Municipal pork recipe lacks taste, substance

Never underestimate the creativity of your municipal leaders to harness the power of their offices.

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The Radar O'Reilly in the Machine or if Gilbert Ryle studied Elmhurst politics

After Elmhurst 1st Ward Alderman Paul Fichtner won a seat on the Dupage County Board, Mayor Thomas Marcucci appointed Mark Tebbe to fill Fichtner's vacated city council seat. Four months later, in early 2005, Alderman Tebbe launched an election campaign to retain his council seat for the two remaining years of the term.

As an uber-successful internet industry mogul most likely accustomed to impossible deadlines and catering to demanding Wall Street types, it is no surprise that Tebbe was able to deliver nearly up-to-the-minute campaign materials in what might seem to mere mortal candidates to be an impossible time frame.

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Consider the following excerpt from a March 31, 2005 Chicago Tribune article, Elmhurst and Glen Ellyn face mayoral races, written by Matt Baron and Bob Goldsborough, that appeared in a campaign mailer that arrived in many Elmhurst mailboxes on April 1.

"Tebbe conceived the arrangement. Marcucci has given it a ringing endorsement, calling it innovative. The City Council and school board unanimously approved moving ahead with the plan, and it appears headed for final approval."

Talk about impressive turnaround. In spite of all obstacles, the Tebbe campaign was able to get a graphic designer to incorporate the Chicago Tribune article quote into his campaign piece, get it printed, distributed through the US Mail and into first ward mailboxes in one day. Amazing. All that coordination, designing, printing in the course of what could even have been less than 24 hours. Ordinary flesh and blood types would be challenged to get a simple 8.5 by 11 resume out of Kinko's in the same time frame.

Really makes you wonder if the Tebbe campaign didn't get its Chicago Tribune earlier than the rest of us?

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So you ask, what became of the $1.5 million dollar cash for District 205 land offer? The attention getting, eye-popping, vote-getting stunt? The one that Marcucci had given a "ringing endorsement" and was "headed for final approval?" The great idea that Tebbe "conceived" of?(Chicago Tribune, March 31, 2005).

Well, after the election the new school board didn't think it was a good idea. Even the alderman who had been big supporters of the offer prior to the election didn't think it was a good idea. After digging into the details, the neighbors close to the earmarked District 205 land who feared that their school land would become a parking lot for Roberto's restaurant didn't think it was such a good idea. In fact, in the cold light of day after the election there just wasn't anyone with any sense who though the deal was a good idea and after election the whole idea just went away.

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Size matters! especially if you can get your cronies' campaign signs on the front page of the newspaper for FREE! Way to stretch a campaign dollar!

Funny, how after elections, issues that seem like big problems just seem to disappear. Poof, gone! Just like former 1st Ward alderman Mark Tebbe's objection to oversize political campaign signs. It's been over a year, and you just never hear about the campaign sign problem at all anymore. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

"The larger than life campaign signs of Elmhurst Mayor Thomas Marcucci and his challenger, Paula Pezza, dwarf the more standard signs erected in recent weeks at the corner of Prospect and St Charles Rd. by the multitude of challengers in various township, park district, school and city races."
partial Elmhurst Press front page photo caption, April 1, 2005

Do you remember the April 1, 2005 Elmhurst Press cover page photo featuring a large clean shot of incumbent Marcucci's front lawn littered with campaign signs for Marcucci for Mayor, Jordan for School Board, Chris Healy for Park Board, Charity Pigoni for Treasurer and Patty Spencer for City Clerk?

Perhaps you are wondering, why on earth would the Elmhurst Press want to embarass the mayor like that, singling him out for derision over the campaign sign clutter on his lawn. How bold! How bold indeed! The mayor must be a very forgiving and understanding type of person since he never complained about the fact that the candidates he supported had their signs prominently printed on the front page of the newspaper just before the April 5, 2005 election.

The apparently flat-footed Doings Newspaper did not pick up on this blockbuster breaking news item at all. No story, no photo, no caption. Nothing. What did the Elmhurst Press know (or get) that the Doings did not?

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"State controlled television, radio, and newpapers glorify the actions of the regime's leader and incite their populations against those it deems to be enemies."

The Case For Democracy: the Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror by Natan Sharansky