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The four mayoral hopefuls …
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Even
though many of the things they’re now going are really trivial and superficial
and not likely to make one bit of difference in terms of turning out votes.
THIS
IS THE election cycle in which there are no incumbents seeking a return as
mayor, meaning every political dreamer with delusions of grandeur is putting
themselves in the running.
Monday
was the first day in which candidates could file nominating petitions, and it
should be noted that aides to four people showed up at City Hall to make their
claim to a ballot spot.
Jerry
Joyce (a long-time Daley family friend, is he really running against William?),
Toni Preckwinkle, Paul Vallas and Willie Wilson were those people, and they’re
now likely to go about making claims they’re the only candidates who deserve to
be taken seriously. After all, they’re dedicated enough to file early – which may
give them the chance of having their names listed at the top of the list of
candidates on the Feb. 26 ballot.
With
the political theory being that some people are clueless and confused enough
that when they cast their ballots, they vote for whoever’s name is atop the
list.
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| … with dreams of getting … |
PRECKWINKLE,
THE FORMER alderman from Hyde Park turned Cook County Board president, herself
claims getting that top spot on the ballot could account for a percent or two
of the vote – which in this year’s electoral mess could be enough to prevail.
Kind
of scary, if you think about it.
The
municipal election cycle’s most prominent post being resolved by the ballots
cast by people who didn’t put any thought into WHO they were voting for – but merely
cast a vote for a ballot slot!
You
may have noticed that many more names have tossed themselves out for mayoral
contemplation beyond the four individuals who filed early Monday morning.
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| … the number one mayoral spot … |
OF
COURSE, THERE’S the fact that the deadline for filing is the end of business
next Monday. And yes, there will be those people eager to have their names
listed last on the ballot.
Because
names are put on the ballot in the order that candidates file their petitions,
there are bound to be a few candidates who will want to show up just before 5
p.m. so they can be absolutely last. A Dec. 5 lottery will break any ties that
develop.
With
the line of logic being that having one’s name at the end of a lengthy list of
political dreamers is better than being stuck in the middle of the pack. Just
think being seventh on a list of 13 or so candidates for mayor?
Geez,
you might as well wear a millstone around your neck. Because you’re actually
going to have to campaign completely on the issues and the merits of what kind
of candidate you would make. And yes, that line is meant to reek heavily of
sarcasm.
THERE
ALWAYS IS the chance someone will show up late Thursday, only to have someone
else manage to slip in just behind them. Or the risk of having someone show up
at City Hall at 5:02 p.m., just a moment or so too late to file the nominating
petitions you struggled to put together.
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| … on the Feb. 26 Election Day ballot |
Which
brings your political aspirations for Election ’19 coming to a crashing halt
not because you were defeated at the polling place, but because your campaign
dreams became irrelevant to the process.
All
of which makes the activity of Monday morning running trough next Monday night
an intriguing part of the process for politically geeky observers.
Because
a lot of people are engaging in actions now that will seem downright trivial
and irrelevant come May when one of these people takes the oath of office
promising not to totally embarrass themselves as mayor – and everybody else
will have their heads filled with fantasies about how much better qualified
they would have been IF ONLY the voters had come to their senses.
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