Fear and Loathing: In the 50th Ward

By Kevin Robinson in News on Feb 22, 2007 5:30PM

If there was anything we learned back in the 10th Ward, it's that anything goes when you're in a struggle for power. Especially in your own neighborhood. But when we heard that 50th Ward challenger Greg Brewer's office was shut down for 2 hours by a bomb threat yesterday, we were a little shocked.

According to the Brewer campaign, a call came in around 4:30 p.m, and the caller stated that he believed a recent campaign mailer went over the line, before threatening to "firebomb the office." Greg Brewer said “This is a heated campaign, but there is no reason for these types of threats.... So much for trying to convince voters.” The mailer that agitated the man featured a photo of Bernie Stone sleeping during a committee meeting.

While there is no evidence that Alderman Bernie Stone was involved in the threat (and for the record, we don't believe he or his campaign were), we think that this event illustrates just how intense races like this can get. In a city built on loyalty and favors, it's shocking, but not surprising, that someone would be so moved by a campaign mailer that they perceive as disrespectful to a sitting alderman would take matters into his own hands.