I promoted this from an anonymoust comment:
There are 19 local races that I count - Judge Ford’s race, 3 countywide (clerk, sheriff, treasurer) and 15 county board seats. Of those, the Dems have 7 incumbents that are running for re-election. Outside of their incumbents, they’ve only recruited 4 new people to run. Of those, 1 is a perennial candidate with no chance of winning (Bob Morrison), 1 was recruited at the last minute for an open Dem seat (Melin - CB7), and 2 were recruited to run against Beckett & Wysocki.
That’s hilarious.
I wonder when the News-Gazette is going to write a nasty editorial about the impotence and ineffectiveness of the Champaign County Democratic Party?
It is correct that the only reason Linda wins is because her opponent has been Phylliss Clark. That's why it is critical that the GOP start looking now for a suitable opponent.
Do you know that Phylliss Clark once served a FOIA request on the News-Gazette? That would be laughable if it were not among her duties as City Clerk to answer FOIA requests served on the city.
No, Phylliss, it doesn't work both ways.
BTW, I checked out those other counties' Circuit Clerk websites. Geez, they are nice. Is Linda thinking of bringing our county's website into the 21st century? Or is she waiting for Phylliss Clark or a primary opponent to make it an issue?
Do you think John Piland is capable of putting manila file folders into numerical order? He is still out of work after a year out of office and pretty some a major law firm may recognize his well-hidden talents and snap him up and then we won't have him available for Circuit Clerk 2008... So I'll start it here now, a grass roots campaign: Piland for Circuit Clerk!
Impotence and ineffectiveness? Last time I checked the Champaign County Democrats have a 15-12 majority on the county board, the State's Attorney's Office, the Auditor's Office, the Urban's Mayor's Office, the City of Champaign Township Supervisor, a 6-1 majority on the Urbana City Council, a 6-3 majority on the Champaign City Council, the 103rd District State Rep., and four consecutive presidential victories in the Champaign County. In 2006 the Democratic state rep will be re-elected in a landslide, Dems will likely retain control of the county board for the 3rd consecutive election, and Dems have an excellent shot at electing our first ever State Senator in this area.
Well, at least the Dems have Varble now. Glad to see someone who wants him.
You count wrong on the Champaign City Council. Kathy Ennen voted in the Republican primary. I am guessing you assumed she was a Democrat. Not anymore. Check Mark Shelden's election records.
Dems will lose the County Board if Kirchner wins the dem primary. His venom will only appeal to party loyalists and moderates in that district may elect Republicans if Kirchner is the Democratic candidate.
"moderates in that district may elect Republicans if Kirchner is the Democratic candidate. "
No, they WILL elect someone other than Kirchner if he's on the November ballot.
They will? Just like they did in 2002?
moderates in that district may elect Republicans if Kirchner is the Democratic candidate.
Yeah, just like they re-elected Tod Satterthwaite?
Kirchner's voting record and positions on issues appeal directly to the majority of voters in district 9. If he gets past the primary (a difficult, but very winnable contest) then he's likely to win the general.
District 9 is one of the safest Dem districts in the county. Whichever Democrats win the primary will win in the general election, too. That said, the number of liberal Dems who'd bolt for the Greens instead of supporting Wysocki & Beckett is probably a lot bigger than the number of "moderate" Dems who'd go Republican instead of supporting Bell & Kirchner.
On the topic of candidate recruitment, both parties will eventually slate candidates to fill in whatever open ballot slots remain. Come November 2006, it won't matter at all whether candidates got on the ballot by passing petitions or by being slated. Don't forget, back in 2000, Dems slated Mike Frerichs to run in District 2 only after the primary. Frerichs went on to to win in November, giving Dems their 14th seat and the County Board majority.
If you're still determined to use early candidate filings as a measure of the relative strength of the local Democrat and Republican parties, then at least look at the filings that actually relate to party strength -- precinct committeemen. If you do, you'll find significantly more Democrats filed for precinct committeeman than Republicans did. You also might notice that nearly a third of the Dem committeemen on the ballot in '06 are new to the Party.
