Double Downsize

With an armada of gambling-boat casinos poised to set sail up the Des Plaines River, Lake County has -- at long last -- caught the gamblin' fever. In fact, Lake County has been waiting so long for casino action, that the high rollers here have all but forgotten their remedial gaming strategies and skills. If that sounds like you, your LakeCountyEye recommends one of many State of Illinois on-line refresher courses in how to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run -- before trying your luck.

Of course no casino will be a done deal until Gov Pat Quinn signs whatever it is he is supposed to sign. And Quinn may welsh. According to the Northwest Herald ...

State Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, who sponsored the legislation, said Quinn "has indicated very strongly that he wants to see a reduction. He doesn't want to see it as big," Link said. "So his message was loud and clear to us, and we have to see how we can do this to appease what his concerns are."
Bill to expand gambling may be downsized

It goes without saying that when the request is for -- not so big -- Lake County can & will accommodate. Your LakeCountyEye has been informed that the experts at downsizing -- the Lake County Board -- are working on a proposal designed to satisfy Gov Quinn's demand that smaller is better, while at the same time keep that gamblin' money flowing into the county treasury.

So, instead of one big-box mega-casino somewhere in the crime-riddled upper-right quadrant, look for a network of boutique mini-mart casinos scattered throughout the County. These so-called slots-in-a-box would be downsized casinos catering to the suburban gamer who may be looking for some fast blackjack action while stopping for a gallon of milk and a carton of Marlboros. Drive-thru lanes will be available for late-night, after-hour gamers. Most franchises will be located near a convenient pawnshop or payday loan outlet.

Wealthy political-donor/contractors are poised and ready to dig, the minute the casino bill is signed into law. Look for one coming to a strip-mall at the busy intersection nearest you.

The Morgue the Merrier

As if stretching their creative muscles this week, TeamAmerica10th took a stab at Internet humor. The niche-market blog posted a story about Richard Keller, the Lake County Coroner. Keller, who proved it doesn't pay to moonlight from the day-job, resigned suddenly on Tuesday; the Sun-Times has the post-mortem:

Lake County coroner resigns after plea deal in overdose case

TeamAmerica10th's comical spin on the story's aftermath:

Terry Link, Lake County Democratic Chairman, will likely be the one to make the recommendation of a temporary replacement to be appointed by the Lake County Board Chairman, David Stolman, with the advice and consent of the Lake County Board (since the replacement must be a Democrat). Maybe since his wife Susan Link was crushed in her primary bid for election as a Waukegan Alderman (against long-time incumbent Larry TenPas), she would be a likely candidate.
A Sad End to the Tenure of Democrat Dr. Richard Keller as Lake County Coroner

One of the pitfalls of Internet blogging is that there is no laughtrack to alert the reader where the jokes are. In this particular case the joke is the suggestion that Terry Link will recommend his wife to replace Keller. Rimshot.

All kidding aside, Link may very well be extended the courtesy to recommend a candidate. However, the appointment is to be be made by David Stolman and the Lake County Board; their only constraint is the appointee must be a Democrat.

Operatives are advised to watch for the County Board to disregard any qualified candidate recommended to them. Your LakeCountyEye has learned that the Board is already interviewing a pre-determined slate of eager job hopefuls. Here are their names, and the rationale behind their suitability for the position. The winner assumes the Coroner's job at an annual salary of about $100K, through 2012.

The Ten Leading Candidates for Lake County Coroner
Name	Occupation	Qualification
Brent Paxton	County Commissioner	Chiropractor
Joe Walsh	Congressman	Skeletons in the Closet
Richard Keller	Ex-Coroner	Prior On-the-Job Experience
Creepy Chicago Tribune Cartoonist	Political Cartoonist	Creepy
TeamAmerica10th	Attorney	Internet Blogger
Dan Duffy	State Senator	"I'm not down there to make friends."
Lisa Stone	Ex-Trustee	David Stolman : Lisa Stone :: Skipper : Gilligan
Bonnie Thompson Carter	County Commissioner	Able to Procure Plenty of Land for Pauper's Graves
Your LakeCountyEye	Pajamaclad Blogger	Extensive Experience Getting Dead People to the Polls
Mark Curran	County Sheriff	Mad as a Hornet

Look for your LakeCountyEye in the scullery, sharpening the knives.

State Rep to Run for Mayor of Waukegan

This ought to be quite entertaining, Mr Washington is a little bit crazy, and has been on the outs with the county democrats, when the party led by Terry Link ran Angelo Kyle against him in the primary a year ago. The outcome in the upcoming crowded mayoral primary here would be a Washington win equals State Rep Angelo Kyle quite soon. However our handicapping thinks current Mayor Dick Hyde wins the primary and the general easily in a crowded field. Hyde versus Washington straight up would be another kettle of fish.

From the WAUKEGAN News Sun -- State Rep. Eddie Washington is in and 6th Ward Ald. Larry TenPas is out as the 2009 race for mayor slowly takes shape.

"I just think people should have an array of choices, and I want to be one of them," said Washington, who plans to be on the April 7 ballot as an independent. "It wasn't any scripted plan, (but) I've been very much surprised with the number of people who support this decision."

