WGN News: Cook County Commissioner on city's response to looting

[VIDEO] I'm sharing this with you to show one response to the looting that took place early on Monday overnight. Brandon Johnson is a sitting Cook County Commissioner representing the first district of Cook County.

The WGN anchors states Commissioner Johnson is calling for defunding the police. Johnson explains why these individuals were looting on Monday. Johnson explains that what we saw earlier this week is an expression of frustration and anguish with regards to poverty over many generations....

Here we go he's excusing this behavior. The worst part of this behavior is it wasn't just another Black person shot by police, it was misinformation that even the Mayor of Chicago had to take to twitter to address.

There is a false rumor on social media that police officers killed a 15-year-old on Sunday. Here are the facts:
- Officers responded to 911 calls about an armed man in Englewood
- A 20-year-old suspect fired at officers, gunfire was exchanged
- The suspect is in stable condition

— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) August 10, 2020

Misinformation causes anguish and frustration over proverty during the course of many generations. I had to turn this off once I heard him start with the excuses. Is there any leader in the Democratic machine that is willing to stand up to this lawlessness. Where is the leadership?

Stanley Moore: The Reintroduction of Rope a Dope

Stanley Moore

Worlee Glover wrote this post on Wednesday over at Nextdoor. I realize this is probably what many frustrated voted don't want to hear. You can run for office or be an incumbent and subject yourself to events that may prove not to be favorable. So what commissioner Stanley Moore did was use respected politicians and avoided events that were unfavorable for him. As a result Moore is assured of another term as a county commissioner.

Worlee's words are below!

Time to vote!

https://chicagoelections.com/

By the time this is posted in the morning polls will have been open for over two hours. If you live in Chicago's 6th Ward or even portions of the 9th Ward you may have noticed some changes as far as who represents you in the state senate and the state house.

While you may expect Elgie Sims to be running for re-election to his old 34th state representative district, now he's the current senator for the 17th state senate district. The previous senator Donne Trotter resigned back in January. And of course Sims' replacement in the state house is one Nicholas Smith.

BTW, if you're unsure who's on the ballot before you vote go to this page at Chicago Board of Elections to find out who will be on the ballot. You will have to enter your address to find the ballot for the precinct where you reside.

We do have a contentious primary for 4th district Cook County commissioner. It seems many aren't too happy with Stanley Moore. Question is will the three challengers be able to unseat him on the Cook County board.

Finally, how many of us have been paying attention to the primary for Governor? Do you think JB Pritzker - in spite of his long ago comments with regards to Black politicos on a wiretap - will be able to pull out a victory with his vast fortune.

As always we encourage you to vote today. Take that time out to cast a vote, and of course make your choice in this year's election. After tomorrow we have a long way to November for the general election.

Sun-Times has videos of the four candidate for 4th district county board commissioner

Over on Nextdoor I've seen some increased attention to the race for county board commissioner. Four candidates are on the ballot this year including the incumbent Stanley Moore who had been appointed after Bill Beavers was convicted of tax evasion.

Since Stanley Moore is the incumbent he'll be the first video we'll feature from the Chicago Sun-Times. Looking for him on the ballot next month punch 92. [VIDEO]

And here are his challengers along with their punch numbers on the ballot.

Community meet & greet on Saturday

Sorry for the late notice on this as I just got wind of this on Friday night. Meet not only your new state Senator Elgie Sims, and state Rep. Nicholas Smith also county Commissioner Stanley Moore at their offices.

• 8658 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
  Suite 404
  Chicago, IL 60619
  1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
  Phone: 773.933.7715

Flyer is below.

Should the United Nations be involved with maintaining peace on Chicago's streets?

[VIDEO] Over the years on this blog, we've seen some semblance of discussion regarding crime in Chicago. More specifically there have been those who wanted martial law in some parts of the south side - especially for example along 79th Street in Chatham.

Among other solutions to the issue of violence is bringing in the United Nations. Normally this diplomatic organization that seeks to maintain the peace of the world engages in a number of hotspots around the world. Richard Boykin - a west side Cook County commissioner - wants the UN to intervene in the violence occuring in Chicago's streets.

