A LOT OF LOSERS IN LAST WEEK'S ELECTIONS

This week’s column is a hard one for me to write. Why? Because I’ve had to change my mind so many times about what I was going to say. Truthfully I don’t write my columns until the day they are due. Sometimes certain issues are so worrisome that by the time I finally sit down to write, many of my opinions are so well-formed that my fingers fly across the computer keyboard as the words just flow out of me. Today I am disgusted because I must write about last week’s elections. My focus is not only on the candidates, but also on the trifling folks who were too lazy to go to the polls and vote for some damn good choices. Those candidates lost and had a poor showing because far too many people have become jaded about the political process and therefore want the television version of elections as opposed to the reality.

President Barack Obama’s campaign was a rare fairy tale candidacy. But for all others, it is very hard work to try and get your name and opinions on the radar for the average voters. Running for office is a decision that most sincere candidates don’t take lightly. It is a sacrifice of their time, feelings, money, and most of all their energy as one goes about trying to convince voters that if they give that candidate a chance, the candidate will work to make a difference.

One of the biggest losers in last week’s elections was Sylvester Baker. This was his third attempt to become the Cook County Sheriff and black folks who represent about seventy percent of the inmates’ population did a piss poor job of coming out to support this man in his quest. Not only was Sylvester Baker highly qualified for the job, he came with ideas to give inmates knowledge so that they wouldn’t find themselves coming back to jail. But it is obvious that the black community loves the idea of their sons and daughters being incarcerated because if they didn’t, they would have done a better job of supporting Mr. Baker in his effort to become the democratic nominee for Cook County Sheriff. So the next time those of you who didn’t vote or voted to keep the incumbent sheriff in office have a love one at the jail, remember it was your indifference to the election that helps to keep the “status quo” and you can’t complain.

Another big loser in last week’s elections was Dorothy Brown. After all the talk about her qualifications and leads in the polls, voters weren’t fooled. This was the second time that Brown has displayed that she is dissatisfied with her position as Clerk of the Circuit Court. Three years ago, as Bill ‘Dock’ Walls ran a campaign for mayor; she entered at the last minute to split the black vote. She lost. Now she again demonstrated her dissatisfaction with the job she has by running for County Board President to do another splitting of the black vote. Fortunately many voters saw her candidacy for the farce it was and will remember it when the 2012 elections come along. As one politically savvy person told me, no longer will Brown be able to run for re-election unopposed. From the same names on her petitions as Terry O’Brien, to the pay-to-wear-jeans scandal, Brown has dug her own brown pile and the stench is obvious.

Then there were a lot of losers in the race to become a Metropolitan Water Reclamation Commissioner. I don’t know why that job attracted the attention of so many individuals to run for it, but the names and pedigrees of the ones who did run were like a who’s who list. Some were immensely qualified to do the job while others spent more money on the campaign than they would make over the six year period for the job in salary. That immediately has my curiosity peaked and at some point in the future I will follow up.

Lastly, if you’re not doing anything this Saturday afternoon, I am having a book signing at Munchies, 3511 S. King Dr. from 3 – 6pm. I will be reading from my novel, “Billion Dollar Winner.” I am currently on a mission to get one million people to visit my blog and read the prologue to the book. You can learn more by going to the website for the book at www.billiondollarwinner.blogspot.com.