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player ready...Democratic gubernatorial contender Jim Burns stepped up his criticism of rival Roland Burris on Friday, saying his record as U.S. attorney was better than Burris’ “lackluster performance” as Illinois attorney general.
Burns cited a 1995 study conducted by the Chicago Council of Lawyers and the Fund for Justice in contending that the attorney general’s office under Burris’ watch was plagued with patronage hiring and that non-lawyers in the office were used for political rather than legal needs.
“Burris claims he is entitled to be governor because of his experience, but Illinois voters need to know the real Roland Burris record,” Burns said.
Officials with Burris’ campaign did not return telephone calls to offer a response.
Daley dollars: U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley formally endorsed Democratic gubernatorial contender John Schmidt and keynoted a fundraising event at the Chicago Cultural Center that netted the candidate about $750,000.
“I’ve known him for 20 years, and I think he’d make a great governor. I have strong feelings for him, personally,” Daley said.
But Daley shied away from questions about whether his brother, Mayor Richard M. Daley, would endorse the candidate.
“(Schmidt) has been helpful to me, so I wanted to help him,” William Daley said.
Stepping out: The two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate–Comptroller Loleta Didrickson and state Sen. Peter Fitzgerald–duked it out Thursday in the state Capitol, even though neither was there for the fight.
Didrickson was pushing a bill that would beef up collections of back taxes by posting the names of certain tax deadbeats on the Internet.
But the bill died in the Senate Revenue Committee, on which Fitzgerald sits, by a single vote. Fitzgerald didn’t vote on it but skipped the meeting to handle some campaign matters.
Fitzgerald’s spokesman said the senator was not ducking the vote and contended it would have failed anyway, because it was a bad bill. But Didrickson, who was not there for the vote either, said Fitzgerald preaches against taxes and then misses a chance to control them by collecting money already owed the state.
Dishing it out: Viewers may notice something peculiar at Saturday night’s televised Democratic gubernatorial debate when the camera pans to U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard. He won’t be there and yet, he will. Poshard will be sitting about 300 miles south in the Benton Civic Center, where he will be holding his “roundup rally” for an anticipated 1,200 people.
Through the miracles of modern technology, and a measure of luck, Poshard will participate in the forum via satellite TV hookup to the NBC Tower from a quiet room at the civic center.
A scheduling problem forced Poshard to make the switch. The debate is to be broadcast at 6 p.m. on WMAQ-Ch. 5.