Looks like Democrats focused their recruitment efforts on building the Party's grassroots, while Republicans focused on "recruiting" exciting new candidates like Stu Moment and Art Westle.
5pts,
Yeah, nothing gets voters more excited about an election than precinct committeemen.
Bob Morrison is a perennial candidate with no chance of winning? Well, so are Art Westle, Stu Moment, and John Farney.
pointless-
I think you're totally missing the point. The new blood in the Champaign County Democratic Party is the reason they've been kicking your ass so badly the last few years. That, plus their precinct committeeman meet more than once every six months.
We have a post on District 9 on our blog:
http://uiuccollegedems.blogspot.com/2005/12/dem-primary-in-district-9.html
U of I College Dems, I agree with your District 9 primary election analysis, Beckett and Wysocki have made no friends in the traditional Urbana political circles - in the general though, how will having one of Danielle Chenowyth and Brandon Bowersox's employees, Nicholas Mann, running as a Green Party candidate play out?
Is Mr. Mann as close of a friend to his employers as he says he is, will they organize their progressive voters for a Greenie, or will they work for the party they represent on the Urbana City Council?
Also - as mentioned earlier, will Bell's employment end up as a fiasco like Laura Huth?
Art Westle will make the race interesting with Lorraine Cowart. I will grant you that Lorraine has oratory skills and technical insight that are unparalleled on the County Board. But I see the voters in that District as looking for leadership and willing to think outside the box. The real role for Art Westle is as our county's next Circuit Clerk.
That office can use some new Republican blood, and a military veteran with accounting and managerial skills could really kick butt in that race whether Linda is ready to step aside or not.
Speaking of Linda, take a close look at her web site. It still has pictures of the demolition of the old sheriff's residence describing the new and exciting courthouse construction project.
Here's a direct quote from her website this morning:
"Once demolition is complete, the new courthouse construction will begin just east of the existing courthouse. Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled for June 6th. Targeted completion: November of 2001"
Please tell me she isn't in need of replacing with someone living in this century.
Wow Art you convinced me to dumb Linda
What I say to meant was:
you Wow Linda Art convinced to me dumb.
There, better that's.
About Linda Frank.
The Judges hate her. Her employees hate her. The court security officers hate her. Probation officers hate her. The private lawyers, the prosecutors, and the defense lawyers hate her.
I'm one of the above (or married to one of the above) and that's what I hear.
Can that really be true aboun Linda Frank? Is she really that bad?
I had heard there were incompetents in her office but I thought it was all the fault of the unions. Isn't her website better than those in use in surounding counties? Has anybody ever tried looking up a case in Macon County or McLean County? Surely it can't be a fast and easy as she has made it.
Linda wins because she runs agains Phyllis Clark every four yers (BTW, Phyllis is planning on her every 4 year loss for 2008 already).
John Piland may not be working for an employer, but he is very active as a homemaker. He is raising his children while his wife works. There is value in that.
Do you think John Piland is capable of putting manila file folders into numerical order?
Please tell me you're speaking metaphorically. The County Clerk's office doesn't still use paper case folders, does it?
circuit clerk
paper. all paper.
Piland wears an apron!
circuit clerk
Sigh--that's what I meant. Thanks.
And I'm sorry to have my suspicions confirmed. I guess I shouldn't be surprised--the legal community seems to be even worse than the medical community in terms of clinging to the trailing edge of technology.
wow - you know it's a slow day when the year old mud starts: Piland? Come on...
Why in the world would anyone - lib or conservative - care what John Piland is doing now. If I went through the crap he took in that last election, I'd still be vegging at home, too. Big deal.... or do non-traditional opportunites just exist for women?
John Piland is living the American dream. Mid-forties and "not employed outside the home" as they say.
As to Linda Frank's office, when did they make the conversion to paper? I thought they were still using stone tablets and chisels.
Converting to modern technology is only for the private sector, where accuracy and efficiency are more highly valued over having a stable of politcal workers at your disposal.
My my???