacific's North and Northwest lines could die, Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano cautioned.

At stake is about $1.5 billion in federal funds explained U.S. Reps. Melissa Bean and Mark Kirk during a press conference in Chicago.

"Mass transit is critical to suburban areas," said Bean, a Barrington Democrat. "We're here to tell our parties they need to get to the table."

The article mentions in its last sentence that gambling is being proposed to pay for capital projects. Now the trick is getting this passed and signed into law. It's not a panacea but it's an idea or at least a possible solution.

Kentucky governor snubs Aurora in ad

From today's Tribune...

When the governor of Kentucky visited Aurora recently, he didn't tell local officials that he intended to use the City of Lights to convince TV viewers that casinos bring evils and temptations into communities.

During his July visit, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher's crew took footage of the Hollywood Casino in Aurora. It was used as a TV ad as he readies himself for a re-election campaign.

Fletcher stopped in for a brief chat with Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner but didn't mention the planned ads.

"We are too busy working on things in Aurora to worry about the governor's race in Kentucky," said Carie Anne Ergo, city spokeswoman. She said Aurora found out the day the first ad aired last week because the mayor's office began getting phone calls from journalists in Kentucky.

Although not named specifically, the pink and yellow Hollywood Casino building scrolls across the background of the 30-second TV spot -- also on the governor's Web site -- while Fletcher denounces casinos for having negative social, economic and moral implications on the cities they serve.

"It's a story without a happy ending," Fletcher says in the ad.

Marty Ryall, the governor's campaign manager, said Fletcher visited an undisclosed number of communities with casinos within "a close proximity" to Kentucky as part of his "No Casino Tour."

If I recall correctly this governor has his own ethical issues. I guess he's doing what other ethically challenged politicians do, distract the electorate from his own problems. What can be said about that, eh?

Macy's in Lake Forest to close: paper

I never been to this place, and one reason I post this here is probably because it's no longer a Marshall Field's and the Macy's chain in the Chicago area has been struggling. Another reason is because it used to be a Marshall Field's and the fact that it's sounds like a freestanding store not much different than what used to be in Evanston and Oak Park.

This news is from Crain's...

Because of rising rent and fewer shoppers, Macy’s Inc. will close its downtown Lake Forest location at the end of January, according to the Chicago Tribune.

A Macy’s official told the Tribune that the combination of those factors contributed to the decision to not renew the lease on the 16,000-square-foot department store when it expires.

The store is the smallest in the Macy’s chain and one of the oldest of the former Marshall Field’s nameplates. The Marshall Field’s department store chain was purchased by Macy’s in August 2005; the New York-based retailer converted all stores to the Macy’s name in September 2006.

The Lake Forest store opened in 1928; it was the first suburban outpost for Marshall Field’s. Marshall Field’s moved the store to its current location three years later.

All 24 employees of the Lake Forest store are eligible to apply for open jobs at other stores, the Tribune reported.

White firefighters sue over promotions

This story caught my eye amongst the Capitol Fax morning shorts today.

This is probably a situation that comes up in the south suburbs. We could be talking about places such as South Holland, Harvey, Dixmoor, Markham, Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest, Riverdale or in this case Dolton. I only mention these suburbs because for the most part most of them have a population that is close to or above 50% black.

Anyway here's the story...

Four white part-time firefighters claim they were victims of discrimination when south suburban Dolton passed them over for promotion in favor of two black candidates whom they allege were not qualified for the job.
The lawsuit alleges Dolton Fire Chief Jerry McCullough told the white firefighters in a meeting, "If you're not black, you're not getting hired."

Dolton Mayor William Shaw hired two black firefighters to full-time positions on Aug. 11, 2006, even though they did not meet the requirement that they must have been part-time firefighters for at least two years, according to the civil rights lawsuit filed last week in federal court.

Patrick Walsh -- a lawyer for white firefighters Doug Brown, Stephanie McKinley-Hart, David Shinault and Donald Shinault -- also claimed one of the black firefighters did not take the required written exam, and the other one failed the test.