Like County Board member Bob Sabonjian, who is also looking to run as an independent, Washington has until 5 p.m. Monday to file petitions with a minimum of 427 signatures and a maximum of 683. Washington added that he would resign his House seat if elected.

Meanwhile, TenPas said Friday that he pulled petitions to run earlier this month after Mayor Richard Hyde was hospitalized with a ruptured appendix, but decided not to file them as Hyde's health improved.

"No, I'm not running," TenPas said. "I was quite concerned about the mayor, but now I can see he's going to make a complete recovery ... I'm backing Dick Hyde 100 percent."

Among the people watching these developments closely are members of the Citizens for the Resurgence of Excellence in Waukegan (CREW), which was formed in October with a mission statement supporting "the establishment of a new mayoral administration."

Toward that end, the 53-member group has been conducting interviews with each mayoral hopeful, planning to issue an endorsement and campaign for a selected candidate.

"We're a group of people who are concerned about Waukegan. (We're) not looking to oust anyone," said CREW co-founder Steve Kolber. "The whole focus behind all of this is identifying the potential of each candidate (and) educate ourselves as to who is the most qualified person to lead the city."

To date, CREW has conducted interviews with Sabonjian, Republican Greg Flesher, and Democratic candidates Sam Cunningham and Jose Guzman, posting reports at www.waukegancrew.org. Kolber said Hyde cancelled a scheduled session, and Washington will be added to the list if he files on Monday.

"We just want to create an awareness among the electorate. The voter turnout has been terrible, and such slim margins have decided elections," Kolber said, adding that his group hopes to connect with "the thousands of registered voters who don't even bother to go out and vote."

LOL Libby Collins

Well this item is already old news -- everyone by now knows that Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran changed his party affiliation.

But WKRS host Libby Collins had Curran on her Dec 18 show ...

For a chance to talk all about it ...

To share in some feelings ...

And that's about when Terry Link called ...


WARNING:
Runtime easily exceeds 30 minutes -- but this podcast is hilarious. Seriously.

Pardon Me!

The new year 2009 is fast approaching. That means two things to watch out for:

1. Federal indictments.
   
2. Lame end-of-year-roundup blog posts.

Your LakeCountyEye is no exception to this tradition and takes its lede from a Dec 20 news item. Our Governor, bleepin' Rod Blagojevich, issued 22 pardons on that day.

"While facing his own legal cloud, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich decided to pardon 22 other people. The Democratic governor rarely acted on pardon applications during his six years in office. The backlog of requests at one point topped 1,600. But Blagojevich has acted more often in recent months. His office says he issued 22 pardons Friday, the same day Blagojevich vowed to fight the federal corruption charges he faces."


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/19/blagojevich-pardons-people/

We won't speculate on the motives behind our Gov's sudden gesture of beneficence. But we will say if the Governor is in a pardoning mood, then keep them coming! Here's a list of our recommendations for Lake County:

1. Terry Link, State Senator & Lake County Democratic Party Chair
   A pardon for each deceased person on Link's 2008 nomination petition.
   


2. Pete Couvall, former Democratic Party Vice-Chair
   The same pardon granted to Link plus an up-to-date 2009 phone book.
   


3. Bill Gentes, former State Senate candidate
   A pardon for "misrepresenting" an easily checked fact. Which the Daily Herald proceeded to do.
   


4. Dan Seals, Congressional Candidate
   A pardon for flooding the street with below-cost gasoline.
   


5. Robert Sabonjian, Lake County Board Commissioner
   A pardon for making crank calls.
   


6. Tom Adams, former Green Oaks Mayor
   A pardon? LOL
   


7. Scott Gifford, Deer Park President
   A pardon for hiring R&W Clark to renovate the Vehe Barn, and failing to Google their bonding company. (Just Google Individual Surety Ltd. to find out what we mean.) Good luck, Scott, on recovering any of that $972,924!
   


8. Sally Coffelt, Lake County Recorder of Deeds
   A pardon for each relative drawing a County paycheck.
   


9. Melissa Bean, Congresswoman
   A pardon for living in Mark Kirk's district.
   


10. Ed Sullivan Jr, State Representative
    A pardon for all incidents where too much alcohol was consumed by at least one participant. Bonus: pardon jurisdiction to include Sangamon County.
    


11. Willard Helander, Lake County Clerk
    A pardon for each moving violation.
    


12. William Cellini, Springfield Power Broker
    A pardon for whatever it was he did. Now about that casino in Waukegan ...
    


13. George Bridges, Lake County Judge
    (Despite losing his judicial election, Judge Bridges immediately got reappointed to the bench.) A pardon for ignoring the wishes of the people.
    


14. Mark Curran, Lake County Sheriff
    The Sheriff is pardoned ... that is until he switches to the Bull Moose Party.
    


15. Bob Wargaski, Island Lake Agribusinessman
    A pardon for living high off the hog.
    


16. Lucy Prouty, Ela Township Supervisor
    A pardon for the Rte 22 chainsaw massacre. Who wanted those 112 old trees anyways?