Author Archives: Alex Parker
Sinker’s @mayoremanuel Was Vital Political Satire
@mayoremanuel lampooned the real Emanuel’s propensity for profanity, and was a vital satire of local politics.
Can Chicago Do Better Than Detroit’s Robocop Statue?
Well, they’ve finally done it! Advocates in Detroit have raised more than $50,000 for a statue of cyborg-crimefighter Robocop. A worthy civic venture, indeed. It makes you wonder what kind of monument to pop culture we could build here in Chicago.
Your Election-Day Morning News Roundup
Polls opened at 6 AM as Chicagoans awakened to another snowfall. But already there’s plenty to talk about. Mayor Daley voted early, and jetted off to the British Virgin Islands with his wife, Maggie, and friend Terry Newman. (Sun-Times)
Artist’s del Valle Mural Channels Twitter
Barack Obama had Shepard Fairey.
Miguel del Valle has Maya Escobar.
Early voting ends today; results “respectable,” so far
Early voting closes today, and as of this morning, 58,000 Chicagoans had cast their ballot at the city&’s 51 early voting centers. That’s more than double the figure from the last citywide elections in 2007.
Rahm the Suburbanite?
Can someone who didn’t grow up in the city be an effective mayor?
Rahm Emanuel’s opponents don’t think so. In a debate last night sponsored by the Chicago Urban League and Fox News Chicago, Gery Chico took aim at Emanuel’s North Shore upbringing.
Indiana Pushing to Poach Illinois Businesses
Indiana is taking an aggressive approach to lure local businesses across the state line.
Your latest Cook County scandal
With Todd Stroger gone, where to look for the latest eyebrow-raising fiscal gamesmanship in Cook County? Look no further than Maria Pappas, the county treasurer who was once mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate.
CBS2 and the Better Government Association have taken Pappas to task for a series of creative employment arrangements that include having her former housekeeper and a $95,883-a-year driver-cum-project leader on staff.