Here's a little more, especially about the list itself...

On Aug. 10, 2006, William Shaw and his twin brother Robert, the village inspector general, allegedly created a fake hiring list that removed the two-year part-time requirement. The Shaws back-dated the list to July 3, 2006 -- but the village clerk stamped the list Aug. 11, 2006, the lawsuit said.

That same day, village trustees approved hiring the black firefighters.

A lot of the residents of Dolton, let alone the mayor of Dolton, came from the city itself. So it seems that Bill Shaw has brought some of his racial politics with him from Chicago. And in a very unfortunate area where you just might need to find the best person for the job instead of just looking at their race.

Dolton casino would be winner for Shaws

The Shaws have been a frequent topic of discussion over time. These two brothers from Arkansas have a rather colorful history. They were players in Chicago until they moved with other blacks to the south suburbs.

One became Mayor of Dolton while holding a seat in the Illinois state senate (a seat he would lose to Rev. James Meeks). The other held a seat on the Cook County Board of Review (he would lose that to an ally of Jesse Jackson Jr.). They've attempted to find a Jesse Jackson to run against Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. It can get colorful.

So where am I going with this? Well Carol Marin talks about how a casino in the mostly stable middle class suburb of Dolton, Illinois could be of benefit to the Shaws. So let's take a look, shall we...

As Illinois legislators work this week to pass a gigantic new gambling -- sorry -- gaming bill, I am gripped by a fearful vision. I imagine that despotic duo, the Shaw brothers, gleefully cutting the ribbon on a new Dolton casino -- a civic nightmare that could actually become reality. The proposed legislation provides for four new casino licenses, one of which would be for the south suburbs, specifically designated to be within "eight miles from the Indiana border." Again, I am haunted by the specter of the Shaws, two-armed bandits, overseeing the one-armed variety.
...
I've never had any luck dialing the Village of Dolton. Mayor Bill Shaw, 70, is never in. Nor is his twin brother, Bob. Bob Shaw is the inspector general of Dolton, appointed by Bill to a $70,000-a-year corruption-busting post. Bob's mandate: to fearlessly investigate wrongdoing anywhere he finds it, with two notable exceptions: the executive and legislative branches of village government, where he and Bill get their paychecks, village cars and expense accounts.

The only thing about the Shaws to be grateful for, I suppose, is that their mother had twins, not triplets. These two have wreaked enough havoc on the notion of good government in 50 years of elective and appointed office.

That includes a civil racketeering suit against the village, convicted felons getting honorary police badges, and the testimony of a convicted drug smuggler in federal court saying he paid Mayor Shaw $30,000 to join the force.

In recent years, voters have gotten restless. Bob was deposed as alderman of Chicago's 9th Ward, dumped as a commissioner of the Cook County Board of Review (but not before voting to reduce his brother's property taxes), and defeated in a run for mayor of South Holland. Bill, meanwhile, only narrowly won a third term as Dolton mayor a couple of years ago after being clobbered by state Sen. James Meeks, who ejected him from his legislative seat in 2002.

So she wonders why we should care if the Shaws get their hands on the cash windfall of a south suburban casino on the Little Calumet River. Well think of it this way, we're still in Illinois...

And the Shaws still have powerful friends in high places, not the least of whom is Senate President Emil Jones, an ardent fan of gaming, a 30-year friend of the twins, and a ferocious supporter of a south suburban casino location.

There is plenty of concern down in Springfield that the Brothers Shaw might be holding a fistful of aces on this deal.

Meeks, no fan of gambling and no friend of Bill and Bob, said he put the question of a Dolton casino directly to the Senate president. Meeks, by phone Tuesday, said that Jones told him, "This would not be a Dolton boat." Was that assurance enough for Meeks that a riverboat is not going to Dolton? "I am not convinced it's not," was the senator's grim response.

He's not alone. That's why it's more important than ever that Illinois thoroughly investigate any and all bidders, businesses and potential casino locations before handing anybody one of these four licenses.

