A restless Ald. Danny Davis (29th) is trying to zero in on an office he views as well-suited to his ”progressive” politics in his challenge against Edward Rosewell`s four-term franchise as Cook County treasurer.
On the strength of his activity in the Chicago City Council and unsuccessful campaigns or posturing for a variety of higher offices in recent years, polls show Davis to be better known than Rosewell and running even with the 16-year incumbent for the Democratic nomination in the March 20 primary.
”I think many people are surprised about our race and are just beginning to pay close attention to it,” Davis said.
”Early on people were overwhelmed with the County Board presidency.”
Davis himself was overwhelmed for a time with thoughts about that office late last year.
Twice a loser in primary challenges against U.S. Rep. Cardiss Collins, Davis` hopes of becoming mayor foundered after Harold Washington`s death, and he began exploring a run for County Board president.
He decided to run for county clerk, then threw his hat back in the ring for board president when incumbent George Dunne announced his retirement and finally settled on the challenge to Rosewell after Ald. David Orr (49th)
decided to run for clerk.
Davis, 47, an eloquent spokesman on reform issues during a decade in the City Council, said the treasurer`s office should do more than collect taxes and invest the funds before disbursing them to local governments.
”It`s a chance to be a real advocate,” Davis asserted. ”More than just getting a maximum return on dollars invested, you make sure that certain banks aren`t getting an inordinate share of those investments.
”You can also link those investments with what I call progressive social policies,” Davis said, ”making sure those banks are giving something back-loans for affordable housing, energy conservation and economic development. . . .”
In an effort to broaden his political base beyond the West Side, Davis has been campaigning with Orr and former Chicago revenue director Patrick Quinn, a candidate for state treasurer.
The three have been making proposals for reforms in the sale of tax delinquent properties, consumer services by financial institutions, affordable housing initiatives, regulations on currency exchanges and investment policies.
Rosewell`s administration has been that of ”essentially a caretaker,”
Davis contends.
”A friendly guy, but a custodian, an insider, if you will, part of the Democratic organization old guard.
Rosewell was surprised enough to find how little known he was among voters after so many years in office that he plans on spending nearly $100,000 in the primary race.
That`s more than 10 times what he has ever spent on direct mail, radio and cable television advertising in past campaigns.
Then again, this is the first time he has faced a primary challenge for treasurer.
He is perhaps best known for news photos showing him standing outside his office the first day property-tax bills are due, greeting the public and personally accepting their payments, as well as the verbal slings and arrows of often-outraged taxpayers.
Popular among Democrats as an gregarious party cheerleader, Rosewell, 63, joined the inner circle of the party central committee last year when he was elected 46th Ward committeeman.
He contends that he has quietly turned the office into a modern, computerized tax collection agency that has earned the county nearly $500 million in investments during his tenure, nearly $40 million just last year.
Under his stewardship, Rosewell boasts, nearly half of the 1.6 billion tax bills mailed twice annually by the treasurer`s office are now paid through an automated collection system; electronic funds transfers shorten the time period, or float, before interest earnings begin; the time it takes to get habitually tax delinquent properties back on the tax rolls has been reduced to two years from 10; and the number of banks holding county deposits has doubled since 1975.
Rosewell`s tenure has not been without controversy.
In 1984 he was acquitted on federal bank fraud charges; in 1981 he guaranteed part of a loan to an aide alleged by the federal government to have failed to repay nearly $300,000 in debts; and in 1979 he teetered on personal bankruptcy after failing in a business venture heavily financed by a bank with substantial county investments.
