Wednesday, March 7, 2007
News / Clout City On it goes in the 25th Ward
Posted by Ben Joravsky on Wed, Mar 7, 2007 at 4:15 PM
As anyone who knows anything about the arcane world of election law will tell you, Michael Kasper is one of Michael Madigan's favorite weapons.
When the house speaker and state Democratic chieftain wants to bounce some nettlesome challenger from the ballot, generally to protect the incumbency of a legislative loyalist, he tends to bring in Kasper, who knows the intricacies of the election law like the back of his hand.
So what in the world is Kasper doing helping independent 25th Ward aldermanic challenger Cuahutemoc Morfin in his ongoing election challenge against incumbent alderman and Daley stalwart Danny Solis?
"I don't know the answer to that question," says Richard Means, Morfin's lawyer. "I can tell you this--I got a call from Kasper and he wants to help."
Did you fall off your chair?
"Almost," Means said with a laugh.
Kasper and Madigan spokesman Steve Brown did not return calls for comment, but a very good source tells me that Madigan did indeed ask Kasper to help Means with the case.
By bringing in Kasper to fight against Solis, the inscrutable Madigan is sending a message, though just what it is is difficult to say. Perhaps he wants to let Solis's chief ally, Mayor Daley, know that even with the mayor's 71 percent election-day mandate, there's still another Democratic big shot in town.
Meanwhile, Morfin's challenge suffered a blow yesterday. Means had petitioned the election board to release the number of early and absentee votes for Ambrosio Medrano, who was stricken from the ballot just a few days before the election. Solis squeaked by with just 51.42 percent of the vote, and if 200 votes for Medrano were included in the tally, the alderman would be bumped below 50 percent of the total vote and forced into a possible runoff with Morfin, who finished second.
Yesterday the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners granted Means's request. The result: 178 early or absentee votes cast for Medrano. Close but no cigar.
Means hasn't given up. He plans to make another appearance before the election board tomorrow, asking for the release of 24 write-in votes and any provisional ballots that have yet to be tallied.
I wouldn't expect many write-in votes for a candidate listed on the ballot. But maybe Kasper has a trick or two up his sleeve.
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> ... the inscrutable Madigan is sending a message, though just what it is is difficult to say. Perhaps he wants to let Solis's chief ally, Mayor Daley, know that ... there's still another Democratic big shot in town. strange bedfellows, this is a bizarre twist is the Madigan-Daley relationship that poisoned?
Mike Kasper is a corrupt scumbag. He is the HDO lawyer. This is not Madigan, who is a moral leader, but Victor Reyes.
This all about HDO and Victor Reyes.
All they need is 17 more votes to make the total 7040 and Solis got 3520 which is 50% but to win it is 50%+1
So is Danny Boy in a runoff? or not?
Just get your affairs in order for the next election Mr. David E. Neeley!
Sorry to busst up this hot conspiracy, but a check of my phones does not show a call from Ben so I guess he did not call. I am not aware that Madigan initiated Mr. Kasper's inquiry about the contested votes.
I just got off the phone with Steve Brown and he says he didn't get my page last week, which is the usual way I reach him.
the political soap opera continues... the one constant is that, unlike the soaps on daytime tv, these guys don't care about the nielson ratings, nor do they care about 'quality entertaiment, nor do they need to be concerned whether or not their 'viewers' buy the crappy products they're selling, because us poor 'viewers' ain't got no choice but to pay... it's called taxation with crappy misrepresentation.
No offense to the honest citizens of Mexico, but: well traveled March 14th - 10:48 p.m. the areas in the 12th ward known as 'little mexico' didn't get this name for nothing. spend a few months in Mexico and you'll soon realize that Chicago-style politics is tame in comparison. so, it's not surprising that those transplanted natives of our southern neighbor would bring with them their particular style of political campaigning. the historically astute will recall hooliganism around election time as being the rule, rather than the exception. Sadly, the voters understand that, even though their vote is a secret, they still have to show their faces at the polling place and run the gauntlet of goons unleashed upon the neighborhood. and who is naive enough to have faith that their absentee vote will be applied to who they voted for, let alone counted at all? or maybe most of the residents of this ward are too busy dodging gangbanger crossfire and working two - three jobs, just to barely keep up with paying their rent and utilities? life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. some peoples' understanding of these words are radically different than others. what do they mean to you?
Sometimes I wonder if those who don't vote or don't register to vote understand how much of their hard earned income is wasted by the gross mismanagement and misuse of the tax dollars we all are forced to 'pony up'. Property Taxes, (part of your rent, if you don't own property AND part of the price you pay for everything you buy, goods and services, 'cause the businesses you buy from pay the same or greater taxes than you do.) Sales taxes of all kinds. Income taxes, both state and federal. Licenses, Fees, Fines, Permits, etc. (also passed on to the consumers) Utility taxes, in addition to the sales taxes, which juice your utility bills. Mystery taxes you may or may not see, and couldn't know what they're for anyway. What's the calculation now, something like 40% - 45% of our GROSS income is taken from us in taxes. Every year we work from January 1st until mid May and ALL of our income earned during that time goes directly into the pockets of some government agency. Granted, many things that government uses our tax dollars for are beneficial to us all. Many, however, are not. Yet, year after year, decade after decade, there still seems to be a steady 70% - 80% of our fellow citizens who either don't vote or don't even bother to register. Our 'elected officials' pay lip service to 'getting more people to register', and only make efforts to do so that benefit their particular political party. WAKE UP, WAKE UP, SLEEPY VOTERS! Our fates are in our own hands.
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