The job of that investigation falls to the Illinois Gaming Board. But guess what? While the casino license bill has been put on a faster track down in Springfield, a separate, urgent piece of gaming reform legislation has been deader than a doornail. That's the bill that would make the Illinois Gaming Board independent of state government, which it currently is not, and would beef up its budget and staff. In recent years, the number of its investigators dropped from 15 to nine.

Today, its staff is too tiny, its budget too small, and its ability to be independent too shackled by the state bureaucracy that willfully impedes its work. In the pay-to-play universe of Illinois politics, that's frightening.

If we don't want a casino in Dolton, and trust me, we don't, then lawmakers better make sure the Illinois Gaming Board gets what it needs. If it doesn't, then lawmakers should cash in this big casino bill and give up the game.

Hmmm I wonder how Nevada's or New Jersey's gaming oversight operates. I hope their indenpendent because if we're trying to use gambling for more governmental revenues then we need to take a page out of their books.

Related Posts
Shaw twins robbing Dolton taxpayers
South Suburban politics...

A couple of good columns today...

From Kristen McQueary of the Daily Southtown, taking aim at the elections that took place in the south suburbs. She really talked about the shenanigans in the suburb of Harvey. Why did the voters choose Mayor Eric Kellogg despite the problems with his administration. Let's have a looksie...

As much as I hoped to credit this newspaper's year-long "Eye on Harvey" series for a Kellogg loss on election day, it didn't happen. Residents re-elected the guy we've been lambasting on a weekly basis and whose government we had to sue to gain access to city financial records.

What does this mean?

a) The Daily Southtown has zero clout in Harvey.

b) Corruption, nepotism and incompetence are OK.

c) The voters of Harvey are remarkably uninformed.

d) All of the above.

I'm going with "D," all of the above.

In the end, the Southtown's almost-daily coverage of mismanagement in Harvey -- family members on the payroll, police department ineptitude that required outside intervention, missing city revenue, dozens of expensive federal lawsuits -- actually worked to Kellogg's advantage.

We were viewed as being too tough on the hometown guy; the "white" newspaper down the street beating up on the black mayor. Even Kellogg's opponents admitted as much.

There's also the question of vote accuracy. The Cook County clerk last week flagged questionable absentee voting in Harvey, and it's long been a Harvey tradition to bus-in and "reward" voters who cooperate.

Still, Kellogg's commanding win over his opponents diminishes any credible claims of widespread foul play.

I doubt Kellogg's re-election will soften coverage of his administration on the news pages here, but let the guy savor his victory. Tomorrow it's back to work.

Certainly, it's not the first time voters disregarded newspaper coverage and ignored editorial endorsements. Todd Stroger won the Cook County Board presidency despite a spate of disapproving news stories and only one major newspaper endorsement.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich won a second term despite an overwhelming, years-long wave of damaging headlines, from federal and state investigations to contract scandals to Blagojevich's personal finances and the indictment of a close friend.

So voters, what are you trying to tell us, the news media? Buzz off? Get lost?

Or is our "we told you so" moment still on the horizon?

Originally I was going to run off at the mouth seeing this one, but it was better to let her tell her story. Eventually the wrong doing with the Kellogg administration will catch up to him. It's only a matter of when. If it's not the next election it will certainly be an indictment. We'll see.

I want to point out my favorite columnist Mary Mitchell's column. This is her take on what happened in the 3rd ward and why...

Earlier in the day, she talked about what she would face if elected. She would have to pull off "a sensitive balancing act," she said. "I have to have a White Castle to White House mentality."

That was clear at her election night celebration, where supporters reflected every region of the ward -- from the South Loop to west of the Dan Ryan Expy., from public housing residents to those who live in expensive greystones

On Tuesday, the battle for the ward came down to old school vs. new school -- old school being Tillman, a civil rights icon who shaped what was once a vast wasteland of dilapidated high-rises and neglected greystones into one of the hottest neighborhoods on the South Side -- while Dowell, a former city planner, represents emerging black leadership.

"A lot of single people in cars have been pulling up and coming up to the polls and voicing their opinion," Isaac said. "Many of them feel that Dorothy Tillman let them down.''