While above, I have a video from the Dec. 15th edition of FOX News' Special Report I'm also going to share a post from Chicago's Hottest Blog.

Thank you @RichardRBoykin for fighting against violence in Chicago:https://t.co/gMjMzTY7fX

— Jim Allen TV (@jimallenTV) December 17, 2017

Huge thank you to Commissioner Richard R. Boykin for shining a light on violence in Chicago while in New York at the United Nations.

As everyone knows, Chicago is in a public health and safety crisis. Gang violence that somewhat mirrors sectarian violence in foreign countries has taken over Chicago.

Even the President of the United States, Donald Trump has been mentioning the violence in Chicago. Since January 1, 2017 to the present, over 3,000 people have been shot in Chicago, and over 600 people have been killed!

Yes, Chicago needs serious attention and resources.

The need for attention & resources much agreed. My doubts are no different than asking for the Nat'l Guard to patrol city streets. Does the UN really care about issues of warring gangs on city streets? Does gang warfare represent a serious danger to the peace of the world?

It's great to use the UN to bring attention to the issue of Chicago violence - especially as President Trump seeks to point to Chicago as a disaster. We definitely need to find ways to get the city to really tackle this issue and make our streets safer. Something is not working and it's a problem when the thugs are using their guns as we head into winter.

BTW, just had to add that the blog 2nd City Cop had something to say of course...

Boykin obviously has no idea of the federal laws and Constitutional hurdles that would have to be overcome to have any sort of foreign forces operating within US borders, armed or unarmed. Not to mention Rules of Engagement and other such concerns. Add in the constant headlines of corruption, rape and sex trafficking that follow the UN everywhere and you have a recipe for disaster upon the disaster that already is the south and west sides.

Ah, so Chicago is know for corruption just add more corruption from foreign forces. Regardless Boykin brought attention to the violence issues in Chicago.

GCA March meeting with candidates for Cook County Commissioner

This was an announcement courtesy of an e-mail blast from the Greater Chatham Alliance.

As many of you know, Early Voting for the March 18, 2014 Primary Election started on:

Monday, March 3rd and continues through Saturday, March 15th.

However, GCA is placed to announce that at our March 15th meeting at St. James Lutheran Church (8000 S. Michigan) at 11 am, we will be holding an:

Informal "Meet & Greet" with the Democratic candidates for the Cook County Commissioner, 4th District seat.

As most of you know, this is the former seat of former Commissioner William Beavers.

All three (3) candidates confirmed attendance. They are:

• Appointed Cook County Commissioner, Stanley Moore
• Candidate Robert R. McKay
• Candidate Nick Smith

This is your opportunity to learn more about the candidates, their positions on issues affecting our community, and why they feel they are the most suitable for this office.

There will be a question and answer period after each candidate's presentation.

And guess what? You will still have plenty of time to vote early on Saturday if you choose to. Check out the following information.

The 6th Ward Early Voting Location is:

• Whitney Young Library
  7901 S. M. L. King Jr. Dr.
  Monday thru Saturday: 9 am to 5 pm

Voters registered in the City of Chicago may use any Early Voting site in the city, regardless of where the voters live.

Voters don't need a reason or excuse to use Early Voting -- but voters do need to present government-issued photo identification.

Click this link to see other Early Voting Locations:
http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=9

Todd Stroger didn't file for county board seat

I shared this article on the FB page recently with this comment: "My goodness Mr. Stroger you make noises but fail to pull the trigger. What's going on man? Do you want back in the game or not?"

You want to know why?

He said he was intending to run for William Beavers' 4th District seat. That seat is currently being held by Stanley Moore. The deadline to file petitions for office was Monday at 5 p.m. and Stroger did not file. 

Todd Stroger was of course the former County Board President who was succeeded by Toni Preckwinkle after his primary defeat in 2010. He also had made noises about running for Jesse Jackson Jr.'s old 2nd Congressional District but did file for that office.

