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2018年3月29日 星期四

Longtime Berrios foe wants his job as Cook County Democratic Party chairman

Catch up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

Chicago Tribune

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March 29, 2018

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After helping a challenger vanquish Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios at the polls, state Rep. Luis Arroyo wants Berrios' other job: chairman of the county Democratic Party.

Arroyo announced Wednesday he's going to run for the party's top post in next month's election, when city ward and township committeemen gather to pick their leaders.

The yearslong Berrios foe will face Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, a Berrios friend and ally who now is vice chairman of the party.

"Everybody's agreeing this should be a clean slate of the Democratic Party, not just one chairman," Arroyo said in a telephone interview. "They should change the whole Democratic slate to start fresh."

He also said Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia "really sent a message" when he won the Democratic nomination last week for a congressional seat and also backed a successful slate of candidates on the Southwest Side. The rest of the party needs to capture that progressive movement momentum, he said.

Preckwinkle also has called for significant party change, declaring in a statement that "we must ... reject politics-as-usual. Our Democratic Party cannot and must not be a good-old-boys' club."

Although Preckwinkle amassed a slew of successes in last week's primary, she also backed Berrios in his re-election effort over political newcomer Fritz Kaegi. Arroyo backed Kaegi, who defeated Berrios and a third candidate in the contest for assessor.

In the 2015 City Council elections, Arroyo also helped elect two aldermen who defeated Berrios-backed candidates, including Ald. Ray Suarez in the 31st Ward, where Berrios is the longtime committeeman. (Hal Dardick)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will speak at a meeting of the national Cities for Action group.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner will attend an event to honor Vietnam veterans in Springfield.

From the notebook

*Also looking for a spot: Meanwhile, others are angling for promotions to the Cook County Democrats' executive committee. Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, said he's among those who'd like to get a promotion — although he wasn't declaring favorites for the top spot.

"I've been a longtime ally of Toni Preckwinkle's, but I like Arroyo," Sawyer said. "I think he's a great guy."

Ald. Ariel Reboyras, 30th, said he talked to Preckwinkle on Tuesday. He said he wasn't aware Arroyo was getting in the contest.

"I've asked her if I could be vice chair," Reboyras said. "So did maybe 10 others." (Hal Dardick)

*Trump sending state senator to Kenya: President Donald Trump has nominated Republican state Sen. Kyle McCarter of Downstate Lebanon to be the next U.S. ambassador to Kenya.

The announcement came Wednesday via a White House press release and took McCarter by surprise. He was notified of his nomination when contacted by a Tribune reporter.

"I hadn't seen that. That's good news to hear," said McCarter, who helps run a faith-based charity in the African nation.

McCarter said he applied for the position online, and his bid received the support of Illinois Republicans in Congress who sent a letter to Trump last year. Lawmakers highlighted McCarter's role as an international director for Each One Feed One, a nonprofit that operates a primary school and medical clinic in northeastern rural Kenya.

The letter pointed to his familiarity with the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying he's "outlined specific ideas for reforms of USAID spending, including curtailing waste, fraud, and abuse within the program."

McCarter, who is not seeking re-election, said he will resign from the state Senate and step down from the charity should he be confirmed for the post by the U.S. Senate. McCarter joined the Illinois Senate in 2009, replacing former Senate Republican leader Frank Watson.

"I am totally honored to represent the United States in a place I know with people I love, and to show the generosity of our country to Kenya," McCarter said. (Monique Garcia)

*Emanuel mostly mum on McCarthy challenge, attack ad: Hours after his former police superintendent announced a run against him last week, Mayor Emanuel launched an online attack video tying Garry McCarthy to Trump, who remains deeply unpopular in Chicago.

In a brief interview Wednesday, Emanuel was asked whether his quick response to the video meant he's worried about a McCarthy challenge. The mayor was dismissive.

"I'm not worried about anything," Emanuel said. "What keeps me up at night is thinking about Chicago's future and what we have to do to not let any grass grow under our feet as we invest in that future." (Bill Ruthhart)

*Roskam says feds OK property tax early birds: Way back at the end of 2017, a crush of Chicago-area homeowners paid their property taxes early in hopes of deducting those payments from their federal income taxes before the Republican tax overhaul kicked in.

But a confusing, late-December missive from the IRS left some uncertainty about whether that would work.

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam released a letter from the Treasury Department that he said makes clear those early payments are indeed deductible on 2017 federal income taxes.

"This announcement is a win for the thousands of Sixth District residents who stood in line to prepay their property taxes last year," Roskam said in a statement.

Roskam has said he's running for re-election on the Republican tax rewrite, which Democrats have criticized as more beneficial to the wealthy. He faces Democrat Sean Casten in November.

What we're writing

*Aldermen approve major parts of Emanuel's $8.5 billion O'Hare overhaul project.

*Judge wants trial of cop charged in Laquan McDonald shooting to begin this summer.

*Vallas to get in mayor's race next week, attorney says.

*Pepperoncini vs. batteries: Chicago-area businesses on opposite sides of tariff-reduction battle.

*Former Madigan campaign worker calls for City Hall probe into Ald. Quinn over sexual harassment complaint.

*Freed after wrongful conviction that cost him lawful resident status, man now held by immigration authorities.

What we're reading

*"Lizard Squad" hacker-for-hire cries in court as he's sentenced to three months in prison.

*Mega Millions jackpot reaches $502 million.

*Here are the additions to the Wrigley Field food lineup.

Follow the money

*State Sen. Daniel Biss reported more than $102,000 in contributions, including $25,000 from former U.S. Senate candidate Blair Hull and $52,000 from his mother, Miriam Fried.

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*Trump lawyer said to raise idea of pardoning Manafort, Flynn.

*Case about foreign gifts to Trump advances.

*New York governor frees reporter arrested for talking on cellphone.

*Way beyond Chicago: Astronomers baffled by galaxy with no dark matter

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