After all the speeches, coffees and fund-raisers, elections boil down to who can get their supporters out to the polls.

I tagged along as Dowell went from precinct to precinct checking on how things were going. There were concerns that her workers may have been targets for intimidation.

For her part, Tillman, if she were in the fight for her political career, was making a good showing -- at least when it came to outsiders. She scored a big coup when she got Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to endorse her campaign since doing so appeared to contradict his own presidential theme of representing "change."
...
Old school voters were plentiful in nursing homes, senior citizen residences and the few standing public housing buildings at CHA's Dearborn and Ickes homes. Tillman used a tried and true method of getting them to the polls. She brought vans. She made promises.
At Dearborn Homes, a van with loudspeakers on top blasted old school jams in the middle of an empty parking lot.

"She came out here and promised to bring back Old School Sundays," said a young woman who lives in one of the buildings.

Old School Sundays was an impromptu music fest shut down by police after several people were shot. Maybe Tillman's promise was enough to bring out some voters, but many of the young people who cared about the issue were likely unable to cross gang turf to cast ballots.

Dowell knew the real battleground was in Bronzeville on 47th and King Drive.

When she arrived there about 4 p.m., her signs had disappeared. A supporter quickly came to the rescue. She spotted two boys playing on the sidewalk and offered them $5 apiece to put the signs back.

They skipped away to complete the task, unaware they were major players in a battle for the future of the South Side's mecca.

Late Tuesday, Zakiyyah S. Muhammad summed up the mood at Dowell's gathering: "It's a new day. Out with the old. All the king's men and all the king's horses couldn't save Dorothy and all of her forces.''

Well Bronzeville is gentrifying so there is bound to be a clash between the old poorer resident versus the much more well to do. What did Tillman in certainly was that she no longer had the projects along State Street and she's Alderman of a significantly different ward with some constituents across the Dan Ryan. So the municipal election season in Chicago is just about officially over.

Mom says teacher hit teen for dating white girl

This story caught my eye this morning and of all places this is from the city of Naperville and to be sure I didn't think it was a black woman who did the hitting but a white guy. Perhaps unusual for a white person (guy or gal), still it was my first reaction. Unfortuate incident though.

You know she should have left the kid alone. To be honest I hear that black women have a problem with black men dating white women. I don't mean to open a can of worms here, but it's out there. This is just one story among many that won't make the paper and no I'm not saying it's all about teachers slapping their students for dating a woman outside of their race.

The alleged incident has racial overtones. The 26-year-old business teacher, Akela Dillon, is black. So is the teen.

He was in the hallway between classes April 3 when, according to the student's mother, Dillon approached. The teacher then made derogatory remarks about him dating a white female and "smacked" him in the face, said the mother, Tiffany Stephens.

Stephens said she was called by the school and initially told her son was in trouble and had struck Dillon. But that version fell apart when a surveillance tape of the incident was viewed, Stephens said.

"I was upset at first the teacher said my son attacked her," Stephens said. "But then when I saw the videotape, it switched. There was no reason for her to do that to my son."

Naperville Police Lt. Dave Hoffman said his department is investigating a teacher allegedly striking a student. Battery charges are pending.

A statement from Indian Prairie School District 204 said Dillon is a first-year teacher who immediately was removed when the allegations came to light. "She is currently on paid administrative leave while the district works with the Naperville Police Department to investigate the incident," the statement said.

Daley coalition tackles education funding reform

It makes sense to me. I don't like the idea of raising taxes, but if there is insistence that there is a problem then we should talk about decisions to solve it. Right now there is a debate brewing in Springfield about this Gross Receipts Tax to fund a universal health care program and provide more money for schools. In this debate is to move the burden of school funding from the property tax.

Now we see this news in the Sun-Times today about a new coalition Daley formed.

On Tuesday, a Daley-formed coalition of 272 mayors unveiled a 10-point plan designed by the Civic Federation to guarantee that any new money for education will be spent on programs that impact classroom learning.