It just makes you wonder, why make noise if you're not serious in the first place.

PREVIOUS POST: Sun-Times: Todd Stroger running for County Board seat 

BTW, pic in the upper left hand corner is from Todd Stroger's blog and he didn't seem to write on it much during his one term as county board president. For those who remembered it, who knows if he actually wrote on the blog or it was odd satire.

Tribune: Beavers county board successor could be picked Thursday

This Tribune article was posted onto our FB page earlier today with this question: "Who do you want to see as Commissioner?" It's a brief article so we probably can excerpt the whole thing if it's no problem:

Cook County Democratic leaders are scheduled to meet Thursday to pick a replacement for Commissioner William Beavers, who was convicted last month of federal tax evasion.

Ald. Howard Brookins will lead the meeting at which Democratic committeemen will decide who will finish Beavers’ unexpired county board term based on the weighted votes cast in the district in the 2010 commissioner election.

Brookins, whose 21st Ward cast the most weighted votes, said at least six candidates submitted resumes.

Among the contenders, Stanley Moore is considered a leading candidate for the post. Moore unsuccessfully sought a seat in the Illinois House in 2008.

Other hopefuls include Kenneth Sawyer, nephew of former Chicago mayor Eugene Sawyer; Brian Sleet, chief of staff to Ald. Roderick Sawyer; and Nick Smith, an aide to 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale. Brookins said former county board president Todd Stroger decided not to seek the post.

We already know about Sleet and Ken Sawyer, but Nick Smith and Stanley Moore well those are names we haven't heard yet at least through the media so far! And Mr. Stroger backs out of another race again!

Sun-Times: One-time Sen. Burris Chief of Staff wouldn't dream of taking salary to replace Beavers

Natasha Korecki reports:

The unofficial race to replace William Beavers on the county board is gaining interest with the onetime chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Roland Burris not only throwing his hat in the ring, but upping the ante.

Kenneth Sawyer, the cousin of Ald. Roderick Sawyer, said Monday that if a group of ward committeemen appoint him to replace Beavers, he would do it for free.

That is, for the term of the appointment, which runs until 2014.

Sawyer said he would take the county commissioner salary - which is about $85,000 - and create scholarships for those in the 4th District.

Sawyer, 45, who lives in the Chatham neighborhood, is in investment banking.

"I wouldn't think of taking a salary. I think people have been tired of looking at these things - the sequester in Washington, the pension issues in Illinois," he said.

As you all know Beavers was convicted in federal court for tax evasion and his seat on the county board is now vacant. Now we're seeing people come out of the woodwork to replace him.

We see know that Sawyer is very serious in addition to former County Board President Todd Stroger. The 4th District Seat was once held by Stroger's father John Stroger until his stroke and incapacity in 2006.

Who else might be interested in replacing Bill Beavers...

A friend of the blog recently pointed this out to me from the Sun-Times article I linked to on Friday. Sometimes I miss things that are in front of me!

Two other names surfaced as possible replacements on Friday; both of whom are tied to Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th). Sawyer acknowledged that his cousin, Ken Sawyer, and his chief of staff, Brian Sleet, are among those angling to replace Beavers.

Beavers’ replacement will be by appointment, based on the Democratic ward committeemen’s vote, which is weighted according to voter turnout in Beavers’ last election.

JP Paulus stated that some portions of the 6th is embedded within the 4th District. That means if Rod Sawyer wants his chief of staff to get the position that will mean he may well already got a vote there. Although let's remember the votes are weighted and that means:

Ald. Howard Brookins (21st), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, will cast the largest number of weighted votes as 21st Ward Democratic committeeman. Brookins told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday that he does not yet have a favorite to replace Beavers.

So time will only tell who will be the favorite. I'm so curious if any other potential candidates will step forward.

Also the Tribune noted:

Ald. Howard Brookins, 21st, who had the most votes in 2010, will serve as chairman of the committee, which will include nine committeemen, said party Executive Director Scott Cisek.

Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th, whose ward had the second- most votes, will be vice chairman.

