The Lafayette Journal & Courier is reporting that Monticello’s mayor Bob Fox, indicted for allegedly filing about $2,400 worth of false travel reimbursement claims over 3 years, has won the Democratic primary against challenger Rennatta Berkshire — the person who reported the allegedly false claims to the police. Fox won with a landslide 63% of the vote — though I should report that this only amounts to 237 votes in a primary where only 372 votes were cast. He will face Republican challenger Jason Thompson and will probably have tough odds in the general election given the indictment and the fact that 696 votes were cast in the Republican mayoral primary.
Ok, I gotta protest the title of the this Blog post… :)
Politics have gotten a LOT cleaner in Chicago over ther last couple of decades, believe it or not.
Yes, Chicago has seen the ‘light,and then there’s always that pesky DA observing and taking notes . But I’ve lived in Chicago and I think the city has always been fairly well run,even with the nepotism, corruption and appointments based on political pay-off..What was always the unstated fear factor however and never taken
seriously enough by those outside the city was the importance politically whether you were Irish, Hispanic or Black,( an unofficial 3-party system?)so there was always an unoffical risk to one’s dirty deeds.There was always an Hispanic or Pole lurking for a corrupt Irish politician’s job,so you’d better be good!
The Bush adminstration has followed a remarkably similar path to that of Chicago’s before reform.I’m much less forgiving because they added pretense and moral posturing to hide their failures. Chicago’s corruption has been assumed and up front.But Mayor Daley is still embroiled in frequent corruption stories,and the Hispanics are ready to take over!( Poles stay 3rd in line)But, I’m glad Chicago never had authority to start a foreign war.
Politics have gotten cleaner in Chicago the last couple of years due to a relentless federal attorney. A nice summary of recent goings on by the “combine” appeared today in John Kass’s special column following the indictment of former 10th ward Alderman “Fast Eddie” Vrdolyak.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070510kass-sidebar,1,5689075.story?coll=chi-news-hed