How badly does Roland Burris want to be elected to his own term in the U.S. Senate?
I’m starting to think he’s going to have to become one of those self-funded candidates – the occasional rich white guy whose professional life has become so boring they think it would be fun to be a politician.
THAT WAS THE case with one-time Cook County Board President Richard Phelan, and some would argue that former state and U.S. senator Peter Fitzgerald also belongs in that category.
If the electorate had been more sympathetic, Al Hofeld and Blair Hull also would be in that league – except that voters preferred the thought of Carol Moseley-Braun and Barack Obama for those respective elections.
Now obviously, Burris is not a rich white guy. But after learning of his financial disclosure report, he obviously is not starving. And he must have become incredibly bored in retirement.
That’s about the only reason I can think of that explains seriously why he would subject himself to the abuse from people who want to take out their hostility toward Rod Blagojevich.
WHY SERIOUSLY TALK about running for U.S. Senate (the seat that Jan Schakowsky estimated earlier this week would cost $26 million to campaign for) when you’re already on record as being The $845 Man.
Lee Majors he ain’t.
Seriously, though. This man isn’t independently wealthy, although he’s doing rather well compared to those retirees who have to survive on a Social Security check each and every month (my mother will be joining those ranks beginning in July).
The Chicago Tribune reported about Burris’ early filing of his disclosure report (required because of the way in which he gained his Senate seat by appointment, rather than election).
THE REPORT INDICATES that Burris has assets somewhere between $900,000 and $1.8 million. Publicly traded stocks, mutual funds and life insurance account for that value, along with his part ownership of a trust that owns land in south suburban Lynwood.
Will Burris be selling off some stocks to raise cash to at least start a campaign operation?
He may have to, since his inability to raise much campaign cash thus far has turned him into a political cocktail party joke, and those stories are going to discourage many people from wanting to get involved with him financially.
It wouldn’t shock me if many of the lobbyists whose political action committees typically give donations to every single member of a specific political party somehow manage to overlook Burris when they send out checks to incumbent Democratic senators for the 2010 campaign.
AT THE VERY least, Burris might have to come up with some cash to start off a campaign operation – even though I fully expect him to run a ’10 campaign on the cheap and focus the bulk of his attention on the African-American neighborhoods of the South and West sides (along with a symbolic “return home” visit to Centralia in Southern Illinois).
That jolt of early cash from himself could be what gives a Burris campaign a bit of momentum that could result in some donations from outside people and interests.
So call it a loan to himself. He could, and likely would make a priority of, paying himself back.
Actually, the part of Burris’ disclosure that caught my attention wasn’t really the stocks and overall worth. I’m sure that’s a theoretical value of himself on paper, and that he would have trouble coming up with that much cash if suddenly confronted with the need.
BUT BURRIS DEFINITELY was not struggling financially in retirement.
The $118,000 annual pension he gets for his 16 years of service as Illinois comptroller and state Attorney General wasn’t even the major part of his 2008 income.
He is a part of a law firm and also had his own consulting business (basically meaning he’ll do some special project type of work for anyone who will pay him) that provided him with another $155,000.
In all, the income level he reported to the Internal Revenue Service for 2008 was just over $337,000. That’s significantly higher than any income I have ever reported to the IRS – and I would guess that statement is true for 99 percent of the Illinois population.
SINCE AT AGE 71 he doesn’t need the salary of a U.S. senator (just over $169,000 per year).
He could easily kick back in retirement in Mahalia Jackson’s old house in the Chatham neighborhood and enjoy himself, following a lengthy career as an Illinois elected official.
Instead, he wants to subject his ego to the ridicule he will endure by going through the electoral process all over again. I would have thought his wife, Burlean, would be able to talk a little bit of sense to him.
Then again, there are still nearly nine months before the Democratic primary. Perhaps she can still become the most influential person in Illinois by being the voice of reason that urges Burris to finish out his two years in the Senate – then retire.
-30-
EDITOR’S NOTES: Could the sale of land in south suburban Lynwood (valued at between $50,000 and $100,000) provide a jumpstart (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/06/roland-burris-payments-business-pension.html) to the Roland Burris for Senate campaign? Just asking.
Somehow, I doubt Burris cared much (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/07/AR2009060702018.html) when he learned that the Washington Post editorialized this week in favor of his immediate resignation from the Senate.
