Misplaced priorities
So, the Rockford Archdiocese is providing the “faithful” with dispensation to eat corned beef on this Lenten Friday, while the Chicago variety won’t budge. Wouldn’t it be nice if the church hierarchy paid as much attention to pedophile priests as they do to a worn-out tenet that only 24 percent of Catholics bother to observe?
Just a thought from a former Catholic.
Lies, damned lies, and Corey Dixon
Elgin mayoral hopeful Corey Dixon has a new ad running on WRMN calling for “stronger police.” Really? The guy who’s made a political career out of attacking the men and women in blue suddenly supports the thin blue line? Isn’t councilman Dixon the one who:
- Used the Cynthia DeClements shooting to his political benefit at every turn
- Backed a study on EPD use-of-force after it was completely discredited
- Fully supported removing police resource officers from U-46 schools
- Fully supported the disaster known as the Elgin Community Task Force on Policing
Now he’s all for “increasing public safety” as his website so proudly declares?
Why stop there? As long as you’re pandering for conservative votes, why not tell your radio audience that you’re really an old white guy. They’ll never know the difference, right?
Meanwhile, I hope Elgin’s overly vocal progressive minority is paying close attention to Mr. Dixon’s sudden “shift” to the right.
A mile wide and an inch thick
Though it’s a lot like beating a dead horse – and this equine truly is deceased – the Daily Herald makes it far too easy to go after their specious endorsements.
We’ve discussed this sad scenario before. If the Trib and Sun-Times no longer have the horses to reasonably vet candidates, what does that say about the Daily Herald? That lack of newsroom manpower is the reason the Kane County Chronicle, Aurora Beacon-News, and Elgin Courier-News gave up on the prospect.
But the DH persists because it’s the only time they can get politicians to say “how high” when they say “jump.” Then they stick up to eight candidates in a room for an hour and somehow believe they can make an educated choice. Their Elgin endorsements clearly indicate otherwise.
Tish Powell may be “an important voice” for minority issues in regard to the Elgin Police Department, but the fact that she consistently gets it wrong only makes matters that much worse for her constituents.
She personally engineered the Community Task Force on Policing to contain only progressives so it became a massive political embarrassment and a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. You don’t see her campaigning on the basis of that sponsorship now, do you?
Then she directly intervened in an independent investigation of a police personnel issue, and lied about her involvement, too. Not to mention how she, and fellow councilmen John Steffen, Corey Dixon, and Carol Rauschenberger voted down the ethics ordinance just so the duplicitous Baldemar Lopez could run for city council again.
Then he didn’t run.
As speaking of John Steffen, the DH noted that “he doesn’t say much” but “he says a lot with the words he chooses.” No, he doesn’t! He doesn’t say anything. Despite Steffen serving on the council since 2007, I challenge you to come up with a single initiative on his part during those long 16 years.
My theory is he ran just to get the free food the City provides before council meetings. He used to bring his father along to maximize that free lunch potential. Steffen also voted against the ethics ordinance, and after he finally took a stand by claiming he wouldn’t attend a council meeting until Toby Shaw got vaccinated, he was caught working the door at a packed Democratic fundraiser with a mask dangling from his right ear.
Then, after the DH noted that “Martinez has done a fine job on the city council” they go ahead and endorse Ishmael Cordova over her purely on the basis of identity politics. You see, Codova is a gay Hispanic who claims he was homeless for a time, so the DH editorial board salivated over the possibility of him becoming “powerful voice” on the homelessness issue.
Yes! And the fact that you were briefly homeless makes you an effective advocate just as working for the Daily Herald makes you an effective journalist.
Worse yet, the people who’ve spoken with Cordova tell me that he comes across as a George Santos lite such that his story about joining a gang and being homeless don’t ring true. One source asked me to investigate his homelessness claims and I might just do that.
Cordova also exhibits a strange persecution complex where everyone, including his former Task Force on Policing cohorts, are out to get him. I’ve seen this dynamic before and, trust me, if those kind of candidates manage to get elected it never ends well.
As much as I hate to admit it, I do agree with the DH’s endorsement of Anthony Ortiz. He’s grown immensely since I started covering him here and he would be a far more effective councilman than Dixon, Powell, Steffen, or Rauschenberger.
I also concur with the Herald giving Mayor Dave the nod, but when you consider the DH’s embarrassingly desperate attempts to appear to be “woke,” I’m convinced they would’ve gone for Dixon had not the Courier-News run story on his ongoing campaign finance reporting debacle.
We’ll get to all of my Elgin city council endorsements shortly.
Dave Kaptain disses the incumbents
I may have chided Mayor Kaptain for listening to his progressive wife a bit too much and failing to take stronger stands in the past, but that’s certainly not the case anymore. Aside from running for a third term just to keep Corey Dixon from waltzing into the office, he made his feelings about the city council’s Gang of Four abundantly clear at a recent civics association meeting.
For the uninitiated, that nefarious group consists of council members Powel, Dixon, Steffen and Carol Rauschenberger.
Dave essentially told that group that, while he’s never issued endorsements before, he’s specifically NOT supporting any of the incumbents which leaves Powell and Steffen out in the cold. After Rose Martinez pointed out that she, too, was an incumbent, Dave made it clear that she was the exception to his new rule.
But the fact that he made he so directly stated his feelings on the Gang is a particularly strong statement for any sitting mayor.
The First Ward’s endorsements
Dave Kaptain for mayor, of course. And for city council:
1. Anthony Ortiz as noted above.
2. Rose Martinez because she truly has done an exceptional job.
3. Karin Jones because she’s fully invested as an Elgin resident and business owner.
4. Marcus Banner because he continues to grow and, unlike Powell, he’ll actually be strong voice for the black AND Hispanic communities.
On to April 4!
