The Blog

Same old dog shit. time and time again. Daley is shit blah ha ha.

Daley changed his mind after Zell told him that the Tribune would make is life miserable by the truths they print about Daley

I thought a city casino was somehow tied into Daley's moonwalking on this issue, as in the state would grease the wheels for a casino for downtown. At least I thought I read that somewhere...

I dunno if the ticket sales would dwindle with a new park. You might lose some of the tourist trade, but Wrigleyville is still Wrigleyville. A new location, on the other hand, that might kill attendance.

Putting your hopes in one alderman who was appointed by the Mayor to his seat doesn't bode well for the taxpayers. I can't wait to see how the Trib sport writers and financial writers put the spin on this one. But after the pledge to not use taxpayer money to finance the Mayors distraction bid for the Olympics was broken within weeks of his reelection, you would have to be naive to be shocked by the Mayor's turn around. My only question is when the finances of the City/County/State become so grotesquely out of balance (we are very near the tipping point) will the business community finally step up and fund the campaigns of some competent opponents to the political status quo - or will they just walk away and leave IL as a lost cause full of politicians who talk about 'rocking the system' or 'changing the way we do things' or ending 'pay to play' all the while acting completely the opposite? I am beginning to think it is time to jump before the whole thing sinks. But we do have casinos on the way – that will solve everything - right?

Zell is in Tunney's rolodex a taste: 12/31/2002 $500.00 Samuel Zell to Citizens for Tunney Zell wrote checks to Daley & Tunney and told them to go ahead and be skeptical for a few days, he'll understand

Hugh: Is 500 dollars really going to matter to Tunney that much?

Disgusted: Was that appointment by the Mayor of Tunney to an aldermanic vacancy a life time appointment ? Or was that election last February just a figment of my imagination ?

Tunney ran unopposed in 2007 because no one has the fund-raising ability Tunney does. Money is everything in politics, and all the money is behind Tunney.

Whether or not you live in the 44th Ward, write Alderman Tunney (Ward44@cityofchicago.org) and encourage him to continue opposing the Zell-Wrigley handout. If you don't live in the 44th, write your own alderman as well and voice your opposition. Tunney needs allies! http://www.cityofchicago.org, click on "Your Ward and Alderman". Don't forget to contact your state representative, state senator and the governor. Regardless of where you live in Illinois, you'll be paying for this! http://www.elections.illinois.gov/DistrictLocator/AddressSearch.aspx

What will the 'new' owners of the Cubs pay to lease Wrigley Field from the state? And, would this amount, over the life of the lease, equal or exceed the total costs incurred by the taxpayers to repair their newly acquired property? And would the state, being the owners of Wrigley Field, have the right to offer it's lease to other interested parties, should the Cubs' new owner(s) decide they don't want to pay the required lease amounts needed for the taxpayers to recoup their investment, if not profit from it?

Tunney has never won a contested election. He was appointed and then did not have an opponent in the last election. If the muffin man is the last defense on a huge corporate give away, I wouldn't call that hope, but desperation.

Seems like if Tunney was doing a bad job, there would be line of people running to unseat him. And the money argument is a red-herring. Diane Dixon did not need money to beat a do-nothing Mike Chandler.

The 'money argument' is never a red herring. Tom Tunney, or Tee Tee, as he's known to his friendlier constituents, has had the good fortune of being a guy in the right place, at the right time. It's demographics that's kept him in office, demographics and his willingness to provide a certain segment of his constituents with what they desire, leaving the rest of us to our own devices. A detailed scrutiny of the history of his actions and inactions will, no doubt, reveal the nature and substance of the kind of 'job' he's been doing. Other than those residents planning on being former residents of the 44th ward, all the ward's residents should make the effort to research his 'record' of activities.

Why did Sandy Jackson not vote for the Jon Burge settlement???? An historic vote

"Re: T" -- After the aldermanic handoff from Bernie Hansen to Tom Tunney, Tunney did face a contested election in 2003 when five other candidates opposed him. He got slightly more than 50% of the vote and didn't have to go through a run-off election. Tunney's opposition to the Zell-Wrigley deal may be motivated by self-interest. A proposed means of financing the deal involves the 1% tax on restaurant meals now levied by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority for McCormick Place. Right now its northern boundary ends at Diversey, but the tax could be extended to Waveland Avenue or beyond -- and Tunney's Ann Sathers would feel the pinch. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/701566,CST-NWS-wrig18.article Regardless, encouragement not disparagement is needed. Moaning and groaning on forums like this one is not going to achieve anything. Action will. Voice your support of Tunney and contact your local and state elected officials.

"Tunney's opposition to the Zell-Wrigley deal ... Voice your support of Tunney ... " Tunney's "opposition" will have just about the same viability as Daley's - a 1st round of quotes in the paper for show.

Is 500 dollars really going to matter to Tunney that much? If you're thinking of running against Tunney and you see 5 bills from a billionaire in the disclosures, it's worth a lot more to Tunney than face value.

Is 500 dollars really going to matter to Tunney that much? Zell is a Tunney campaign contributor. It's a relationship. It's part of the story that was not reported. The Trib called Tunney for a quote but apparently didn't ask questions like, have you discussed this with Zell?

Cynical inaction will get us nowhere. Keeping up the support -- and the pressure -- will. And make no mistake, it is a long process.

Don't get angry, get even. HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT

I thought the Cubs were going ahead with that expansion anyway. They have planned this for years. I don't think they need the city to bail them out or help them to build it, other than being able to buy that triangle shaped land from the city, which I'm pretty sure is a done deal.