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Elections: State Representative, 26th District
Wheeler- Dealers for ChangeIn a key lakefront district, the candidates for state rep are promising to change the game by playing the game.
By Mick Dumke January 31, 2008
According to Phillip Jackson, the other candidates vying to be state rep from the 26th District would be wise not to discount Phillip Jackson. “Some people would say, ‘You’re too independent. You’re always doing what’s right for the people.’ That is correct,” he says. “The other guys, they’ve got billboards. They’ve got robocalls, they’ve got mailings—good! Keep it up! All we do is touch the people.”
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Everybody who's anybody in Chicago seems to owe somebody for it, which raises the central question: who's really a reformer, and could a real reformer ever actually win? Here are some of the key races with candidates who say they are and say they can.
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State's Attorney
A True Outsider He's got plenty of experience and he's beholden to no one. Why doesn't anyone take Tommy Brewer seriously?
By Mick Dumke
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Board of Review Commissioner
The Pot and the Kettle Can either of these well-connected men really help the little guy keep his property taxes down?
By Ben Joravsky
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Recorder of Deeds
Bureaucrat or Showboat? The incumbent says he's quietly modernizing this obscure office; his opponent, alderman Ed Smith, says he wants to clean it up and maybe even shut it down.
By Mick Dumke
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Ward Committeeman
The Whistle-Blower If the chips fall right, fired city worker Frank Coconate could find himself in office.
By Ben Joravsky
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State Representative
Wheeler-Dealers for Change In a key lakefront district, the candidates for state rep are promising to change the game by playing the game.
By Mick Dumke
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Not everyone wants to be touched, but the Illinois General Assembly’s dismal recent record has inspired widespread desire for independence. In the 26th District, a stretch of the lakefront from South Shore to the Gold Coast, the calls have become yelps, hollers, and outright shouts. Barack Obama once represented the area in the state senate, and his presidential campaign themes have been eagerly seized on by Jackson and the other four contenders for the house seat: they’re all proclaiming their commitment to shaking things up while quietly promising to use their connections and collaborative skills to get things done. All say the state needs to prioritize education, health care, transit, gun control, and economic development. Attorney Paul Chadha points out that he teaches a class on negotiation at the Northwestern School of Law—a skill that could come in handy. Businessman Kenny Johnson promises to be a “breath of fresh air” but has leaned on his friend and former boss Jesse Jackson Jr. for advice, aid, and credibility. Will Burns, a former staffer for Obama and state senate president Emil Jones, says he’s at the front of “a movement and not just a campaign”—one that includes that well-known reformer Mayor Daley and a host of other political insiders. Even the incumbent, Elga Jeffries, goes out of her way to declare her independence, saying that Emil Jones called her an Uncle Tom when she defied him to vote for a freeze on electric rates. Then she adds that house speaker and state Democratic chairman Michael Madigan is backing her reelection bid. But none of them claims to be both a reformer and a backroom deal maker with the unbridled enthusiasm of Phillip Jackson, an education activist who has served as a top official for the Chicago Public Schools, a budget wonk for the Daley administration, and head of the Chicago Housing Authority. “I’m running for change,” he says, his voice quickly rising to rally volume. “A lot of people talk about it, but I’ve been doing it—for 30 years! I’m the only guy who’s worked inside City Hall and picketed City Hall! Everywhere I go, I get things done! Good things happen!” Jackson says he was a key player in improving test scores in the schools and in the transformation of public housing—but adds that he’s not completely happy with either the plans for school reform or the dispersal of former CHA residents. He says he personally knows most members of the City Council, the general assembly, and the area’s congressional delegation, and he argues that his 2002 support for Rod Blagojevich was a key reason the governor topped Paul Vallas, Jackson’s former boss at CPS. Jackson says he’s not sure why none of the officials he knows has endorsed his candidacy. “I’m not doing this to garner endorsements,” he says. “Why won’t these people support me? I can’t answer that.” He adds: “Those guys, they all have a Phillip story, and it’s a good story. And this is what I can tell you: I’m going to make sure that all of our children are properly educated.” Specifically, Jackson says, the state needs to find ways to create “academic zones” around schools so that parents, communities, and businesses are as involved and accountable as professional educators. He says he has the communication and people skills to make it happen. “I’m the only candidate who has walked up every block in the district, because that’s what I do,” Jackson says. “This morning I was [campaigning] on 26th and Michigan, and it was freezing out there. All I got was 12 people in an hour and a half. But guess what? Those were 12 people I would have missed.” Several of the candidates claim their polls have them in a position to win. Jackson is one of them, and he discounts the rest. “These guys are not running against a man—they’re running against an image. And fair or not, it’s that I care about people.”
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From the Reader blogs Clout City Mick Dumke: Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. renews his campaign to bring another Wal-Mart to Chicago.
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JR at 11:03 AM on 1/31/2008
Wow - this is the worst commentary on an election I've ever seen. You chose to focus on a candidate who claims to be a "reformer and a back room deal maker". Those are at odds with one another my friend, much like Phil Jackson’s image in this article and the truth.