County and Democratic Party officials believe Beavers was out as commissioner upon the guilty verdict, and that’s the assumption on which the party is proceeding. “We want to have the new board member appointed by the next meeting” on April 17, Cisek said.

Sun-Times: Todd Stroger wants to replace former ally William Beavers on County Board

Just jumping on JP Paulus's post from earlier noting the conviction of former Alderman and current County Commissioner Bill Beavers.

I'm sure the former county board President still has his fans out there in considering this. Todd served one term between 2006-2010 when he was succeeded by Toni Preckwinkle after she defeated him in the Democratic primary. He even flirted with joining the field for the 2nd Congressional District primary.

When you think about it, I always imagined sitting on the county board as a commissioner was a better fit for him than attempting to live up to his father as President of the county board. What do you think?

With the ink barely dry on William Beavers’ guilty verdict form, another familiar name is angling to replace the disgraced Cook County commissioner.

Former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday he wants in.

“Actually, I do have an interest,” in replacing Beavers on the Cook County Board. “I am going to reach out to all the committeemen this weekend,” Stroger said in a phone interview.

Stroger, who was ousted in his re-election bid by the reform-minded Toni Preckwinkle, said he’s been thinking about a comeback for some time. Beavers was Stroger’s staunchest ally on the County Board and a close friend of his father, the late County Board President John Stroger.

“For one thing I’m 50, and I found that at 50 you have to find something to do, so you might as well find something you know and you like,” Todd Stroger said. “What I said about the county in my term, we need someone who can actually speak the truth in the county.”

Beavers found GUILTY!

Photo from Chicago Magazine of soon-to-be-former
Cook Couny Commisioner Bill Beavers

Cook County Commisison William "Bill" Beavers has been found guilty of tax evasion. The jury took a mere 2 hours to find him guilty on all counts. You can see below for links which detail the suspicious financial dealings of the soon-to-be former commissioner.

Much if not all of the 6th Ward falls under Beavers' 4th District, so his representation covers much of our readership. And his now removal from the board opens up a power vacuum that doesn't have an immediate name.

We would also like to note that current 34th District Elgie Sims ran against Beavers in 2010, and lost by fairly close 55% to 45%.  A Green Party (NOT a Republican) member was on the ballot in November but lost 10% - 90%. We would love to hear form our readers if you recall voting for that office, why you cast your ballot.

Here are some articles which talk about the situation with Beavers:

 Cook County Commissioner William Beavers convicted of tax evasion in less than 2 hours (Chicago Tribune)


Mark Brown: Beavers’ biggest jackpot didn’t come out of a slot machine (Chicago Suntimes)


Bing Search of Beavers
  A few questions for you, the readers:

1. Did you vote for Bill Beavers in the 2010 primary and/or general?
2. Do you regret your vote?
3. Do you feel Bill beavers accomplished anything for our distirct?
4. Has Beavers or his staff ever appeared in your neighborhood meetings?
5. Do you believe Beavers was guilty and/or should be punished?
6. Who do you think should replace Bill Beavers? (If we have enough comments, we may do a poll on our Facebook Page.)

P.S. We apologize for the multitude of postings today, but felt this was too important to wait until the weekend.

Beavers says feds indicted him on tax charges when he wouldn't wear wire

Our local Cook County Commissioner, Bill Beavers, according to the Chicago Tribune, "was indicted Thursday on charges he failed to pay taxes on tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds that he used to pay off personal expenses."


The Tribune further states:

Between 2006 and 2008, Beavers paid himself more than $225,000 from three separate campaign accounts and used at least a portion of that money for personal purposes, including gambling, the indictment alleges.

In 2010, current 34th State Representative District candidate Elgie Sims ran against him, and barely lost, 55% to 45%. However, in the  general election, Beavers won 90% of the vote --and this was against a Green Party member, NOT EVEN a Republican.

Anyone have any voter remorse?

