Chicago News
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The March 20 primary is 35 days away - plenty of time to bombard constituents doors and inboxes. Here are the latest scans and pictures we’ve received. Send us yours at [email protected]. Kindly cover your home address, but let us know what neighborhood you’re sending from.
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FEB 12, 2018
Days before the Electoral Board was set to rule on whether she would be kicked off the ballot, Andrea Raila’s attorney, Frank Avila, shared an affidavit alleging that the hearing officer in Raila’s case, Christopher J. Agrella, had a prior relationship with her challenger, Fritz Kaegi. Avila suggested that tie, revealed this week, was a conflict that should have been disclosed and might have led to bias in the case. Both Kaegi’s campaign and Agrella both vehemently denied the accusations.
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(Backed by a group of women supporters, Assessor candidate Andrea Raila accuses Fritz Kaegi of political harassment at an availability outside 69 W. Washington. Photo: AD Quig, The Daily Line)
Assessor candidate Andrea Raila held an press conference Tuesday morning where she fired back at Fritz Kaegi, whose petition challenge has brought her one step closer to being removed from the ballot. She says she has spent $30,000 and 39 days defending her petitions, keeping her off the campaign trail and draining resources.
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Commissioners were briefed Tuesday on delays to implement e-filing at the Clerk of the Circuit Court–an office often criticized for inefficiency and over-reliance on paper and mainframe technology. Clerk Dorothy Brown’s office blamed the state for moving the goalposts, and the Chicago Tribune for unfavorable coverage, but said it would be ready by July. Confusion among commissioners also stemmed from the fact that one company–Tyler Technologies–is managing two different but related contracts at the county and state.
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The Cook County Board will consider new disclosures on gun violence, more than $1 million in medical malpractice settlements, and a push to provide more access to lactation rooms around the county.
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(Hearing officer Chris Agrella delivers his final recommendations to attorneys Frank Avila (left) and Andrew Finko (right) on Feb. 5, 2018. Photo: A.D. Quig, The Daily Line)
A hearing officer recommended Assessor candidate Andrea Raila be removed from the Mar. 20 primary ballot, citing widespread notarization and circulator fraud among an inner core of campaign staff, including members of her family and the candidate herself. Hearing officer Christopher Agrella said he found a “a pattern of fraud by a clear and convincing standard,” on Monday. Raila and her attorney, Frank Avila, called the recommendation absurd and said Agrella was biased against them from the beginning.
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Cook County commissioners meet for consent calendar items beginning at 9:00 a.m., including a celebration of Black History Month, and honors for Judge William Cousins Jr., activist Paul Booth, and a youth suicide prevention group. Soon after, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown is expected to face questions from commissioners over delays in tech upgrades at her office.
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Thanks to all our dedicated readers who sent in tips and mail. Keep them coming--whether walk pieces, mailers, palm cards or voicemails. Our DMs are open @thedailylinechi on Twitter and at [email protected].
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Update: On Friday, we received two emails that said Comm. Richard Boykin (D-1) had incorrectly included their endorsements on his website – from a spokesperson for County Clerk David Orr and Ald. Proco Joe Moreno (1) in response to our story, “First District County Board Race Pits Union-Backed Newcomer Against Established Incumbent.” Boykin’s website listed both as endorsements. We updated the story and informed Boykin’s staff of the error.
The race for the First District seat on the Cook County Board is shaping up to be one of the season’s most interesting–pitting the independent and outspoken Democratic incumbent, Richard Boykin, against a progressive, union-backed challenger, Brandon Johnson. The district covers the West Side of the city and western suburbs, and includes both the wealthiest areas in Cook County, as well as those with the highest rates of poverty and crime.
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A letter sent to constituents in the embattled Sen. Ira Silverstein’s (D-Chicago) district, weeks before a competitive primary, described the conclusion of a recent ethics investigation as “a painful but important lesson” and--beneath the Illinois state seal--asked for his constituents' support as he runs for re-election.
