Which way will Rahm swing in upcoming election for aldermanic post?

I always thought one of the most humorous predicaments ever faced in electoral politics was that by Rahm Emanuel back during the 2008 election cycle.

EMANUEL: Political predicament reminiscent of '08

But watching the circumstances that are developing in advance of the 2019 elections for municipal office – including the seats on the Chicago City Council, make me wonder if Emanuel is going to face an equally-difficult predicament.

AT STAKE IS the 30^th Ward aldermanic post – one that represents a heavily-Latino ward Northwest, and one currently represented by Alderman Ariel Reboyras.

Reboyras, who chairs the council’s Public Safety committee, has developed a reputation as an alderman as a political supporter of the mayor. To the point where some people are inclined to think he’s “too close” to Emanuel, and that perhaps the ward and its residents would be better off with someone else.

That seems to be the line of logic that Jessica Washington Gutierrez plans to use in her efforts to challenge Reboyras in the Feb. 26 non-partisan elections.

So who will Emanuel side with when it comes to the election? Standard political logic says he backs the incumbent, particularly one who has been as loyal to Emanuel as Reboyras has been.

REBOYRAS: Thinks he's earned Rahm's backing

BUT THEN WE run into the complicating factor, Gutierrez is the daughter of soon-to-be retired Congressman Luis Gutierrez.

Luis would love it if his family were to become a part of that oldest of Chicago political traditions of multi-generations holding electoral office. Particularly since Luis himself was once an alderman back in the days of Harold Washington as mayor.

Luis also has become an Emanuel supporter in recent years – taking actions that helped bolster Rahm’s re-election chances the last election cycle in 2015. I don’t doubt he figures that the mayor owes him in the form of support of his daughter’s political aspirations.

So who does Rahm Emanuel wind up siding with? Or more important, who does he decide it will hurt him less to piss off?

Can Jessica's father gain her aldermanic seat?

REBOYRAS ON MONDAY said he thinks he has done enough to be entitled to the mayor’s support – and the financial support his campaign would receive from the mayor’s campaign coffers.

Which would mean squatting all over the aspirations of Jessica Gutierrez – who is engaging in her first political campaign and will try to feed off the votes of those people who liked Luis as their political representation and would like to see the name live on.

But does Emanuel really want to do that – particularly since it could result in having Gutierrez stir up resentment within the Latino segment of the electorate? Which could come back to bite him on the derriere.

Although several other Latino aldermen are saying they think the “right thing” for Rahm to do is stand by Reboyras. Either way, it’s going to be an Election Day headache as people will be parsing every word and action of Emanuel, even though my bet is that he’s going to go out of his way to say and do as little as possible.

JUST LIKE HE did back in the spring and summer of 2008. Remember that Hillary Clinton sought to be the Democratic nominee for president and figured she’d have the political establishment all locked up, thereby ensuring her an easy primary victory over all the other Dems who had the nerve to think they could run against her.

Would Hillary be president if Rahm backed her

Instead, we got the rise of Barack Obama, who took a few early primary victories and he wound up engaging Clinton in a brawl that dragged out all the way through the primary cycle. It wasn’t until the very end that Clinton conceded. Which put Emanuel, then a member of Congress from the Northwest Side and a former White House staffer during the Bill Clinton presidential administration in quite a political pickle.

His responses to “Obama vs. Clinton” questions were even more vague and nonsensical than the way Gov. Bruce Rauner now answers questions involving his "support" for President Donald J. Trump. Rahm didn’t come out and endorse Obama for president until the day after the final primary when Hillary herself conceded defeat.

Watching someone who, by nature, is outspoken and antagonistic as Rahm Emanuel having to keep his mouth shut was a sight to see. The idea we may get a repeat of it during coming months is something we’ll likely never forget.

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Political “kids” keep breaking into news

It has been four full decades since Mike Royko, in his book “Boss,” included an aside about nepotism in the Chicago political scene.

MELL: The newlywed



You know, all those political people who “begat” even more political people for the next generation.

