Council's black caucus on Burris: Back off
The City Council's Black Caucus on Thursday demanded an end to the “feeding frenzy” surrounding U.S. Senator Roland Burris (D-Ill.) and threatened to retaliate against the parade of elected officials who continue to demand Burris' resignation.
Eight black aldermen argued that every one of the elected officials who has demanded Burris' political scalp has "skin in the game."
They either want the Senate seat for themselves, they're backing somebody else for the job or -- in the case of Gov. Quinn — they want the power to appoint a temporary replacement.
At a City Hall news conference, the aldermen warned that there would be a price to pay for Quinn, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Treausurer Alexi Giannoulias, and others who have climbed aboard the anti-Burris bandwagon. The price is black support.
“To just muck up somebody's 30-plus year record of loyalty to the Democratic Party — for all of them to turn turn on him — we say it's time for this to stop. And if it does not, we shall remember this at the next election,” said Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), chairman of the Black Caucus.
Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th), city chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, said the “anti-Blagojevich hatred” has unfairly been transferred onto Burris.
“I would just suggest to those people who seek to run in the wards of the city of Chicago where there are people of color living that they should tone it down because some of us are taking notes. They will run at their peril,” Lyle said.
She added, “I can't go to the residents of my ward and ask them to vote for someone who, they feel, has disrespected them. And they won't. Remember, we just don't vote for people. It is in our history in modern times when we voted against people. In fact, it's usually easier to get people to do that.”
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 — and subsequently impeached — on a laundry list of pay-to-play charges that include trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Obama.
Burris was appointed by the governor.
But, Burris has come under mounting pressure to resign because of his ever-changing story about his contacts with and fund-raising promises to Blagojevich and the former governor's top aides prior to his appointment.
Reporters have followed his every move. Television cameras once parked outside the Blagojevich home on the Northwest Side now camp outside Burris' home on the South Side.
For the Black Caucus, the final straw was a Chicago Sun-Times story disclosing that Burris' son is a federal tax deadbeat who landed a $75,000-a-year state job under Blagojevich five months ago.
Blagojevich's administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state's housing authority Sept. 10 — about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house.
For the aldermen, the story was over the top.
“You all are attacking people's children. That is crossing the line,” said Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th).