Illinois 2012 Elections: Who Are The Top 10, Bottom 10 Chicago Dem, GOP Committeemen?

By Mark G. Jones, Deputy Editor, THE iLLINOIS OBSERVER

(Chicago, IL) – March 15, 2012. Who Leads the Lambs to Vote in Chicago?  The Vatican has the College of Cardinals, known as the “Princes of the Church.” Chicago has Ward Committeemen.

And there are two Chicago denominations: Democrats and Republicans. A Committeeman’s salvation–their weighted voting power in their party candidate endorsement sessions–depends on the faithful flocking to the voting both.

With the Tuesday, March 20 primary looming, a holy day on the electoral calendar, the motors of both sides’ ward machines are either revving or wheezing into action.

An analysis by THE iLLINOIS OBSERVER of City of Chicago 2010 election data, which focused on the “princes and princesses” who were elected in 2008, found some shepherds can crank out the flock more effectively than others.

In Chicago, as you know, Democrats turn out in mass.

According to our report, the top ten Democratic committeemen, in terms of the percentage of registered voters in each of the 50 city wards who faithfully went to the polls and voted at the behest of their committeemen in 2010, are:

1. Matthew O’Shea (19^th) – 49.8%
2. Michael Madigan (13^th) – 40.4%
3. Michael Zalewski (23^rd) – 37.8%
4. Ed Burke (14^th) – 35.4%
5. Toni Preckwinkle (4^th) – 34.5%
6. Michelle Harris (8^th) – 33.2%
7. Freddrenna Lyle (6^th) – 30.0%
8. Derrick Curtis (18^th) – 29.6%
9. Leslie Hairston (5^th) – 29.6%
10. John Daley (11^th) – 29.1%

Howard Brookins, who at 29.0%, misses a slot in top 10 by .01%.

Elsewhere, some Democratic committeemen need to work on their sermons. The bottom 10 are:

1. Tony Munoz (12^th) – 18.4%
2. Ed Smith (28^th) – 18.2%
3. John Pope (10^th) – 18.1%
4. Rey Colon (35^th) – 17.5%
5. Roberto Maldonado (26^th) – 17.5%
6. Joann Thompson (16^th) – 17.2%
7. Toni Foulkes (15^th) – 16.9%
8. Jesse Juarez (1^st) – 16.0%
9. Joseph Berrios (31^st) – 15.9%
10. Ariel Reboyras (30^th) – 15.2%

On the GOP side, where Republican voters in Chicago wards could fit in a single pew and are typically lambs being led to slaughter by their committeemen, the top 10 are:

1. Mike McAuliffe (41^st) – 9.3%
2. Eloise Gerson (42^nd) – 6.9%
3. Dave Haynes (45^th) – 5.9%
4. Doug Glick (43^rd) – 5.9%
5. James Parrilli (19^th) – 5.6%
6. Joe Adamcik (36^th) – 5.1%
7. Kevin White (38^th) – 5.0%
8. Jeffrey Malinowski (23^rd) – 4.4%
9. Bill Micelli (23^rd) – 4.2%
10. Jim Fuchs (44^th) – 4.2%

For those GOP committeemen dwelling in purgatory, the bottom 10 are:

1. Jacoby Crutcher (20^th) – 0.3%
2. Linda Rockett (9^th) – 0.3%
3. Stanton Robinson (7^th) – 0.3%
4. Margarite Faulkner (8^th) – 0.3%
5. Charles Seavers (21^st) – 0.2%
6. Jackie Robinson (6^th) – 0.2%
7. Percy Coleman (34^th) – 0.2%
8. Ronnie McKenzie (24^th) – 0.2%
9. Curtis Lacy (17^th) – 0.2%
10. Margaree Jackson (28^th) – 0.2%

Both Democratic and Republican committeemen will be preaching heavily to their respected choirs in the coming hours before Judgment Day on Tuesday, beseeching voters to support their designated candidates but also to save their own skins, which are also on the ballot.

On March 21, they return to their political cloisters to reflect on the results, and only then will their sermons fall silent.

Amen.

For future candidates seeking to prioritize their kissing-the-ring time, the full report on the all the committeemen rankings, and the 2012 ward committeemen candidates from both parities, who face voters on Tuesday, is here.