The day after

For more than three months, I have been carrying the secret that Deb Mell wasn’t registered to vote. For an extrovert like myself that was a very difficult task. I did share it with a few close advisors, including my partner Patrick and my lawyer, Rich Means.

We knew that any day the facts could have changed but they didn’t.

For three months we worked to collect enough signatures to put us on the ballot, hoping that the 1,617 signatures (we needed 500) were enough insurance to ward off an objection.

So it’s no wonder that yesterday, the last day to file objections to my petitions, was one of pins and needles. Rich Means, wise man or is it “wise guy” that he is, didn’t file my objection against Mell until 4 pm and I didn’t know whether an objection had been filed against me until the election office closed at 5 pm. It made for a very long day.

Well, today it’s all history and for a wide variety of reasons, including both the hard work of my volunteers and the generosity of my campaign contributors, not only am I on the ballot but I have a good chance of being the only one in the February 2nd Democratic primary running for State Rep, Dist 40.

Time and time again, as I knocked on doors to ask voters to sign my petition, people laughed when I told them I was running against Deb Mell. To be fair, I have to say that they laughed and then signed. Patrick was supportive enough to remind me that “He who laughs last, laughs best.”

Mr. Means would remind me that it’s too early to laugh at all. It’s no trick to know that there’ll be more than one attack against my campaign in the coming months and after the primary no one knows what new opposition will come after me. It won’t be a done deal until the votes are counted in November 2010. Until then, though, I hope you don’t mind if I smile once or twice.

Ethical Choices

I have been active in gathering signatures on my petition and therefore amiss at my blogging. As we near the end of the petitioning process it's time to turn my energies in other directions: fund-raising and platform development.

Last night I attended a small meeting where I was able to hear Patrick Collins' first hand assessment on Election and Ethical Reform in Illinois. At the end of the evening the candidates for office were invited to speak briefly.

I was amazed by what a reform candidate said, which I will paraphrase here.

As a college professor in poltical science I have both the expertise and time to run a potentially winning campaign. My campaign manager recently asked what I would do if Mike Madigan came to me and said you've got a viable campaign. If you back off on the reformer's zeal, I'll put $100,000 in your war chest. Now remember that's not a quote. It's a paraphrase.

The candidate then noted how tempting it was to take the money, acknowledging that using the money to win meant he could champion other causes, such as education, transportation, and taxation. He admitted that he didn't know what he would do.

Didn't know? What kind of "reformer" sells his platform for $100,000? It is as simple as that. Until we learn that the slippery slope is greased with $100,000 from Madigan office, we will never change the system. It will, instead, continue to change us.

We need to eschew politic$-a$-u$ual and embrace clearly articulated platforms, easily read solutions, and old-fashioned meet the voter campaigning.