It's Election Time in Rogers Park. There has never been a time in my years here in RP that there hasn't been drama with an election. This cycle is no exception. It's some of the same players and some of the same stench from the last election. Joe Moore is making a run for the roses so to speak for a fifth term as King. There is a lot of opposition this time around. A couple of new guys and one tired sack of shit who keeps popping up like a duck in the shooting arcade.
Chris Adams is a new guy to throw his hat in the ring. I am sure that he is a nice enough guy but he really isn't a Rogers Park kind of guy. He has compared RP to Waukegan in terms of diversity. Yes I have been to Waukegan and he is rather mistaken or his idea of diversity is seriously skewed.
Don Gordon is running this time around. I have known Mr. Gordon for quite a few years. He is simply not Aldermanic material. He has started a few projects and never followed through. I would really like to know how he harbors the illusion that he is worthy of leading the ward. He talks the loud man game. It's what I have seen men do as a twisted mating ritual. They get together and start a conversation and the volume level starts to escalate until one guy is talking the loudest and sounding the most important. He has such an arrogant attitude and one could add evangelist podium pounder to that persona as well. He is the official leader of the angry white man party. To his credit, you don't have to be white to belong to his party. He has a black gay man as his head stooge. The thing is that Head Stooge ran for Alderman himself last time around. Stooge was ENORMOUSLY unqualified for the job but is truly qualified as a backstabbing, sneaky, underhanded henchman.
Jim Ginderske is the most qualified challenger to Moore. He has presented a set of position papers and the only feasible plan to lead the ward out of the morass that Moore has amassed. He is intelligent and I believe has the stones to follow through on his intentions or conversely to say when it is time to go in another direction without seeing it as failure. For what it is worth, he has my vote on February 27th.
I have lived in the 49th Ward since the days of David Orr. I have seen the immense changes that have occured here. The positive changes are those for which Joe Moore takes credit. The crippling damage to our retail district, open air drug dealing on Morse, a deteriorating rental housing supply and an apparent boning for zoning policy are the things to which he has turned his deaf ear and go funny eye.
Add into the stew one truly irresponsible and self aggrandizing blogger. The Morse Hell Hole has all but endorsed Don Gordon and turned a veritable shit spigot on Mr. Ginderske's campaign. The administrator of the blog is Craig Gernhardt. He has been a fixture in the neighborhood for a number of years. He has gone from alcoholic dog walking menace to donning the suit of legitimacy by aligning himself with Gordon's campaign. He has been known to make paranoid accusations and piss all over the hydrant so to speak. I remember sitting in the cafe on Sheridan and Lunt a few years back. One of the owners had a docile dog named Sugar who would lay in front of the door and greet people. Never did that dog bark or raise her hackles unless a truly hideous character came around. Guess who got Sugar's hackles up? She would practically foam at the mouth when Craig and his dogs would stand on the corner across the street. Now, a NORMAL person would stop walking their dogs past Sugar. Not this asshole. He would start screaming across Sheridan Road, "SUGAR....YOU GO DOWN! YOU GO DOWN!" It was a ridiculous spectacle. My point is, here is a person who has no filters or social skills. He has made some deal with Gordon and for that everyone should be suspicious of both of them. Be suspicious of Gordon for allowing his Head Stooge to make underhanded deals with Gernhardt. Be suspicious of Gernhardt for thinking that he could actually convince a smarter dog than he to stop barking at approaching danger.
Just another election in the Eden we call Rogers Park. There will be more to come on these characters soon.