WELL, NOTHING HAS changed. That trend has continued well into the 21^st Century. In fact, one of Royko’s examples (how “Joe Burke, ward boss and alderman, begat Edward Burke, ward boss and alderman”) can literally be extended yet another generation, since Eddie Burke – along with spouse and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke – have now “begat” Jennifer Burke of the state Pollution Control Board.

But I’m not about to complain about Jennifer Burke – who has legal credentials and may well be totally qualified for her new political post (and its $117,000 annual salary).

It’s just that in going through the news reports of recent days, it just strikes me as humorous how many of these “stories” involve the kids of Chicago-area politicos.

They’re doing good and bad. They’re making national news. And on some level, they may be causing their elder politico “parents’ to think to themselves, “You’re not too big for me to smack you upside the head.”

THE POLITICAL “KID” who is likely to draw the national attention is the daughter of 33^rd Ward Alderman Dick Mell. Not Patti Blagojevich – she’s had her day in the public eye.

Political parents Mell ...



It’s other daughter Deborah, who got herself elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, has always made it publicly known that she is a lesbian in a committed relationship, and recently took advantage of the fact that neighboring state Iowa is one of the few in the country that permits gay couples to marry.



So at the age of 43, Deborah finally is “settling” down and putting aside her single gal days. She has a spouse, Christin Baker, who works for the YMCA. The couple has known each other for seven years.

Their relationship seems as legitimate as that of any married couple and certainly nothing that was rushed into – a fact that some ideologues are going to refuse to accept as they are now trying to push for legal measures that would allow their states to ignore the validity of marriages performed in other states.

... Philip ...



WHICH MEANS THE Mell/Baker coupling is likely to be an example often cited in public debate when it comes to the “gay marriage” debate and trying to get other states – including Illinois – to get with the program.



For Illinois only has the “civil union” concept, which allows the ideologues to claim that “real” marriage is only meant for them. Which is absurd.

Considering that this marriage took place in Davenport, Iowa, it was right across the Mississippi River from Illinois. It is a shame that ideology prevented the couple from making their union legal on our side of the river.

To his credit, Mell the alderman has long accepted his daughter’s orientation and isn’t one of those parents who lets hang-ups cause him to do something stupid.

NOT AS PLEASED these days (I’d bet) is one-time Illinois Senate President James “Pate” Philip, who has a step-son by wife Nancy. After Philip retired from the Legislature in 2003, step-son Randy Ramey rose to the ranks of the Legislature himself.

He also serves as head of the DuPage County Republican Party. Which is why it drew public attention when, on Sunday, he got caught driving his car while under the influence of alcohol.

To his credit, he’s not trying to deny what happened, or use his political influence to pressure people to go easy on him. Ramey went so far as to issue a public statement admitting he had been drinking.

“I am prepared to face the consequences,” he said, in that statement. “I am deeply sorry to disappoint my family and my constituents.”

THEN AGAIN, WHEN the police have him with a .179 blood/alcohol level (.08 is the legal standard for intoxication), being noble and accepting guilt is the only way to go.

Either that, or his step-father likely would have led the parade in giving him a tongue-lashing for his behavior. And those of us old enough to remember Pate know that man’s rhetoric can be downright blunt and chilling – when he wants to be.

Then, there’s the saga of Allyson Reboyras, whose father is 30^th Ward Alderman Ariel Reboyras – which I’m sure has some political watchers saying is the most important of these tales because it involves the City Council.

Anyway, Allyson now has gainful employment. She is a secretary (annual salary, $37,570) for the state’s Liquor Control Commission.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS reported this story as being merely the latest in a line of politically-motivated hires made in recent months by Gov. Pat Quinn – giving jobs on the state payroll to several people of political influence, although commission officials (including its chairman) claim there was no political pressure to hire her.

... and Reboyras



For the record, Allyson has been out of college for three years (a B.A. in political science). So this position could well be her introduction to government. Will she someday follow the route (a stint in the state Legislature, followed by a move up to a city or Cook County post) of many local aspiring politicos?

If so, we may well have to add the line, “Ariel Reboyras, alderman, begat Allyson Reboyras, yet to be determined” to that list of all the begatting that is a part of our local political scene.

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