Campaign Tricks in the 47th Ward: Sign Ripoff Videos Posted

By Karl Klockars in News on Feb 22, 2011 3:40PM

With just hours remaining in the 2011 Chicago election cycle, things have gone dirty in the 47th Ward. The campaign for Ameya Pawar posted these videos of signs being stolen during Sunday afternoon's rainfall and has promised further documentation of the thief's identity. Pawar is up against the current alderman's preferred candidate, Tom O'Donnell, as well as Matt Reichel and Tom Jacks.

The release of these videos and the promised "detailed face shot" from the Pawar campaign can only do so much this late in the game but does serve to document the face of Chicago politics. We understand that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to campaign tricks, ballot challenges, signage wars, dirty pool and how Chicago "works."

Center Square Journal also reports on the thefts, saying "Removal of campaign signs from private property is illegal...signs placed on public property can be removed by anyone at anytime." Legality of something, of course, doesn't equal morality. It's one thing to talk about the games that get played, and it's another thing to see it right in front of you.