True, the Du Page County Republican Central Committee has pledged unbiased support for all GOP candidates in these parts.
But anybody who believes that`s the way Du Page politics really work, listen up. Party Chairman James ”Pate” Philip has a bridge he would like to sell. Really cheap.
As Thomas J. O`Donnell asserts, he and two other Republican candidates for the Illinois Supreme Court were fed a dose of reality recently when the party organization (otherwise known as the Pate Philip Republican Central Committee) openly endorsed a fourth candidate for the post.
O`Donnell fired off a letter of protest, essentially charging Philip (the state Senate minority leader and a resident of Wood Dale) with hypocrisy.
O`Donnell has a point.
His letter harks back to the central committee`s Christmas newsletter, which contained a section entitled ”The Meaning of Central Committee.” It obviously was penned by Philip and listed 14 guiding principles of the committee.
The 14th was, ”(The) DRCC will abide by the eleventh commandment, stay neutral in a primary and support all Republican candidates in the general election.”
O`Donnell, a Downers Grove Township Republican precinct committeeman, then cites a recent letter from the central committee to county committeemen. The letter includes a sample ballot of sorts, complete with three primary endorsements.
Two of the committee`s endorsements are fairly understandable. George Bush is the committee`s man for president. Richard Williamson, who is running unopposed in the primary, is the committee`s choice for U.S. senator.
The committee lists no primary endorsements for U.S. representatives, state senators, state representatives, clerk of the Circuit Court, County Board seats, Circuit Court judge seats, or precinct committeemen.
However, the committee does endorse George Unverzagt to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court in the 2nd District.
Unverzagt is running against O`Donnell, John Nickels and John L. Moore in the primary.
Unverzagt also is an old friend and neighbor of Philip.
”What about the eleventh commandment?” O`Donnell fumed in his letter, referring to Philip`s neutrality rule. ”Then the sad truth begins to sink in. The eleventh commandment is like the United States Constitution. It is always subject to amendment.
”We now have the twelfth commandment. The twelfth commandment says Pate Philip doesn`t have to follow the eleventh commandment.”
Philip could not be reached for comment.
Photo, not
If you plan to travel Kirk Road in Batavia anytime soon, don`t bother smiling for the camera.
The arrival of Photocop, the controversial photographic radar device that Batavia officials had hoped to have in place by Jan 1., has been delayed yet again. Now it`s not expected to make its debut for at least another two weeks. Batavia Police Chief Robert Warner chalked up the delay to some problems the Texas-based manufacturer is having affixing the device to a four-wheel-drive vehicle on which it will be mounted. Manuel Fuestes, a spokesman for the firm that signed a three-year contract with the city to supply the device, blamed the delay on computer linkup problems with the state.
But whatever the reason, the delay is creating a dilemma for the city officials, who wanted to have Photocop up and running well before the March primary. That`s when Batavia residents will get the chance to vote on a non-binding referendum asking whether the city should keep Photocop.
A lot of folks are convinced that a device that takes pictures of them as they speed by in their cars, then sends them a ticket in the mail, unconstitutionally invades their privacy. And while the outcome of the March referendum will have no legal effect on the issue, aldermen have said that if an overwhelming number of Batavians don`t want Photocop, they would reevaluate plans to use it.
Police had planned to use the device months before the election to painlessly familiarize people with Photocop by using it to issue warning citations.
”My main concern right now is that this is so close to the referendum,” Warner said. ”We`re just going to have to work harder in our public eduation campaign.”
