This is the "better Democrats" season in Illinois, from now through March. (The primary is Mar. 18.)
NDFA has been going down to the 39th state rep district to campaign for Will Guzzardi. He's a local activist who ran against the now-incumbent in 2012 and lost by 125 votes. Saturday, the 24th, I joined them.
The incumbent is one of those whom I call the "Gray Puppies," the children of the legendary Gray Wolves. Mel Berrios is daughter to Joe Berrios. The elder Berrios got his power as a member of the Board of (Assessment) Appeals. This board hears appeals of tax assessments from property owners, both big and small. Somehow, large property owners with the right lawyers get major reductions, sometimes every assessment cycle. Those lawyers donate to the Cook County Democratic Party and the machine candidates.
(The state corrects assessments according to a system based on assessed values vs sale prices for the county as a whole. So, when Sears Tower gets a huge break, Joe home owner pays for it.)
Anyway, Ms. Berrios now has a record in Springfield, and that record is one of following the machine. Guzzardi, on the other hand, has kept working in the community. When Mayor Rahm scheduled a huge number of local schools for closure, Guzzardi was one of the leaders in the (successful) fight to keep the local elementary school, Brentano, open.
Guzzardi Campaign web site
I had misjudged travel time on 2 buses on one of the snowiest days of my memory. As I was late, I missed the NDFA team. The campaign sends out waves of canvassers, though, and I was able to partner up with a lady who actually lived in that precinct. She divided up our turf, and I covered the southern half. Weather conditions slowed my walking, but they also kept a quite respectable number home. I was able to identify 2 strong supporters.