[BCNnet] Complicated politics

[Ryan Chew]

>From: "Alan Anderson" <casresearch@comcast.net>
>To: "BCNnet Listserv" <BCNnet@ece.iit.edu>
>Subject: [BCNnet] Complicated politics
>Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 22:29:37 -0600
>
>I thought that the report that Stephen Packard sent to Forest Preserve
>Friends was important to share with BCNnet as well, and Stephen gave me
>permission to forward it.

I think that Alan and Steve P. make good points, but we can't lose sight of 
how we got this far.

We may offer some measured praise for the positive measures that the Stroger 
faction were forced, kicking and screaming, to allow.  But politics is 
hardball, and it's about voters, ultimately.  We lose most by trying to play 
"court politics" instead of democratic politics.  Trying to be nice to King 
Stroger because he makes the decisions, instead of trying to win elections.

We need to offer voters a very consistent description of what needs to 
happen and how far the current regime has diverged from any reasonable 
standard for management of the Forest Preserves (and other functions of 
county government).

Saying nice things about the small initiatives undertaken by a frightened 
president trying to mollify us will only show that we're weak.

The "possible future majority", as Steve described the reform group, won the 
battle of the budget yesterday.  They beat Stroger.  Earleen Collins cast 
the deciding vote.  She side with the Quigley-Claypool group not because 
she's long thought about these issues and finally found a way to express her 
long-held beliefs.  She voted that way because she saw several former 
colleagues from the "go-along get-along" faction (the ga-gas) lose elections 
last year.  With Oak Park voters making up a significant portion of her 
district, she knows a rebellion could beat her next time.

I don't mean to be too harsh on Earleen, who has always entertained some 
reform ideas.  But realistically, she can not be considered a lifelong 
advocate of better management at the county.  She was swayed by her 
perception of where the votes are - votes on the board, but more 
importantly, on election day.

Any power that we have had in the budget process we earned by beating 
several members of the ga-ga faction in last year's election.  Any power we 
will continue to have will be founded on the implied threat that we can beat 
other commissioners.  Stroger will not come around to our way of thinking 
just to be nice.

So by all means, we should offer some faint praise of those things that have 
already happened.  But let's measure our words very carefully, offering 
nothing so positive that it might confuse voters about the future.

At this point, in my opinion, Suffredin, Quigley, Claypool and the 5 
Republicans deserve a fair amount of praise, because they created a 
situation where some steps toward reform couldn't be avoided.  Collins 
deserves a measure of praise as well, because her vote Tuesday was a 
devastating blow to the ga-gas.  Anything good we have to say about Stroger 
and the ga-ga faction, which has fought reasonable reform, should be 
extremely limited, offered in measured terms that won't confuse voters into 
thinking we trust the ga-gas or support them.  After all, so far, we've been 
winning.

Perhaps others will offer some more background on what's happened.  I 
sometimes state my opinions quite assertively, but I know there are other, 
wiser heads here.  Perhaps someone else can give us some guidance.  I'm 
particularly interested in knowing whether others among the president's 
faction might be swing votes.  These are the people who I think, even more 
than Stroger himself, it might be worthwhile to court.

My commissioner, Maldonado, was reported in the previous day's news as being 
a possible no vote on the budget, but he wound up voting yes.  At the FPD 
budget hearing, he was got angry and argumentative about the reform proposal 
to give the FPD's one functioning swimming poo to the city to manage.  It's 
hard to figure out what's important to him, and what's not.  We may need his 
vote on certain issues, even though he's against us on other things, and the 
same is true of other commissioners.

I guess my basic point is that the defeat of the budget has changed quite a 
lot.  We need to think of how to approach the new situation.  Even before 
this, I think there were reasons to avoid currying favor with Stroger, and 
instead to flex our muscles.  But the budget vote is another big symbol of 
the shifting balance of power.  This would be an unfortunate time to blur 
the distinction we've carefully made between the reform group and the ga-ga 
faction.

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