The Fix: Corruption Is On The Ballot…In Chicago!
The Fix: Corruption Is On The Election…In Chicago!
Tin can the Windy City's stunning mayoral election results serve as an object lesson for Philly?
April. 12, 2019
The indictment of an declared corrupt urban center councilman rocks a major Rust Chugalug city, which is struggling under the weight of ascent crime, loftier poverty and ho-hum economic growth. For this city, it's just the latest in a string of public perp walks featuring those who have seemed to violate the public trust out of loyalty to an antiquated political auto. It's a familiar script, only now it gives rise to an unknown, yet potentially transformative, political leader. She'southward African-American, and gay. She runs against public corruption, demonizing the automobile. She runs confronting the architect of an unpopular soda tax. She seems to exist speaking to the keepers of the lowly and lawless status quo when she declares that "the taxpayer should not exist the urban center's ATM." And…she wins, surprising all the insider mavens.
Prefer the sound version of this story? Heed to this commodity on CitizenCast beneath:
If simply this scenario were our new story. Instead, it'due south Chicago'due south, where Lori Lightfoot upset the establishment last week to become mayor—in a landslide. Lightfoot, a one-time federal prosecutor, was a offset time candidate up against some big names in the primary, among them William Daley (of those Chicago Daleys), our own old schools superintendent Paul Vallas, and African-American powerbroker Toni Preckwinkle, who heads Chicago's Autonomous party. Since Lightfoot'south obliteration of Preckwinkle in a runoff, much media attention has been paid to the fact that she volition be the city'south beginning African-American woman and offset openly gay mayor.
And that is absurd, but, for u.s.a., it obscures what could be the real object lesson. Information technology just may be that the most transformative element of Lightfoot'southward election wasn't about her identity and then much as her message. Could the times be changing? Could rage against the machine in major metros be a new winning strategy?
In Chicago, the roots of Lightfoot'southward improbable ascension can arguably exist found back in January, when Alderman Edward Shush, a longtime Chicago power broker, was indicted by the feds for allegedly extorting Burger King franchisees who sought his help on zoning matters. In a classic case, Shush directed the developers to make a $10,000 contribution to Preckwinkle's campaign coffers, presumably in substitution for his help.
I disagree with Lori Lightfoot on a bunch of policies, merely at least I know where she comes downwards on changing a corrosive system. Sadly, I know where Jim Kenney is on that, too.
Preckwinkle, who had been the driving forcefulness backside the city'south unpopular soda tax before information technology was rescinded, said she didn't know about Burke's shady try to help fund her campaign. But information technology wasn't hard, following the indictment, for Lightfoot to ascertain her opponent equally the symbol of all the backroom means Chicago had gone wrong.
In her campaign, Lightfoot put corruption on the ballot, singling out the excesses of political cronyism at every opportunity, declaring that "the taxpayer shouldn't be urban center government'southward ATM." Get this, Philly: She fifty-fifty pledged to consequence an executive order on twenty-four hours 1 of her mayoralty that would end the metropolis'due south practice of "Aldermanic Privilege"— their unwritten rule giving local Aldermen (substantially Councilmen) control over zoning and permitting in their wards.
In the campaign, the tide turned for Lightfoot when she called a press conference to denounce a bill past a Preckwinkle ally in the state legislature that would have allowed Preckwinkle, in her office as Cook County Lath President, to appoint the canton assessor—rather than elect 1, despite contempo disquisitional news reports about that office. When the state rep in question crashed Lightfoot's news conference, the two went mano-a-mano right there; by the end of the confrontation, the 5'1" Lightfoot effectively towered over Rep. Robert Martwick, a ward leader.
Throughout this city, corruption and cronyism is met with a plaintive shrug by those nosotros elect to look out for us.
"This is Rob Martwick, Exhibit A of the broken and corrupt political system," Lightfoot said, turning to the cameras and pointing at the stunned state rep. The confrontation quickly went viral. Lori Lightfoot had communicated to everyday, taxpaying Chicagoans that she was on their side. Bank check it out and tell me this ain't what we demand in Philly.
At present let's compare and contrast Lightfoot's eloquent example with what nosotros have here in Philly. Equally in Chicago, we've had a long serial of indictments and convictions of public officials. Nigh recent was the indictment of the Mayor'southward biggest ally and distributor, labor leader John Dougherty, and his lieutenant Councilman Bobby Henon. The Mayor's response, in contrast to Lightfoot's populist outrage? "I'm distressing for them and their families," he said of Dougherty and Henon, before attending a fundraiser put on by their union.
Information technology wasn't just Kenney, of form: Throughout the city, corruption and cronyism is met with a plaintive shrug by those we elect to look out for us. To this 24-hour interval, merely ane elected official—State Rep. Jared Solomon—has called on Henon to resign .
Kenney has been—rightfully—a full-throated critic of Donald Trump's anti-Autonomous ways. Simply you're either for openness in government, or yous're not.
Now comes news that Kenney, who has long conducted city business organization on his individual jail cell phone, has been deleting his text messages (were any from Dougherty?) fifty-fifty afterwards he was told to preserve them. Kenney has been—rightfully—a total-throated critic of Donald Trump's anti-Democratic means. Is that just partisan posturing? After all, you lot're either for openness in government, or you're not.
We know from our history in this maddening political town that the worst kind of corruption is that which is perfectly legal. It goes by dissimilar names, running the gamut from "pay to play" to "Councilmanic Prerogative" to "cronyism"—like when the Mayor appointed Dougherty'south (since-indicted) chiropractor to caput the Zoning Lath. The perp walks and all those former lawmakers who are now law breakers on state-imposed vacations? Yes, that'southward bad. But just as bad is a purely transactional system that, by its very nature, doesn't fifty-fifty think virtually its fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayer. That'due south why $33 million can go missing from the city's bank account, hundreds of millions tin can go unreconciled, about $1 billion in bookkeeping errors can be fabricated…and no one gets held accountable. Because all that matters is the loyalties on the within of the game.
We're weeks abroad from a mayoral election that is promising to be nigh precisely nothing. That's too bad, because if someone were to say what we all, on some level, know almost how the city works, and say it in a way that channeled our outrage and called to our improve angels—like a little known African-American gay woman simply did in Chicago—alter could be in our future.
I disagree with Lori Lightfoot on a bunch of policies, but at least I know where she comes downward on irresolute a corrosive system. Sadly, I know where Jim Kenney is on that, too.
Photograph via YouTube 
Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/corruption-is-on-the-ballotin-chicago/
0 Response to "The Fix: Corruption Is On The Ballot…In Chicago!"
Post a Comment