Wednesday, December 10, 2008
News / Clout City The man who would be king
Posted by Ben Joravsky on Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 1:24 PM
At the risk of sounding like Freud, none of this would have happened had Governor Blagojevich not lost sight of who he was or where he came from or, most importantly, whom he owed for his success. His relentless desire to shake down folks doing business with the state, his hunger to build the mightiest of political machines, his obsession to be the man, the kingmaker, the top pol in Illinois--it all stems from the fact that he would be nothing if not for alderman Richard Mell, and he knows it.
In 1988, when Blago was still a young man, he fell in love with Mell's daughter Patti. And alderman Mell fell in love with Blago. It could be that Mell saw in Blago all the things he never had--boyish charm, an aw-shucks personality, the real possibility of higher office. I remember some of Mell's allies telling me about it. They'd never seen anything quite like the old man's infatuation with young Rod. You couldn't tell him anything bad about Blago. He didn't want to hear it--driving Blagojevich to the top was one of Mell's top priorities.
Every step of the way, Mell was there for his son-in-law, dispatching his legion of patronage workers to bring in the vote when Blago ran for state rep in 1992, congress in 1996 and, of course, governor in 2002.
The betrayal was almost immediate. On election night Blagojevich thanked just about everyone except for Mell, and he immediately tried to set up his own political operation. In retrospect, I think Blagojevich's purpose was twofold. He was making sure he wouldn't have to depend on Mell for his next election. Beyond that, he had presidential aspirations, and he probably thought it would hurt his reformer's image to have close ties to an old cuss from Chicago's Democratic machine.
For some time, Mell wouldn't talk about the betrayal. But it was only a matter of time before his allies started spilling the beans. I got a call in the spring of 2004 from Frank Avila, who set up a meeting with Dominic Longo, one of Mell's top precinct captains, at a restaurant in Streeterville. As they gobbled up their food, they spilled their guts, laying out all the acts of betrayal Blagojevich had committed against his father-in-law. He'll get his, Avila predicted.
So it seems.
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NEXT ITS YOU RICHIE http://bp0.blogger.com/_vmpSO2BbYCE/SJQE5MPW45I/AAAAAAAACGA/9BqY36YYXm8/s1600-h/daley+jfwd.jpg
Dom Longo stiil muscles his guys for money! he should go to jail with Rod Blago!!
Frank Avila and Dom Longo are two great guys. I have nothing but respect for the both. Longo is a very smart political operative. I tell everyone, if you want to get into office, contact Longo!
Betrayal or not, Mell's daughter is on the hook, and his powering will diminish. Who fills the void?
http://steamworksonline.com/chicago/chicago.html
Frank Avila has been telling everyone that HDO were crooks since 1995 and that Rod Blagojevich was going to jail since 2004. I guess Frank Avila was right. The US Attorney will protect Daley and he will not get indicted.
This is really very sad, I knew Rod, he was a smart guy who early on latched on to Ed Vrdolyak, Later he met Patti and fell in love with her fathers power, after Mell paved the road for him to be a State Representative,Congressman and finally Governor Rod decided he no longer need Mell and the 33rd Ward that made him, he hooks up with the phony liberal do gooders and the guys from NY City that fed his ego and said he could be President, like the Movie A Beautiful Mind I think Rod has a similar disorder that John Nash had, perhaps schizophrenia.......and I an Len O'Connor
Frank Avila should be appointed US Senator.
Rod should of listened to Mell and Dom Longo--he would not be in these problems today. Instead Rod listened to Tony Rezko and CK1 Chrissy Kelly--Lon Monk was bad for Blago too.
They don't make 'em any more honest and civic-minded than Dick Mell, Frank Avila and Dom Longo. They are the cornerstones of Chicago politics. Dom Longo deserved a medal of some sort, not the jail time the courts gave him.
Frank Avila has fought against HDO, Jon Burge and Rod Blagojevich. Nobody has a better reform record. I hope Patrick Quinn becomes governor.
For more than a decade my good friend Frank Avila has been active with us at the Illinois Committee for Honest Government (ICHG). Many of those who had been irked by his attacks are silent today, for the truth does win out in the end. The ICHG joined with Avila in speaking out against actions taken by the governor and his administration back in 2004. We sought his ouster fom his office in 2006, and we how call on him to resign immediately. Should he refuse to do so, the General Assembly must impeach him without delay. The State of Illinois can not afford the spectacle of having the Illinois Senate called into session on January 14 under its temporary presidng officer (until John Cullerton is elected Senate President), Governor Rod Blagojevich!
This interview with Blagojevich is over the top! http://punkeconomics.blogspot.com/2008/12/rod-just-wont-leave-me-again.html
Yo, randy, is bernie stone a member of ICHG?
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Sarah http://www.thetreadmillguide.com
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