Ways & Means

Cook County Board Commissioner Forrest Claypool, running against incumbent John Stroger in the Democratic primary for Cook County Board president, made news last week when he endorsed U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s proposed Peotone airport.

Simple enough, you might think. But the weird dynamics of this campaign left all three in a bit of a tangle.

For Claypool, the move looked like a transparent attempt to cut into Stroger's black voting base by wooing Jackson--particularly since the position of Cook County Board president doesn't seem to have much to do with Peotone.

Beyond that, consider: Claypool has never weighed in on the long third airport debate, according to a Lexis/Nexis review. But in 1996, while he was the superintendent of the Chicago Park District, Claypool wrote a letter to the Chicago Sun-Times that seemed to dismiss Jackson's idea of an airport in the south suburbs, noting its distance from downtown.

"The irony is that while Springfield legislators push to keep Meigs Field open, allegedly for the sake of convenience, they are also moving forward with plans for a third airport more than an hour south of the city," Claypool wrote.

At his press conference last week, Claypool sang a different tune. "The South Side and the southern suburbs need similar engines of growth [to those of O'Hare]," he said.

So Claypool has finally seen the light.

Meanwhile, Jackson accepted Claypool's support but withheld (at least publicly) an endorsement of his new friend. Perhaps he was just being scrupulously diplomatic, but Jackson's straddling on Stroger sounded excruciatingly painful.

"I have not made a judgment as to whether or not I will endorse a candidate in the race for County Board president, "Jackson said, as reported in the Chicago Tribune. "Suffice it to say I am concerned about waste in county government. I am concerned about inefficiencies in county government."

The Tribune pointed out that Jackson "has endorsed two County Board candidates challenging John Stroger loyalists."

Stroger, however, hardly came out the better man.

"I'm not anti-anything about the airport," he said. "I'm not pro [either]."

Apparently, Stroger just "is."

And so it goes.

Contemptuous of the public, or just unaware of their existence?
In its story about Claypool's Peotone endorsement, the Tribune also reported that Stroger was refusing to debate his challenger.

"I've been in more discussions with Claypool than I need to,' Stroger said.

Discussions which we apparently lost our invitations to.

John O'Stroger
Earlier this month Stroger appeared in a full-page Sun-Times ad for the clouty O'Briens Restaurant.

"'Service & Leadership With Proven Results!' the ad said.

Aside from the impropriety of an elected officeholder endorsing a business, does the restaurant's endorsement of Stroger qualify as a campaign contribution?

Check, Please!
Judicial candidate Margaret Ann Carey--if that's her real name--appeared in an O'Brien's ad last Wednesday. So, yeah, she's qualified.

M*A*S*Hed
From the February 17th edition of the Sun-Times: "In other testimony Thursday, "M*A*S*H" star Mike Farrell, who played B.J. Hunnicutt on the TV series, took the stand as a character witness. Farrell is a human rights advocate who came to know Ryan during his death penalty work. Ryan cleared Illinois' Death Row in 2003. Farrell wasn't allowed to bring up the death penalty before jurors but said he thought Ryan was a man of integrity.

"Outside of court, Farrell said he knew Ryan to be frank, open and compassionate. 'I always thought of him as a good old-fashioned meat-and-potatoes Midwestern Republican gentleman,' Farrell said. "I have never seen anything that he has done or said that would contradict that."

From the Mike Farrell Guestbook at mikefarrell.org:

February 17 2006 at 00:23:15
Name: Jim
Where are you from?: Chicago
Comments: Mike, Mike, Mike. I just saw you on the local Chicago news supporting former Governor Ryan. George Ryan (Republican) was the biggest crook EVER in Chicago/Illinois politics . . . and I say this being a REPUBLICAN!!! Former Governor Ryan is on trial for license for cash scandal where he was directly responsible for 11 highway deaths. Ryan took money from truck drivers that could not pass or would not take their driving tests. I can't believe that you are supporting a guy that was responsible for innocent deaths when you fight for criminals that should have been executed long ago.

February 17 2006 at 00:17:06
Name: Dave
Where are you from?: Illinois
Comments: Mike Farrell was in Chicago today to serve as a character witness in the corruption trial of George Ryan, who is a former Illinois governor. As one of his last official acts, Ryan commuted all the death sentences in Illinois, hence the tie to Farrell. I find it unfortunate that Mr. Farrell travels all the way to Illinois in an attempt to get Mr. Ryan cleared of charges when Mr. Farrell has no personal knowledge of the facts of those charges. He simply wants Mr. Ryan exonerated because he cleared Death Row. Mr. Farrell has no cares as to whether Ryan is actually guilty of being one of the most corrupt politicians in Illinois history and should therefore be punished.

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