March 28, 2006

BY DAVE MCKINNEY AND FRAN SPIELMAN Staff Reporters

The Chicago City Council's black caucus met with state Sen. James Meeks on Monday and agreed to back Meeks' possible third-party gubernatorial bid unless Gov. Blagojevich commits as much as $4 billion during the next four years to African-American causes.

"If the governor doesn't meet the needs of the African-American community, then we're not going to support his candidacy, and we're going to move forward with supporting Rev. Meeks," said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th).

Beale was among about a dozen black City Council members who met with Meeks at a South Side restaurant to discuss the funding ultimatum to the governor and the Salem Baptist Church pastor's potential gubernatorial run this fall.

Could start today

Today marks the first day that Meeks (D-Chicago) could put nominating petitions on the street to gather the necessary 25,000 signatures required by late June to join Blagojevich and Republican Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka on the Nov. 7 ballot. There were no signs that effort materialized as of Monday night. Meeks did not return calls left at his Chicago answering service or Springfield legislative office.

Mayor Daley, meanwhile, weighed in on the potentially devastating threat Meeks poses to Blagojevich.

When asked if Meeks had the ability to torpedo Blagojevich and perhaps the rest of the Democratic ticket in the fall, the mayor said, "Sure. Sure, that's happened before. That's a reality."

In 1986, two supporters of political extremist Lyndon LaRouche scored stunning upsets for lieutenant governor and secretary of state in the statewide Democratic primary, wrecking the Democrats' efforts to unseat Republican Gov. James R. Thompson.

Ald. Beale said he expects Blagojevich to deliver on the $1 billion-a-year funding commitment for schools, job training, help for released prisoners and building needs by May 31, or the wheels will be set in motion to get Meeks and a slate of third-party candidates on the fall ballot.

Gov stresses record

A Blagojevich campaign aide sidestepped whether the governor would accede to the group's demand but stressed he has shown a commitment to schools in his first term.

"Gov. Blagojevich has worked closely with Senator Meeks on many issues and will keep working with him. On education funding, Gov. Blagojevich has invested more than $2 billion in new funding in our schools -- more than any other governor in Illinois history has done in a single term," Blagojevich spokesman Doug Scofield said.

Ald. Ed Smith (28th), chairman of the City Council Black Caucus, shied away from demanding specific dollar amounts or imposing deadlines but expressed the same threat against the governor to pony up for African Americans or else.

"Our position is this: We want real dollars coming to our community, and if we don't get that, we're just not willing to support people. That includes the governor," Smith said.

And should that swing the election to Topinka, so be it, Smith said, invoking lyrics from a famous Billy Preston song.

"If we don't have anything, and we change our votes to another candidate, and we don't get anything, nothing from nothing leaves nothing," he said.

Copyright © The Sun-Times Company
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.