Rev. Willie Barrow, head of Operation PUSH, said Tuesday she was voicing only her personal opinion when she spoke in favor of delaying the Chicago mayoral election from 1989 to 1991-a statement she said some wrongly interpreted as support for Mayor Eugene Sawyer.
Also Tuesday, one group working to delay the election, a group called the Coalition for a 1991 Election, was allowed to file a brief with the Illinois Supreme Court to support the position that 1991 is the proper year for the next mayoral contest.
The state Supreme Court is hearing an appeal of a decision by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Eugene Wachowski who ruled that state law requires a general election in 1989 to choose a mayor to fill out the rest of the term of the late Harold Washington.
The court is expected to rule in September.
Rev. Barrow`s announcement at the regular PUSH meeting on Saturday that she favored postponing the mayoral election caused an angry reaction from supporters of Ald. Timothy Evans (4th), who is expected to run against Sawyer in the next election, whenever it is held. The reaction dramatized the extent of the political split in Chicago`s black community.
What Rev. Barrow did not say, but implied over the weekend and again Tuesday, is the opinion that two or more black candidates could lead to the election of a white mayor.
At least three prominent blacks are expected to seek the office, Sawyer, Evans and Ald. Danny Davis (29th).
On Tuesday, Rev. Jesse Jackson, PUSH founder, disagreed with Rev. Barrow and asserted he still supports a 1989 mayoral election.
”So that there is no confusion in the minds of PUSH supporters, the National Rainbow Coalition supporters, Jesse Jackson supporters or Chicagoans generally, it should be made clear that while the Rev. Mrs. Barrow has every right to hold and express her point of view, she was speaking for herself and for herself alone,” Jackson said.
He also said, ”It is my understanding that 1989 is the date for the special mayor election, and unless there is some communitywide expression that would change that, supported by the courts or by the law, I would expect the special election to be held as planned in 1989.”
In a news conference at PUSH headquarters, 930 E. 50th St., to
”clarify” her position Tuesday, Rev. Barrow, national executive director of PUSH, said her main intention was to encourage the black community to unite behind one candidate.
”The black community is so divided that I favored postponing the election from 1989 to 1991 in order to allow our community to engage in an orderly process of unification behind one candidate.”
She added, ”Some have taken my remarks to mean that I support one candidate over another. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have no preference among the three alleged candidates.”
Ald. William Henry (24th), a staunch Sawyer supporter, said Tuesday night that ”so-called black political leaders” who attacked Rev. Barrow for her statement about delaying the election were ”deepening the wounds” in the black community and should apologize.
As Henry spoke to 75 of his supporters in his headquarters at 3851 W. Roosevelt Rd., 30 demonstrators allied with his rival, Jesse Miller, the 24th Ward Democratic committeeman, marched outside carrying placards and chanting in favor of the 1989 mayoral election.
Also Tuesday, U.S. Rep. William Lipinski (D., Ill.) removed himself from the field of possible contenders for mayor, saying, ”I feel there are stronger candidates available.”
The Coalition for a 1991 Election, represented by former Circuit Court Judge Mark Jones and attorney Mitchell Ware, argued that the Illinois Municipal Code of 1961 states that in the event of a mayoral vacancy, the vice mayor ”shall serve until the City Council shall elect one of its members acting mayor or until the mayoral term expires.”
Proponents of the 1989 election rely on another section of the code, which requires a special election whenever a vacancy occurs with at least 28 months left in a term.
