Powell pushes Bush for assessor
You would think that after the conviction of East St. Louis political boss Charlie Powell on voter fraud charges the St. Clair County Democratic Party would be distancing itself from Powell.
Well, when you observe ESL and St. Clair County politics long enough, you realize that the learning curve is about as steep as the Grand Canyon for many of these guys, and others are flat stuck on stupid.
Take, for example, the recent resignation of ESL native Percy McKinney, after 11 years as county assessor.
Many speculate that McKinney’s sudden resignation resulted from a scathing audit of the assessor’s office, revealing shoddy management – including tardy reassessment notices, failure to quickly place new homes on tax rolls, staff shortages and other deficiencies, resulting in increased assessment disparities.
For instance, ESL homeowners pay disproportionately excessive property taxes, on an annual basis, while living in one of the more economically challenged areas in St. Clair County.
Within hours of McKinney’s “resignation,” former ESL mayor Gordon Bush was named (at the recommendation of convict Charlie Powell) to become McKinney’s successor to the $80,690 per year gig, with County Board Chairman Mark Kern pointing to Bush’s experience as assessor and former chairman of the St. Clair County Board of Assessment Review.
That begs the question: since when do convicts nominate individuals for political vacancies? And shouldn’t Charlie Powell have more important things to do (like shopping for soap-on-a-rope) prior to his sentencing?
Is Mark Kern and St. Clair County leadership so bankrupt, shameless and out-of-touch they think the answer to their image problems is the recycling of the same old “black dinosaur” leadership?
Gordon Bush, in his political campaigns, received nearly a quarter million dollars from the Casino Queen and, until recently, worked as their consultant. He epitomizes the ESL tradition of political opportunism and insider politics.
The selection of Bush, further exacerbated by his recommendation by a criminal like Charlie Powell, is an indictment of Kern and St. Clair County Democrats and sends the message of “business as usual” in the county.
When asked about being recommended by Powell, Bush gave (what else) a typical, lackluster, political answer. “Well, that is the way the Democratic Party is set up. I think it’s the political process.” Brilliant answer, Gordon!
What does it say about a group of politicians who depend on a convict (Powell) for guidance? Logic dictates that if Charlie were so smart, then he wouldn’t be headed to federal prison, duh!
That’s sort of like having Charles Manson select a candidate for the California governor’s seat. It’s utterly ridiculous, unless you happen to be in St. Clair County.
The more I observe these guys, the more I’m convinced that the Bowery Boys and The Three Stooges were geniuses. At least they got paid to act foolish! We don’t expect that from so-called political leadership.
EMAIL: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.