Chico would have intrigued Royko, says former Chicago Sun-Times colleague

The late, great Mike Royko, Pulitzer Prize winning Chicago newspaper columnist, would have had a ball covering the Feb. 22 city election. Every one of his former readers can agree on that. From Slats Grobnik, his literary alter-ego, to more direct approaches deflating political balloons, the City Hall runoffs would be target-rich turf for Mike’s one-of-a-kind style and knowledge. Here is the first segment in a periodic “Royko Retro” series leading to Feb. 22 voting for a new mayor and aldermen.

3 Chicago mayor hopefuls flunk early online campaign test

If you can’t judge a book by its cover, can you judge a Chicago mayoral campaign by its Web site? Some candidates better hope that isn’t the case.

This being the computer age, DePolitics1011.com took an early sampling of how the seven most prominently-mentioned hopefuls are embracing new technology. Four have launched campaign-dedicated websites: Gery Chico, Miguel Del Valle, Rahm Emanuel and Carol Moseley Braun. Three get good reviews, while one barely gets a passing grade.

Meanwhile, Danny Davis, Ricky Hendon and Rev. James Meeks completely flunk this early test as none of them have much of an online presence at all.

Here are the observations:

Preckwinkle: Does she face biggest job?

Who: Toni Preckwinkle

Office: Cook County Board president

Job description: President of the Cook County Board oversees a budget of $3 billion and 24,000 jobs. Preckwinkle, as chief executive officer, will preside over the meetings of the County Board. She is the first woman to be elected to the office.

Voter’s top choice: Make it Mayor Daley

Pat Quinn votes at the Galewood Community Church, 1776 N. Narragansett on Nov. 2, 2010. (Photo by Juan Manuel Rodriguez)

Not to be outdone by the mainstream media, DePolitics1011.com had students on the streets interviewing Chicagoans as they exited voting booths. We talked to dozens of voters. We even bumped into Pat Quinn casting his vote. Here are just a few of our favorite one-liners:

As expected, Giannoulias’ people weren’t interested

On the radio side, Lars Weborg, a production intern for WBEZ-FM in Chicago, also got a crash course in Election Night coverage. Here is his account:

Live at NBC 5: Behind the scenes on busy election night

Ally Clark—a DePaul University journalism major and intern at NBCChicago.com—recounts her Election Night experience.

Part of the job description for Alexandra Clark, an intern this Fall assisting NBCChicago.com’s managing editor, reads: Must have computer and typing skills, good judgment, writing ability, creativity and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

On Election Night, all of that and more were required working in the fastest-growing segment of the journalism industry. Here is Alexandra’s account of the four hours leading to the 10 o’clock news and beyond.

Illinois Treasurer’s race: undecided voters will swing it

The Race:

Illinois State Treasurer

The Job:

The treasurer is in charge of investing the state’s funds, finding the rightful owners of unclaimed properties and managing the college savings program Bright Start.

Illinois Governor’s race: Brady bunch to be wire-to-wire winner?

The Race:

Illinois Governor

The Job:

As the chief executive of the state, the governor of Illinois is responsible for enacting laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly. The governor resides in the state’s executive mansion in Springfield. Illinois currently has no gubernatorial term limit. With the state’s history of corruption in the gubernatorial seat and the current budget deficit, transparency and spending reform are on the top of all candidate’s list.

Notes from a political debate: Kirk, Giannoulias and Jaws

By Christine Hurley and Courtney Sturgeon

Mark Kirk and Alexi Giannoulias answer questions from Phil Ponce during the Oct. 28 debate in Chicago. (Photo by Courtney Sturgeon)

Political debates. Love ’em or leave ’em, they can be equal parts information and entertainment.

Last week’s third and final U.S. Senate debate between Mark Kirk and Alexi Giannoulias, sponsored by the City Club of Chicago, scored in both categories. And, if you had total access, there was a lot more that didn’t meet the public eye.

Here some random notes, observations from two who did have access:

Cook County Assessor’s race: not for faint-hearted

The Race:

Cook County Assessor

The Job:

The Cook County Assessor’s Office is not just the final destination of Jake and Elwood to pay back taxes (The Blues Brothers). The office is responsible for assessing the values of each parcel of property in the county (the job of the Assessor) and hearing appeals to the values they’ve assessed the Board of Review), usually done with the aid of specialized appeals lawyers. The property taxes paid depend on the assessed value. The office is notoriously corrupt, officials often accused of accepting money and other bribes in exchange for lowered assessments and granting appeals.