Sox Shuffle Continues
Friday Afternoon Diversion
Jay-Z Announces 2010 Tour Dates. Chicago Not On List.
I Fight Dragon$
"Batman" Headline Is a Stretch, But Prison Escape Story Could Be Its Own Movie
The story of hope and redemption on the South Side continued Friday, as the news that the Illinois State Supreme Court had ruled that both Ambrosio Medrano and Virgil Jones are ineligible to run for alderman. Even more bizarre is that because the court's ruling makes no mention of Wallace Davis, a former 27th Ward alderman and candidate in the 2nd Ward, and Percy Giles in the 37th Ward, the city election board has no authority to disqualify them, despite Davis' 1987 conviction and Giles' conviction in 1999. In his press conference Friday, Medrano criticized the law for blocking felons from running for local office but not state office.
The race in the 15th Ward has been a zoo, with the current alderman, Ted Thomas, retiring, and with a staggering 12 candidates running for the vacancy, including two write-in candidates. While Medrano has spoken openly and remorsefully of his conviction, Virgil Jones has maintained his innocence, claiming that authorities framed him. Bitterly denouncing this ruling, he told the Chicago Tribune that he believes that all of his rights were restored when he finished his sentence.
The race in the 25th Ward has been dramatic, too. In many ways, this race is as much about the future of the 25th Ward as it is about the power struggle going on in the Mexican community down there. With Danny Solis' eye on Luis Gutierrez's congressional seat (and Luis hoping to play a role in a Democratic White House), and his perceived vulnerability after his falling out with the pro-Daley Hispanic Democratic Organization (which has seen diminished influence in the wake of federal corruption probes) over those ties, Medrano saw the opportunity to take him on and made his move. At the same time, Martha Padilla, who is connected to a developer that has had his own struggles with Solis, threw her hat in the ring. Aaron del Valle and Joe Acevedo, two stalking horses backed by the HDO, are probably giving Solis a real headache.
At this point, Medrano has made it clear that he is appealing to the US Supreme Court, but he says that doesn't resolve the immediate issue of what happens Tuesday. On Saturday he announced that he is endorsing Temoc Morfin for 25th Ward Alderman. Like Medrano, Morfin has been running on gentrification and how zoning and TIF funding gets doled out in the ward. The real question in the 25th now is whether or not Medrano can fire up his base and turn out the vote in big enough numbers to force Solis into a runoff with Morfin.
We've been unsure about what to make of Medrano. There's a lot of money at the end of that ballot box, and whoever comes out of this race the winner will have his hands on a nice-sized piggy bank. Whether or not Medrano has learned his lesson, we have to give it to him — he's a pro. He turned his campaign around quickly, and made a smart, swift endorsement, given his situation. If Morfin doesn't come out of this race a winner, Medrano has made the first move in building an alliance that he can use as a platform to continue to challenge Solis. And if Morfin does win? Well, Medrano will clearly have a hand in the shape of the future of the ward.
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How can Medrano force a runoff if votes for him will not be counted? And how can they disenfranchise voters who voted early and voted for Medrano? This is Chicago politics at its best (or worst).
Dramatic? What an understatement. Without Medrano, we have the two HDO shills (Acevedo & DelValle), Mrs. Padilla (nee Kowalski), Temoc Morfin (Chavez without oil), and the rather pragmatic current Alderman Solis.
So the shills are obviously just taking up space on the ballot and running in precincts where the man isn't strong. Padilla still feels the prick of the thorn that didn't allow her husband to run roughshod with upzoning and Morfin is busy taking credit for things he didn't accomplish while running disastrously on a platform that would downzone all of Pilsen to the zoning that Mrs. Padilla's husband was trying to escape less he have to build 849K single family homes which he subsequently did.
What a farce. A total passion play.
If Temoc forces Alderman Solis into a runoff and subsequently wins (highly unlikely the voters are not stupid), money would still come but instead of affordability, as Solis insists on, we will have million dollar townhomes. An ironic outcome of the oft celebrated saving manna of downzoning put forth by the know nothing do gooders at Pilsen Alliance.
As for irony, how does Mr. Morfin reconcile running a campaign against a homeless shelter (thankfully to no avail) while supposedly supporting affordable housing. For that matter how does one think they can "control" the price of real estapote which he so aptly proses to do? Is he a market maker? The veiled racism of his participation in the anti-homeless shelter campaign still causes me to bristle. How dare he!
Counter that to what has been good leadership by Daniel Solis and what gives? Spoils.
Solis pushed through a Planned Manufacturing District despite unfavorable views by Padilla's supporters, used 12 Million dollars of TIF money to fund the expansion of Juarez High School which Morfin inexplicably takes credit for, has negotiated with businesses to come to the PMD including Blue Cross and DHL, relocated the horse and buggy South Water Market to state of the art digs, insists any upzoning for residential housing include a 21% affordable unit level at 60-90% median on any development at or above ten units, etc etc.
I just don't get it. Overall, Alderman Solis is as good as it gets, smart and pragmatic.
There must be greed and jealousy behind the challenger's curtain.
Dramatic? What an understatement. Without Medrano, we have the two HDO shills (Acevedo & DelValle), Mrs. Padilla (nee Kowalski), Temoc Morfin (Chavez without oil), and the rather pragmatic current Alderman Solis.
