Hendon Bows Out of Mayoral Race, Says Subppoenas Not A Factor

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 8, 2010 3:30PM

Last week, State Senator Rickey Hendon pulled out of the race for Mayor. At the time, Hendon cited two factors in his decision: a recent health scare that was diagnosed as hypertension, and the coalition of black political, church and business leaders looking for a "consensus" black candidate not choosing him.

Given Hendon's loose cannon reputation, it was doubtful that the Chicago Coalition for Mayor ever seriously considered Hendon a viable candidate for mayor. Moreover, Hendon's announcement was curiously timed, coming one week after a federal grand jury sent out subpoenas looking into how dozens of state grants awarded for job training and educational programs, many of them sponsored by Hendon, were spent.

Hendon's sister, Shebeta Carter, and her daughter, Maisha Parsons, run The Anointed Harvesters, which is described as a non-profit organization for "theatrical arts, stage production and film production job training." The Anointed Harvesters received $1.08 million in grants sponsored by Hendon over the years.from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. $130,000 of that money went toward post-production costs for the movie Of Boys and Men, the rest was earmarked for "upgrading employee skills."

If those subpoenas eventually find their way toward Hendon, he'll need to muster all the bluster at his disposal to refute any allegations of wrongdoing, if there are any to refute.