[Peace-discuss] Another victory in Chicago against the Madigan / Emanuelle Machine

[David Johnson]

              Movement politics won in Chicago yesterday.
            by Fred Klonsky  





      Celebrating Will Guzzardi's win at the Logan Square Auditorium last night.

      State Representative-elect Will Guzzardi made it the cornerstone of his acceptance speech last nightafter handily winning the election against Machine daughter, Toni Berrios.

      After handily beating her father, Democratic Chairman Joe Berrios

      After handily beating Illinois Party Chairman and House Speaker Mike Madigan.

      Chicago has a long tradition of Movement politics, politics that challenges the rich and the powerful and the Democratic Machine.

      And Will Guzzardi placed himself squarely in that tradition when he spoke to the crowd of mostly young activists in the Logan Square Auditorium.

      Guzzardi won 60% of the vote.

      There was no mistaking the core issues: School closings, tax fairness and promised public employee pensions.

      Greg Hinz in Crain's:

        Toni Berrios lost her job to the new Democratic nominee, Will Guzzardi. It was a race in which the Chicago Teachers Union and other labor groups spent heavily, concerned about Ms. Berrios' past and future votes over pension reform.

      On stage were other members of the Milwaukee Avenue progressive corridor: State Senator Willie Delgado, Aldermen Arena, Waguespack and Moreno.

      Down in the crowd were the progressive Democrats and democrats who powered the election.

      Guzzardi also had the backing of the Chicago Teachers Union, the SEIU, IEA, IFT and other labor unions.

      The CTU and progressives also heavily backed Jay Travis in the 26th State Representative race. The district runs south from downtown along South Lake Shore Drive into the South Side.

      Travis, an organizer from the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization challenged Representative Christian Mitchell who received buckets of cash from school privatizers. While many professional political pundits dismissed her race at the start, Mitchell ran scared at the end, needing tens of thousands of last minute donations to hold off Travis who came within 400 votes of beating him.

      Next time.
     
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