Every school board member in Illinois would be required to undergo at least six hours of training on financial oversight. School districts would develop long-term financial plans that include multiyear forecasts of revenue, spending and debt. Long-term capital improvement plans would also be required.

User-friendly budgets would be posted on the Internet. Performance measures would be developed and publicly reported for support services.

The State Board of Education would create an office to police the reforms and impose sanctions against noncomplying school administrators. Ultimately, the state board could withhold funding from school districts that thumb their noses at the reforms and remove recalcitrant administrators.

And a suburban mayor who was with him at a south elementary school had this to say...

At a news conference at the Hampton Fine and Performing Arts School, 3434 W. 77th St., Elgin Mayor Ed Schock called the accountability measures a vital first step toward illusive education funding reform.

"Forty years of history and experience tells us that, when it's money alone, it hasn't succeeded ... So we said, 'Before we talk about money, let's talk about how we're going to be good stewards of the money we're asking people to give us," Schock said.

Maybe I'm wrong but for the most part, I don't recall too many politicians calling for accountability of our public schools. I think this is one angle never tried and worth doing. There are other reforms I'd like to see though, such as vouchers. There's more still...

Daley said the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus would meet next week to get behind a specific funding plan. Instead of choosing between the gross receipts tax proposed by Gov. Blagojevich, the state income tax increase championed by state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) and competing proposals to expand casino gambling, "It's going to be a combination of things," Daley said.

"Everybody believes they're right. Everybody's very emotional, very passionate about this issue," he said.

"Democrats have the House, the Senate and every elected office in state government. We should be able to show the public that we can govern."

So this is what I want to see and other people. An honest discussion about school funding. And that last statement that is in bold, OUCH!!! I think since Democrats locked up control of the Governor's mansion and the General Assembly that has been a problem. And it might still be a problem. Either way hopefully this will work out.

What's going on Harvey???

The Mayor out there in the struggling suburb Mayor Eric Kellog is starting to sound like a rough character. He's serving his first term as mayor after defeating his predecessor Nicholas Graves in 2005. This time though there some allegations are coming out about this campaign coming from Mayoral hopeful Brenda Thompson...

But in Harvey, the death threat Thompson says she received last Monday evening has also become a standard, far more ominous feature of election season.

Thompson, 58, became the third mayoral candidate in the past three elections to complain of a warning against her life last Tuesday, when she said that an unidentified man called and told her to drop out of the race.

"He called the campaign office and said, 'You'd better get out of the race, or something is gonna happen,' " she said.

"My daughters tell me I should be worried, but I'm not going to be intimidated."

The threat has been reported to state's attorneys and the FBI, said Thompson, adding that she did not trust Harvey's police department to investigate.

Before it went to the death threat story this Daily Southtown article talked about how elections go. You would hear about the theft of campaign signs. If only that was all it was. Then a death threat has become a much more,"a standard, far more ominous feature of election season."

There seems to be a history of this in Harvey. If there isn't any truth to what is mentioned here, it doesn't help that the allegations are going around...

In 1999, a Harvey police report surfaced alleging that a $2,000 bounty had been placed on then-Mayor Nick Graves by his rival Eric Kellogg.

Kellogg, who beat Graves to become mayor in the 2003 election, scoffed at the allegation.

And the police union, which backed Kellogg in the 2003 election, made its own counter-allegation of a death threat in 2002, claiming in a lawsuit that Graves had threatened to kill union officials during heated contract talks.

After his election, Kellogg then claimed at a council meeting in early 2004 that his and his family's lives had been threatened.

Three months earlier he, Police Chief Andrew Joshua and two controversial officers, Darnell Keel and Merritt Gentry, hauled in three women employed by the city and aggressively questioned them about a plot against Kellogg's life, according to a lawsuit the three women filed in 2004 and the city later settled for $60,000.

Mayoral hopeful Thompson has said that Harvey is a city, "gone wild". Still I don't know it takes a very courageous and a stand-up person to run for mayor of Harvey especially if there are those who are willing to use thuggish tactics to keep someone or themselves in office. It could also reek of desperation.