You clearly did no investigative research for this Jackson puff piece. According to his campaign filing with the State Board of Elections, Phil Jackson - the reformer who has more than once claimed that he eschews the political machine and takes no PAC money - launched his campaign with a $10,000 campaign transfer from Citizens for Preckwinkle. Not only does that make him a liar, it may make him a criminal. Illinois campaign disclosure laws require electronic filings after you've raised or spent an aggregate of $10,000. Despite receiving the funds in July of 2007, Mr. Jackson was still filing on paper until January 22 in an obvious attempt to hide this transfer. How can you be outside the political machine when you launch your campaign with money from an Alderman’s campaign fund?
By the way, when he talks about "picking city hall", he picketed the CHA--WHILE HE WAS IN CHARGE OF IT. So instead of changing the CHA from the inside, this guy chose a publicity stunt that made no sense at all. Expect more of the same if he is elected.
Shame on the Chicago Reader for shoddy reporting and even shoddier judgment.
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Spook at 1:59 PM on 1/31/2008
JR, what Machine Pol are you supporting, the current do nothing state rep, who replaced a do nothing state rep. or Will Burns, a decent guy but still a loyal Machine guy. And I'll tell you this, I always thought that Preckwinkle was just a mean old school marm. Ethical and independent, but still mean. Well, now that I know she is supporting Philip, I have so much new found respect for her! Philip would be the best and most progressive elected offical Chicago has had since Harold Washington. He of course dosen't have the charm, wit and intelligence of Harold, but he will just as progressive and he is the only elected official that stands up for Black Childern. And he could not change CHA from the inside because Daley's only goal was to destroy it. So Phil quit. How rare is this?
Long live Preckwinkle for supporting Philip Jackson. I just wish I lived in his district!
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JR at 2:50 PM on 1/31/2008
Firstly - ethical and independent Ms. Preckwinkle gave money to Jackson but then endorsed machine pol Burns. That's neither ethical nor independent, but it is mean. I have already voted in this race and I voted for Chadha - a true progressive Democrat, independent of the machine and the only veteran of our armed forces in the race. He is obviously the best candidate by any measure - and he's stood up for children more than anyone in the race.
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JR at 2:54 PM on 1/31/2008
Ethical and independent Ms. Preckwinkle gave money to Jackson but then endorsed machine pol Burns. That's neither ethical nor independent, but it is mean. I have already voted in this race and I voted for Chadha - a true progressive Democrat, independent of the machine and the only veteran of our armed forces in the race. He is obviously the best candidate by any measure - and he's stood up for children more than anyone in the race.
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moonrise929 at 3:51 PM on 1/31/2008
Preckwinkle is apparently playing both sides of the fence -- hedging her bets, maybe? In another column written by Mick Dumke, Mick wrote that Will Burns (a/k/a/ "Loyal Machine Guy") was bragging about his Preckwinkle support, and Preckwinkle is listed on Will Burns' website as endorsing him.
So much for integrity.
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spook at 11:35 PM on 1/31/2008
So why is Chada a true progressive? And how has he( obviously) the best candadite who (stood up for children) more than Philip Jackson with the Black Star Project?
And sorry, I'm not some Red Eye Reality TV watching simpleton, so I don't care if a candadite served in the military, actually I'm more interested in a candadite who is not a joiner, not a follower, but some one who takes a principled stand as oppossed to just joining up.
and yes Preckwinkle playing both sides of the fence is sad, typical Chicago.
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moonrise929 at 9:24 AM on 2/1/2008
Take a look at just a few organizations for which Chadha has been (and continues to be) a leader and advocate --
Volunteer, Board Member and Chair of the Board of Streetwise
http://www.streetwise.org/
Board Member and Chair of the Board of the Awassa Children's Project
www.awassachildrensproject.org
On a pro bono basis, assisted two brothers from the Democratic Republic of Congo in obtaining political asylum through the National Immigrant Justice Center
http://www.immigrantjustice.org/
In addition to his regular job as an attorney, he teaches negotiations class at Northwestern's Law School
and the list goes on: www.paulchadha.com
Chadha is dedicated to public service and to leading people to accomplish more good for their communities then they ever imagined.
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Spook at 11:38 AM on 2/1/2008
Well, I'm still a Philip fan. I've respected his work for a long time. But Chadha does sounds like a progressive fellow too.
We need more of them, not less
Peace!
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Brizz at 2:22 PM on 2/5/2008
As a Chicago inner city school teacher, and a long time acquaintance of Phillip I could not imagine any one who would be better suited for the state representative position. He does not play the game, and never has. I respect his integrity, honor, and the fact that he has selflessly dedicated his life to improving the education of Chicago youth. No, he is not part of the machine, and never will be, the fact that consciously or not this is held against him saddens me. Since when did we only vote for people when some one else told us to?
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