December 2010
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12/30/10Rev. Jesse Jackson: The Davis/Moseley Braun meeting-and on the media covering the mayor’s raceAs previously reported, Jesse Jackson, Sr., met Wednesday night at his Rainbow PUSH headquarters with Danny Davis and Carol Moseley Braun, the two leading African American candidates for mayor. The purpose, Jackson told me in a telephone conversation Thursday morning, was to get them talking-to jump start the dialogue about one of them dropping out to give the survivor a chance to turn the momentum that has been building for Rahm Emanuel. Jackson predicted that the two “old friends” will reach an agreement: “There’s nothing hostile or petty about their relationship….They left the meeting on good terms.”... Posted at 02:26 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (5) |
12/29/10Danny Davis: Ministers want a single black candidate; Rev. Jesse Jackson brokering?Congressman Danny Davis says that, at the behest of various black ministers, he and Carol Moseley Braun will meet again later today to discuss whether one of them should drop out of the race for Chicago mayor. The two longtime friends—the leading African American candidates in the contest—met on Christmas Eve to talk shop about the campaign ... Posted at 11:28 AM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (3) |
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12/21/10Physician and Activist Quentin Young Goes with Miguel del Valle for MayorRetired Hyde Park doctor and activist Quentin Young, who is well known for his efforts in advocating for single-payer health care, has taken the role of co-chair in City Clerk Miguel del Valle’s mayoral campaign. The 87-year-old former internist told me in an interview Monday that he believes del Valle and Rahm Emanuel will take the top two spots on February 22nd—and “Miguel will... Posted at 01:42 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (2) |
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12/20/10Could Rahm Emanuel's Residency Case End up in the U.S. Supreme Court?Whether the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners’ ruling this Thursday leaves Rahm on the ballot in the mayor’s race or takes him off, the case will almost certainly end up in the courts. The first step in the appeals process is the Circuit Court of Cook County; then the Illinois Court of Appeals; and after that, the Illinois Supreme Court. Should that last body not rule Rahm’s way, it’s hard to imagine him accepting the defeat and moving on with his life. If he loses, could Emanuel take his case to the highest court in the country?... Posted at 03:26 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (3) |
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12/14/10A Look at Joseph Morris, the Hearing Officer in the Rahm Emanuel Residency ChallengeRahm Emanuel took the stand this morning in a hearing to determine whether he meets the residency requirements to run for mayor. The hearings, held at the Loop offices of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, have been something of a spectacle. Presiding over the three-ring circus has been hearing officer Joseph Morris, a 59-year-old lawyer and conservative activist donning a bow tie. Born and reared in Gary, Indiana,... Posted at 11:51 AM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (6) |
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12/13/10Tom Dart on the Mayor's Race, Family, Blago, and MoreSoon after Rich Daley announced in September that he would not seek another term, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart jumped in the mayor’s race. Though he never officially announced, Dart withdrew in late October, saying he couldn’t be mayor and a good father to his five children at the same time. What’s next for Dart, a lawyer, who talks about sticking to the sheriff’s job “definitely” for the next four years? And whom, if anyone, will he endorse for mayor?... Posted at 10:51 AM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (3) |
12/06/10Gery Chico Lands Key Endorsement: Harold Washington's Pastor, B. Herbert MartinGery Chico will score a key endorsement Monday afternoon from B. Herbert Martin, pastor of the Progressive Community Church at 48th and Wabash in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Martin, 68, Harold Washington’s close friend and pastor, was raised in Mound Bayou, Mississippi and came to Chicago in 1967 to earn his master’s in divinity at Northwestern... Posted at 09:31 AM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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12/03/10A Potential Conflict of Interest in the Rahm Residency Case?Rahm Emanuel’s residency challenge is heating up, and it will likely end up in the Illinois Supreme Court. Sitting on that top court is Justice Anne Burke, who is married to Ald. Ed Burke, a City Council heavyweight as chairman of the finance committee. Although he has not yet issued the endorsement, the 14th Ward alderman gives every signal of supporting one of Rahm’s serious challengers, Gery Chico... Posted at 01:27 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (5) |
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12/01/10Louis Susman, Our Man in WikiLeaks (and London)In the wake of the WikiLeaks document dump and the ensuing media frenzy, I wondered what I would find on Obama’s diplomatic appointees from Chicago. Of the four local Obama campaign donors who were rewarded with cushy ambassadorships—banker Louis Susman to England, lawyer David Jacobson to Canada, TV producer Charles Rivkin to France... Posted at 12:19 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (1) |
Felsenthal Files is a blog by author Carol Felsenthal, a lifelong Chicagoan and self-proclaimed political junkie. Her focus here will be Chicago politics, which, in the age of Obama, extends to the national and international spheres. Felsenthal is a regular blogger for The Hill and The Huffington Post and has written several books, including Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House. Among her many stories for Chicago are memorable profiles of Michelle Obama and Rod Blagojevich.