I’m starting to think he’s going to have to become one of those self-funded candidates – the occasional rich white guy whose professional life has become so boring they think it would be fun to be a politician.
THAT WAS THE case with one-time Cook County Board President Richard Phelan, and some would argue that former state and U.S. senator Peter Fitzgerald also belongs in that category.
If the electorate had been more sympathetic, Al Hofeld and Blair Hull also would be in that league – except that voters preferred the thought of Carol Moseley-Braun and Barack Obama for those respective elections.
Now obviously, Burris is not a rich white guy. But after learning of his financial disclosure report, he obviously is not starving. And he must have become incredibly bored in retirement.
That’s about the only reason I can think of that explains seriously why he would subject himself to the abuse from people who want to take out their hostility toward Rod Blagojevich.
WHY SERIOUSLY TALK about running for U.S. Senate (the seat that Jan Schakowsky estimated earlier this week would cost $26 million to campaign for) when you’re already on record as being The $845 Man.
Lee Majors he ain’t.
Seriously, though. This man isn’t independently wealthy, although he’s doing rather well compared to those retirees who have to survive on a Social Security check each and every month (my mother will be joining those ranks beginning in July).
The Chicago Tribune reported about Burris’ early filing of his disclosure report (required because of the way in which he gained his Senate seat by appointment, rather than election).
THE REPORT INDICATES that Burris has assets somewhere between $900,000 and $1.8 million. Publicly traded stocks, mutual funds and life insurance account for that value, along with his part ownership of a trust that owns land in south suburban Lynwood.
Will Burris be selling off some stocks to raise cash to at least start a campaign operation?
He may have to, since his inability to raise much campaign cash thus far has turned him into a political cocktail party joke, and those stories are going to discourage many people from wanting to get involved with him financially.
It wouldn’t shock me if many of the lobbyists whose political action committees typically give donations to every single member of a specific political party somehow manage to overlook Burris when they send out checks to incumbent Democratic senators for the 2010 campaign.
AT THE VERY least, Burris might have to come up with some cash to start off a campaign operation – even though I fully expect him to run a ’10 campaign on the cheap and focus the bulk of his attention on the African-American neighborhoods of the South and West sides (along with a symbolic “return home” visit to Centralia in Southern Illinois).
That jolt of early cash from himself could be what gives a Burris campaign a bit of momentum that could result in some donations from outside people and interests.
So call it a loan to himself. He could, and likely would make a priority of, paying himself back.
Actually, the part of Burris’ disclosure that caught my attention wasn’t really the stocks and overall worth. I’m sure that’s a theoretical value of himself on paper, and that he would have trouble coming up with that much cash if suddenly confronted with the need.
BUT BURRIS DEFINITELY was not struggling financially in retirement.
The $118,000 annual pension he gets for his 16 years of service as Illinois comptroller and state Attorney General wasn’t even the major part of his 2008 income.
He is a part of a law firm and also had his own consulting business (basically meaning he’ll do some special project type of work for anyone who will pay him) that provided him with another $155,000.
In all, the income level he reported to the Internal Revenue Service for 2008 was just over $337,000. That’s significantly higher than any income I have ever reported to the IRS – and I would guess that statement is true for 99 percent of the Illinois population.
SINCE AT AGE 71 he doesn’t need the salary of a U.S. senator (just over $169,000 per year).
He could easily kick back in retirement in Mahalia Jackson’s old house in the Chatham neighborhood and enjoy himself, following a lengthy career as an Illinois elected official.
Instead, he wants to subject his ego to the ridicule he will endure by going through the electoral process all over again. I would have thought his wife, Burlean, would be able to talk a little bit of sense to him.
Then again, there are still nearly nine months before the Democratic primary. Perhaps she can still become the most influential person in Illinois by being the voice of reason that urges Burris to finish out his two years in the Senate – then retire.
-30-
EDITOR’S NOTES: Could the sale of land in south suburban Lynwood (valued at between $50,000 and $100,000) provide a jumpstart (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/06/roland-burris-payments-business-pension.html) to the Roland Burris for Senate campaign? Just asking.
Somehow, I doubt Burris cared much (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/07/AR2009060702018.html) when he learned that the Washington Post editorialized this week in favor of his immediate resignation from the Senate.
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