Cops are Smart Folks - Much Smarter than Politcians. Give City Employees a Tax Break for Living Here.

The late Billy Higgins,CPD, who went home to Christ on January 9th, 2010, was a brilliant man - witty, insightful and honest. He had absolutely no PC blood in his veins and was equally critical of fools regardless of race, creed or color. Billy was an Equal Opportunity Ball Buster.

Billy Higgins caught a murderer in downstate Illinois, at the request of a police department sent to Supt. Terry Hilliard. Billy analyzed the information sent to CPD by the downstate detectives and identified the murderer of a young girl, who was subsequently arrested, convicted and imprisoned for life. Billy was an Area 2 Homicide Detective who along with his partner Det. Martin J. Tully (ret.) held the highest homicide closing records for years.

Cops are some of the smartest people I know. The other day, the issue of residency for cops, firemen and other city workers came up. Only Carol Moseley Braun, of all the candidates clearly and honestly articulated the realities of such a move - middle class flight. By middle class, Senator Braun means white exodus from Edison Park, Sauganash, Garfield Ridge, Hegewisch, Clearing, Scottsdale, Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood - that is where white cops, firemen and city workers live.

On Second City Cop Blog a commenter offered this concerning the Residency Issue -

If u have a home in the city , it's the worst idea. Your house will not have a buyer all the police neighborhoods will loose value and sit on market waiting for a buyer for a very long time. How about giving us a tax break instead for living here.

Understatedly elegant and brilliant!

Carol Moseley Braun alone artculated the realities of the residency rule problem, but a cop articulated the solution.

Cut taxes for City Employees forced to live here.

Au Contraire, Monsieur Jean Kass - Carol Moseley Braun Benefits Best.

"The candidate who might benefit most is Gery Chico. If Rahm is kept off the ballot, Chico will likely become the establishment choice. The Daley boys will send somebody over to bring a coffeecake and make nice. And Chico will get his fundraising calls returned promptly.

"Our campaign was strong already," Chico told me. "And we're going to remain on the same plan that we were on yesterday, and it doesn't matter whether Rahm is on the ballot or not. Nobody in this race is more qualified than me to run the third-largest city in the country." John Kass -Chicago Tribune

Rahm won't give up easily. He wants to be mayor. And he can't run for president someday without winning this election first. So he'll have to cast himself as a casualty of the Chicago Way." John Kass - Chicago Tribune

As usual, John Kass hits one into the prognosticator's cheap seats and grips the pulse with the theme of political pay-back ( Karma is a Stitch -'Tis so!) on Rahm Emanuel, but I must part paths over who benefits most given the almost sure departure of Rahm's name from the February ballots.

Taking absolutely nothing away from the solid campaign and compelling narrative of Gery Chico - The Pride of Brighton Park and Kelly High Alumnus, I beg to differ.

Senator Carol Mosley Braun stands to gain the most from the Rahm-less ballots. I imagine, that Senator Braun's cell-phone voice mail is overloaded and possibly, just possibly, one voice mail may have come from 1600 Pennsylvannia Ave. -Wes Wing.

Burt Odelson's talents and tenacity as an electio lawyer were eclipsed by the endless parade of clipboard waving activists and tin-foil Hutträgers. Never underestimate Burt Odelson. As the result of Burt's talents and tenacity, two of the three Appeals Court judges ruled that Rahm Emanuel's residency plea failed the law and his name should not appear on the ballots for the February Primary. The result?
Hold the phone, Jasper!

Gery Chico and Carol Mosely Braun will slug it out, but Senator Braun, it seems to this laddie-buck, has the advantage.

1. Senator Braun is the designated Black Candidate . . .well, yeah

2. With the 11 Million Dollar Man all but gone, Capital will flow to Carol like honey-dew vine water: N.B. on Jan. 21, Chicago News Cooperative reported on Carol Mosely Brauns 'meagre' coffers -

Through Dec. 31, the biggest donors to Braun included Ariel Investments founder John Rogers ($100,000); Sportsman’s Inn owner Herbert Hedgeman ($35,000); Elzie Higginbottom, the CEO of East Lake Management and Development ($29,000); and Midway Airport concessionaire Timothy Rand ($25,000). . . .Her only major financial supporter among politicians was U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, whose campaign fund gave $25,000 to the Carol for Chicago committee.

Braun reported receiving total donations of little more than $450,000, far less than rivals Rahm Emanuel and Gery Chico, through the end of 2010. During its first three months, the former U.S. senator’s mayoral committee spent more than $280,000, finishing the year with only about $164,000 in cash on hand.

. . .

3. The Chicago Media will not accept any candidate even remotely associated to the Ancien Regime ( any person or organization that is a part of any lecture by Dick Simpson concerning Good Government.

Money, Marbles, or Chalk? CMB's Mayoral Campaign Capital quadrupled last night.

Carol Moseley Braun is going get favorable press from the media that once all but crowned Rahm Emanuel - I realize that the Illinois Supreme Court is the next hurdle to be sure, but I can almost feel energy sparked by the panic in the editorial board rooms - "We Love Carol . . .always did. Chico? Too Burke for me. Vallas? Carol Moseley Braun yeah that's the ticket."

Gery Chico and Carol Moseley Braun should each send a twenty pound Whitman Sampler to Burt Odelson.