Baby Stroger: Don't you just love him? And how are all you Oak Park and River Forest Democrats doing today, as you face the Ides of November, when Todd Stroger turns up on your ballot? You went big for supposed reformer Claypool in April. What now? There's this guy from Riverside, a supposed reformer, which Todd ain't. You went for supposed reform in April, now you face a stark choice: non-reform or, God save us, a Republican.
Your daddy was a Dimmycrat, as Mr. Dooley said the word, and his father before him, etc. Will you now betray him and even Holy Mother Church, which we know is Dimmycrat and has been since from its immigrant-church days?
It's not easy. Counselling may be in order. "How could you?" a former Democrat was asked by someone near and dear when he said he had become a Republican. If he had said he'd become a Methodist, she would have understood, because we are all ecumenical these days. The best people are.
But ladies and gentlemen of all religious persuasions, can we ignore what God hath wrought among Cook County Democrats? Oak Park's head Democrat, Senator Don, clearly a comer, got tough about it in the slating meeting. Voters feel "disenfranchised and outraged," he said. They consider this process "a sham" and think "we ... committeemen lack the independence to think for ourselves and vote in their interests." (They would never think that.)
Senator Don was for Rep. Danny Davis, years ago sent to us by central casting as our safely seated congressman-for-life. His appearance at OP village hall a few months back took place in the glow of heavy-duty pork-$400,000 to study capping the Ike-of which he was clearly, if not justifiably, proud. But Rep. Danny never stood a chance in this county meeting.
You all must look in your hearts and vote your conscience. That's a no-brainer. But one among us has to look especially deep, and that's OP village board president Pope. He was in for a dime on the reformer Claypool side in the primary, working the phone. Will he be in for a dollar for reformer Peraica in November?
Saving Maple Avenue:
I swear, some OP trustees feel exaggerated responsibility for the well-being of the citizenry. Take R. Milstein, proud wearer of the (village hall staff) union label, and his determination to devise a "win-win" situation for the 400 N. Maple-dwellers and their unwelcome developer. "We need to bring this to closure, and we're the ones capable of doing it," he told his fellow trustees.
Hearing words of caution in the matter, such as whether a developer is likely to drop his profitable, legal plans or exchange them for another, he conceded nothing. He seemed fully prepared to spend other people's money to pay this developer not to develop, so as to rescue a block-load of residents from entrepreneurship.
