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Carol Felsenthal
Patricia Van Pelt Watkins’ Gritty and Inspiring Life Story
By Carol Felsenthal
Mayoral candidate Patricia Watkins has seen her share of tough times—she spent her formative years at Cabrini-Green, she was addicted to drugs at one point, and her daughter died in a plane crash at 17. The 53-year-old community organizer who founded Target Area Development Corp., a “grassroots social justice organization,” has been in the mayor’s race from the start. But the first-time candidate has polled as low as... Read more
Northwestern Law Prof on Rahm's Prospects Now
By Carol Felsenthal
Weeks ago, when most people thought that the challenge to Rahm Emanuel’s residency status was a lost cause, Northwestern Law Professor Sam Tenenbaum dissented. He reminded me of that today when I called him for his reaction to the Illinois Appeals Court ruling that Rahm is ineligible to run for mayor because he does not meet the residency requirement of having lived in Chicago for a year prior to... Read more
Rich and Rahm as Family Men—Some Striking Similarities
By Carol Felsenthal
Not to take the comparison between Rich Daley and Rahm Emanuel too far—Daley in ballet tights?—but as family men the mayor and his would-be successor share a couple of key traits. When Bill Clinton came to town on Tuesday to tout the talents of his buddy Rahm, and Rahm responded by toasting his former boss, “I could not ask for a better role model than you,” I wondered what Rahm’s wife Amy Rule thought... Read more
Seeking an Explanation for Carol Moseley Braun’s Harvard Claim
By Carol Felsenthal
When mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun—Kirk’s predecessor in the U.S. Senate—went on WGN radio early last Wednesday morning and claimed that she had “an advanced degree from Harvard” (she has degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago Law School), the only reporter I’ve found who picked up on the whopper... Read more
Brother Bill: A Look at William Daley
By Carol Felsenthal
From our February 2005 issue: Bill Daley is back in Chicago, with a top job at J. P. Morgan Chase and big charitable dollars to dispense. But given his record for exceeding expectations, few observers expect his shrewd moves to stop there. Read more
Has Bill Clinton Hurt Rahm Emanuel?
By Carol Felsenthal
The news that Bill Clinton was coming to Chicago to campaign for Rahm—first reported by Politico’s Mike Allen on Christmas day and confirmed by Rahm’s campaign spokesman the following day—produced a harshly worded, almost threatening, response from Congressman Davis. Moseley Braun was silent for a day but then she chimed in angrily, calling Clinton “an outsider parachuting in to support another... Read more
Rev. Jesse Jackson: The Davis/Moseley Braun meeting-and on the media covering the mayor’s race
By Carol Felsenthal
As 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.”... Read more
Danny Davis: Ministers want a single black candidate; Rev. Jesse Jackson brokering?
By Carol Felsenthal
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 ... Read more
Physician and Activist Quentin Young Goes with Miguel del Valle for Mayor
By Carol Felsenthal
Retired 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... Read more