So the shills are obviously just taking up space on the ballot and running in precincts where the man isn't strong. Padilla still feels the prick of the thorn that didn't allow her husband to run roughshod with upzoning and Morfin is busy taking credit for things he didn't accomplish while running disastrously on a platform that would downzone all of Pilsen to the zoning that Mrs. Padilla's husband was trying to escape less he have to build 849K single family homes which he subsequently did.
What a farce. A total passion play.
If Temoc forces Alderman Solis into a runoff and subsequently wins (highly unlikely the voters are not stupid), money would still come but instead of affordability, as Solis insists on, we will have million dollar townhomes. An ironic outcome of the oft celebrated saving manna of downzoning put forth by the know nothing do gooders at Pilsen Alliance.
As for irony, how does Mr. Morfin reconcile running a campaign against a homeless shelter (thankfully to no avail) while supposedly supporting affordable housing. For that matter how does one think they can "control" the price of real estapote which he so aptly proses to do? Is he a market maker? The veiled racism of his participation in the anti-homeless shelter campaign still causes me to bristle. How dare he!
Counter that to what has been good leadership by Daniel Solis and what gives? Spoils.
Solis pushed through a Planned Manufacturing District despite unfavorable views by Padilla's supporters, used 12 Million dollars of TIF money to fund the expansion of Juarez High School which Morfin inexplicably takes credit for, has negotiated with businesses to come to the PMD including Blue Cross and DHL, relocated the horse and buggy South Water Market to state of the art digs, insists any upzoning for residential housing include a 21% affordable unit level at 60-90% median on any development at or above ten units, etc etc.
I just don't get it. Overall, Alderman Solis is as good as it gets, smart and pragmatic.
There must be greed and jealousy behind the challenger's curtain.
Dramatic? What an understatement. Without Medrano, we have the two HDO shills (Acevedo & DelValle), Mrs. Padilla (nee Kowalski), Temoc Morfin (Chavez without oil), and the rather pragmatic current Alderman Solis.
So the shills are obviously just taking up space on the ballot and running in precincts where the man isn't strong. Padilla still feels the prick of the thorn that didn't allow her husband to run roughshod with upzoning and Morfin is busy taking credit for things he didn't accomplish while running disastrously on a platform that would downzone all of Pilsen to the zoning that Mrs. Padilla's husband was trying to escape less he have to build 849K single family homes which he subsequently did.
What a farce. A total passion play.
If Temoc forces Alderman Solis into a runoff and subsequently wins (highly unlikely the voters are not stupid), money would still come but instead of affordability, as Solis insists on, we will have million dollar townhomes. An ironic outcome of the oft celebrated saving manna of downzoning put forth by the know nothing do gooders at Pilsen Alliance.
As for irony, how does Mr. Morfin reconcile running a campaign against a homeless shelter (thankfully to no avail) while supposedly supporting affordable housing. For that matter how does one think they can "control" the price of real estate which he so aptly proses to do? Is he a market maker? The veiled racism of his participation in the anti-homeless shelter campaign still causes me to bristle. How dare he!
Counter that to what has been good leadership by Daniel Solis and what gives? Spoils.
Solis pushed through a Planned Manufacturing District despite unfavorable views by Padilla's supporters, used 12 Million dollars of TIF money to fund the expansion of Juarez High School which Morfin inexplicably takes credit for, has negotiated with businesses to come to the PMD including Blue Cross and DHL, relocated the horse and buggy South Water Market to state of the art digs, insists any upzoning for residential housing include a 21% affordable unit level at 60-90% median on any development at or above ten units, etc etc.
I just don't get it. Overall, Alderman Solis is as good as it gets, smart and pragmatic.
There must be greed and jealousy behind the challenger's curtain.
Dramatic? What an understatement. Without Medrano, we have the two HDO shills (Acevedo & DelValle), Mrs. Padilla (nee Kowalski), Temoc Morfin (Chavez without oil), and the rather pragmatic current Alderman Solis.
So the shills are obviously just taking up space on the ballot and running in precincts where the man isn't strong. Padilla still feels the prick of the thorn that didn't allow her husband to run roughshod with upzoning and Morfin is busy taking credit for things he didn't accomplish while running disastrously on a platform that would downzone all of Pilsen to the zoning that Mrs. Padilla's husband was trying to escape less he have to build 849K single family homes which he subsequently did.
What a farce. A total passion play.
If Temoc forces Alderman Solis into a runoff and subsequently wins (highly unlikely the voters are not stupid), money would still come but instead of affordability, as Solis insists on, we will have million dollar townhomes. An ironic outcome of the oft celebrated saving manna of downzoning put forth by the know nothing do gooders at Pilsen Alliance.
As for irony, how does Mr. Morfin reconcile running a campaign against a homeless shelter (thankfully to no avail) while supposedly supporting affordable housing. For that matter how does one think they can "control" the price of real estate which he so aptly proses to do? Is he a market maker? The veiled racism of his participation in the anti-homeless shelter campaign still causes me to bristle. How dare he!
Counter that to what has been good leadership by Daniel Solis and what gives? Spoils.
Solis pushed through a Planned Manufacturing District despite unfavorable views by Padilla's supporters, used 12 Million dollars of TIF money to fund the expansion of Juarez High School which Morfin inexplicably takes credit for, has negotiated with businesses to come to the PMD including Blue Cross and DHL, relocated the horse and buggy South Water Market to state of the art digs, insists any upzoning for residential housing include a 21% affordable unit level at 60-90% median on any development at or above ten units, etc etc.
I just don't get it. Overall, Alderman Solis is as good as it gets, smart and pragmatic.
There must be greed and jealousy behind the challenger's curtain.