Those halcyon days, just over one month ago, when Waukegan Ald. Sam Cunningham, 1st, and Ald. Lisa May, 7th, were getting along wonderfully seem very far away now.
Back then, Cunningham and May jointly focused their targets on Mayor Wayne Motley in the weeks before the Democratic mayoral primary, in which Cunningham topped Motley convincingly. The message from the two challengers — May is running as an independent — was clear: It’s time for a change at City Hall.
But now, with Motley out of their way and just days remaining before Tuesday’s consolidated election, May and Cunningham have turned from allies into opponents. And the battle between the two campaigns has become heated.
Mailers attacking May have appeared in Waukegan mailboxes. And blog posts slamming Cunningham have been published at May’s campaign website.
Cunningham said Friday morning that he “certainly” hasn’t “personally attacked” May but acknowledged his and May’s supporters are “very passionate.”
“Her team is putting stuff out that is going to help her win,” Cunningham said. “My team is putting stuff out that we hope will make me the victor on April 4.”
No matter who wins, the result will be historic: May would be Waukegan’s first female mayor, and Cunningham would be the city’s first African-American mayor. Waukegan is one of Lake County’s most diverse communities, with 55 percent of its population identifying as Hispanic or Latino and 19 percent as black or African-American, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Waukegan’s total population stands at nearly 88,600.
Way back on Feb. 16, Cunningham and May appeared at a mayoral town hall at Wesley Free Methodist Church that felt at times more like a campaign rally than a debate. They repeatedly attacked Motley, who couldn’t attend, and agreed on many issues facing Waukegan.
“I think we proved that no matter how this election goes, Sam and I are ready to work together,” May said at the end of the event, as the two candidates stood together onstage and the crowd applauded.
Motley, frustrated after his primary loss, attacked May for involving herself in the race before the primary was over, saying he was “double-teamed.” May has denied rumors that her campaign actively tried to help Cunningham before Feb. 28.
A March 22 debate between May and Cunningham at Waukegan High School’s Brookside campus revealed some policy differences between the candidates, but the mood was civil and respectful.
But after it was over, the discovery of flyers attacking May in the parking lot outside sparked tension among Cunningham’s and May’s supporters. Cunningham denied any connection to the flyers, but it was clear whoever printed and distributed them wanted to hurt May’s chances of winning.
The flyers were similar to those attacking Motley that were placed around Waukegan before the primary. Cunningham denied being involved with those, as well.
In the following days, numerous mailers appeared in voters’ mailboxes calling May, who voted for Hillary Clinton in November and speaks favorably about Bernie Sanders, a Republican and urging residents to vote against her. The mailers were variously paid for by the Cunningham campaign and the Waukegan Democratic Organization, whose chairman, Pete Couvall, has endorsed Cunningham.
“The thousands and thousands of dollars that they must be spending to call me a Republican,” May said Friday. “To tell people I’m going to slash Medicare and Medicaid, when obviously that’s not a municipal-level decision. To prey on seniors by telling them I’m going to cut Meals on Wheels, when Catholic Charities provides that service. … They’re preying on our vulnerable residents, and I think it’s very tasteless.”
May said her campaign is “staying to the issues.”
“We’re not spreading lies,” she added. “We’re not preying on people’s fear.”
But May has unleashed her own attacks on Cunningham. She has used her campaign website to highlight Cunningham’s campaign contributions from the gaming industry, suggesting it backs him because he has publicly expressed his support for a casino. In a blog post, May said this mayoral election is a choice between “the same cynical, career politicians that have held us back” and breaking from “the establishment” to “build a positive, brighter future for Waukegan.”
Cunningham has served as alderman for 18 years, but he is also a small-business owner — he started Cunningham Insurance Agency in 2010 after stints at Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Allstate. As the Democratic nominee, he has won the support of politicians such as U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Deerfield, and state Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan.
Cunningham said he understands why his and May’s supporters are fiercely battling for their respective candidates.
“You have Lisa and myself, both of us who grew up in the community,” Cunningham said. “Our parents are very involved in the community. And now we’re those children taking that step into leadership positions. So our supporters are very passionate about that.”
Both candidates are set to appear at a Get Out the Vote rally Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn at 200 North Green Bay Road. The event is sponsored by the North Shore Baptist Ministers Alliance and the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County.
Besides the casino issue, the other main policy differences between the candidates include plans for developing the waterfront. May wants to preserve much of the land and transfer it to the Waukegan Park District, while Cunningham wants to turn the area into an “entertainment destination” akin to Chicago’s Navy Pier. May has also aligned with area environmentalists, emerging as a stronger critic of the NRG coal-fired power plant at the lakefront. A mailer attacking May said closing the plant would diminish the city’s property tax base and lead to tax increases.
May has also said she wants the city to consider changing its governmental structure, moving to a council-manager format. Cunningham, meanwhile, would keep the system as it is and hire a chief of staff to run day-to-day operations.
Twitter @lucashammill