Here's the Chicago tribune news link :
Beavers says feds indicted him on tax charges when he wouldn't wear wire

If you have thought about running for office, it looks like a position is opening up.  You better get your organization together now, as that spot may open up in the near future. (Certainly any candidates NOT winning the primary -- you might consider keeping up your organization and website!)

Castration in the Cook County Commissioner race?

CBS 2, in November of 2007, reported that Beavers said quoted beavers as saying that he's "the hog with the big nuts and I'm gonna tell you what it is."That line has been repeated often over the years.

Marathon Pundit also used a similar headline back in 2008, and history may be repeating itself. 

Opponent Elgie Sims has the endorsements of State Senator Donne Trotter and Ald. Lyle, as evidenced in Palm Cards near the Ruggles School election poll. Sims has several other endorsements, such as the Chicago Tribune, and has appeaeared several times on Public Access TV. US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. & his wife Alderman Sandi Jackson have endorsed several candidates by robocall, and Elgie Sims is one of them.

As far as I can tell, Beavers hasn't received any support.  Many of the above endorsements have supported Beavers' ally Stroger, but not Beavers himself.

For Beavers, I have only seen a few signs have been seen here and there.

(note, i hope to post photos of those palm cards later tonight)

One other note about Elgie Sims: he is a Chtham / 6th Ward resident, and in addition to being a budget director for the state legislature, he has also been involved in the community, such as Chatham Avalon Park  Community Council.

We will see after 7pm if the hog has been castrated.

Campaign posters and flyers

I got this flyer in the mail a few weeks ago. Don't have a feel for this race as Bill Beavers face off to retain his seat on the county board against Elgie Sims. All I can say about this race is that Rich Miller @ The Capitol Fax hopes Sims will pull this one out. Unfortunately this race may well be a low priority amongst other races that get more press!

This next flyer was found in the Target parking lot on 87th and Cottage Grove. It reeks of a certain amount of desperation for Todd Stroger.

For Todd Stroger a lot of people will say that the county is in better shape than both city and state governments.  This is a sign for him posted near Michigan and 98th Place.

 This house is located between Wabash and Michigan on 95th Street. This home is almost run down and I'm uncertain that anyone lives there anymore, but it sure became a bulletin board of sorts for campaign signs.

You see a poster in the above pic for Slyvester Baker. He hopes to unseat Sheriff Tom Dart. Unfortunately that's very unlikely and you'll see a Cook County Style squash-match for Baker. Below is a flyer I have around the house for him. But you do see posters for him around the community in neighborhood businesses. Just go to Izola's on 79th Street or walk up and down 87th Street in certain commercial properties!

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday Feb. 2nd. If you don't know where you polling place is then look here!

BTW, it hits me that I saw a couple of people with a stack of signs for an appellate court candidate Friday afternoon near 95th and Michigan. They had a significant stack of them and they may not have been through for the day. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you who this judicial candidate was.

Rules for candidate profiles/articles/comments

We encourage all candidates who serve at least a portion of the 6th ward of Chicago to send us information for your candidacy.

Here are things we are looking for:

• Phone number:
• Slogan/Tagline (if you have one; example: "Yes We Can")
• Website: (Please make sure the link works)
• E-mail address (we can type it such that spam robots won't automatically pick that up)
• "Traditional" contact info, such as phone number and mailing address
• Other contact info (optional). This may include links to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, fax number, etc.
• Your top 3 issues:
• Employment (past & present):
• Community affiliations (past & present; includes church/religious):
• Politcal affiliations:
• Endorsements:
• General Comments (they must be positive, about you and/or the community; NO attacks on your opponent!):
• Other candidates (just to make sure each candidate has a chance to present themselves to the public)

We will not post unsubstantiated allegations (i.e. quotes/links to professional news organizations are legitimate; rumors are not), and they are not appropriate for your candidate profile.

It's your responsibility to sending us accurate information in an organized & timely fashion. This is a voluntary blog, so we don't have the time for formatting, and it would help our readers if you can give us info ahead of time, so they can get an accurate picture of you as a candidate.

Please do not expect us to try to go through your campaign material for you (though you are free to quote from it).

Thank you for contributing to the political process!