A Bitter Crane Mucks Up The Works

By vouchey in News on Dec 13, 2004 12:49PM

Losing political office is one of the most heart-wrenching things that can happen to you. Not only are you fired from your job, but you lose all the public adoration and press that pays attention to you. The soon-to-be-former Congressman Phil Crane (R-8) is experiencing just that pain. And he's not being too classy about it either.

Crane, the Representative from the Northwest suburbs, lost a close race to
Democrat Melissa Bean amidst charges of neglecting constituent services and being a "seat warmer" in Congress. That's a bitter bill to swallow for a 35-year Member of Congress who ran for president in 1980 and was one of the founding members of the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. But, Crane seems to be having a hard time rising to the occasion, since he refuses to return Bean and her staffs calls and letters, begging for help with the transition. According to the Chicago Tribune:

"We're trying not to be aggressive and give them the time they need to close their office, but we also have to keep in mind there are constituents that need to be attended to," [Bean spokesman Brian] Herman said.

A Crane spokeswoman said his office received Bean's letter only Thursday, but the staff does not intend to respond. Even if it did, she said, Crane has already shut down his constituent-service operation.

That's tough news for the people of the 8th District.