From the Daily Southtown

Judicial circuits political? You be the judge of that

Sunday, January 2, 2005

State Sen. Larry Walsh, a farmer and former Will County Democratic chairman, will step down from his Senate seat in mid-January in order to participate in the Legislature's last-minute business scheduled for Jan. 10 and 11.
He'll be busy.
Among other issues, lawmakers are set to expand the number of judges in Will County. It may sound mundane, but it carries significant political interest. Five new subcircuits will be created, allowing agenda-driven political parties to fashion judicial maps that boost "their people" into office.
Two years ago after the November 2002 election, the Democrats were aghast at how well the Republicans did, slaughtering Democratic challengers in nearly every county office. Even four sitting Democratic judges — carefully appointed by a Democratic-leaning Illinois Supreme Court, buoyed by incumbency and tucked quietly at the bottom of the ballot — lost their seats to Republicans.
Two years later, the Democrats came back howling, including Walsh, who nudged Joe Mikan from the county executive seat.
Now the Democrat-dominated General Assembly is set to approve the new subcircuits. The boundaries undoubtedly will be drawn to benefit the Democrats; one subcircuit under consideration would virtually guarantee a minority on the ticket.
For this bill and others, Walsh announced he will postpone slightly his farewell party, which is sure to feature plenty of Pabst and some serious poker.
Money and your mouth
Are you one of those people who rank politicians below lawyers, journalists and your neighbor's stinky dog?
Maybe you should stop complaining and run for office yourself.
Candidates for local offices can file nominating petitions beginning Jan. 17. Offices up for election on April 5 include village, township, school board and park and library seats.
"Civic-minded citizens who want to get more involved on a local level can make a real difference by serving as an elected official," Cook County Clerk David Orr said. "You decide many quality-of-life issues, including those relating to health and safety, taxes and public works projects. It provides a chance to shape your community's future."
Prospective candidates must file their nomination papers between Jan. 17 and Jan. 25. (The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is on the 17th, so some offices won't accept papers until the 18th).
Candidates should call their local boards or municipal or township clerks to find out which offices are up for election, how many signatures are required and where to file the papers.
The deadline for filing objections to a candidacy or nominating petition is Feb. 1.
Where to draw the line?
Call me finicky, but I couldn't help but notice a letter faxed out last week on City of Calumet City paper from the mayor's office fax machine — in other words, on taxpayers' dime — that took a swipe at her opponent in the April mayoral race.
Ever since the Scott Fawell trial when prosecutors pointed out that George Ryan's staff used state equipment for campaign activities, there is a heightened sensitivity to the boundary between government and campaign work. Using government equipment for campaign activities is prohibited.
For the most part, the letter from Calumet City Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush addressed what could be considered legitimate city business: an appellate court decision affirming her victory in 2003 during a special election.
But in the closing paragraphs, she writes about one of her opponents in the upcoming April mayoral race. Written third person, the statement read:
"Mayor Michelle promises to continue to run her campaign in an honest and fair manner. However, she is concerned that Greg Skubisz has endorsed one of her opponents, Pam Cap, with him and many of his key campaign workers actively working her campaign."
Skubisz was accused of fraudulent campaign activities during the 2003 race. So, if he's helping Cap, it's a smart issue for her to raise — on the campaign trail.
When asked whether she should have saved the Cap attack for a campaign piece, she said the question was "ridiculous."
Indeed, it is difficult for elected officials to completely divest campaign activities from their elected offices. I sure didn't see President Bush returning his 2004 government salary, even though he spent every minute campaigning.
Still, is it so hard for Qualkinbush to run to Kinkos or sit on the issue for a short time and send it out from a campaign office?
She went on to say she used her city-funded cell phone, too, to take reporters' calls about the court decision. What was she supposed to do? Use a different phone, she asked?
Well, if she intended to take a swipe at her opponent during the call, yes.
Kristen McQueary covers government and politics for the Daily Southtown. She may be reached at kmcqueary@dailysouthtown.com or (708) 633-5972.