MORE FROM THE SOCRATES OF WEST ROGERS PARK

4/6/11

(See one of today’s other posts, YET MORE EVIDENCE THAT THE END IS PAST NIGH, for background on the subject matter covered in this post.)

In the wake of his being retired from his 38 year stint on the Chicago City Council by Rahm Emanuel and Richard Daley (C’mon; who really thinks it was Debra and Ira Silverstein who won that election?), the latter of whom Mr. Stone supported loyally ever since Mr. Daley entered politics, after supporting his father for as long as Mr. Stone had been in politics, 50th Ward Alderman Bernie Stone was asked what he thought of the woman who will replace him. Mr. Stone, being an old-fashioned Chicago (former) ward boss, replied that Debra Silverstein

“...will be a disaster for this ward. There’s no way I’ll help her. She knows nothing.”

Pressed further on whether he would do the “gentlemanly” thing and support Mrs. Silverstein, Mr. Stone replied

“No. Listen, that family stripped me of everything I had. Why the hell would I support them? I’m not being bitter. It’s not a question of being bitter. It’s just a question of tit for tat.”

This is honesty on a par with that exhibited by Mr. Stone’s late colleague 25th Ward Alderman and Committeeman Vito Marzullo who, when asked by a college crowd why he entered politics, replied

“I entered politics to reward my friends and screw my enemies.”

Such honesty is indeed refreshing and not only because it is so rare in telepromptered, blow-dried, focus grouped politics of this dreary era in which we live. I, for one, am sick and tired of two pols who have spent months figuratively kicking the excretory product out of each other for months, or even years, making smarmy, unctuous, nauseously insincere nicey-nice with each other on election night. Give me one Bernie Stone over a million of the pancake made up automatons with $100 hairdos who somehow feel fit to tell us what to do in the modern era.

I have missed Vito Marzullo ever since he died in 1990, five years after his nine terms of service on the City Council ended. I am already missing Bernie Stone.