On January 5—one of the coldest days of the winter—mayoral candidate Willie Wilson showed up at the Jefferson Park el stop to shake hands with the early-morning commuters.
That’s right: the ultimate outsider almost went to work for the ultimate insider. It just goes to show you there’s nothing more surreal than the stuff that happens all the time in Chicago politics.
Over the last few years, he’s found his way on and off the payrolls of SEIU, the Cook County Board, and the suburban village of Bensenville. In each case, he managed to offend the wrong person in power, who sent him packing.
Their matchmaker was Matt Brandon, secretary-treasurer for SEIU Local 73, the union for whom Coconate once worked. Last year the local cut a deal with the mayor, donating $25,000 to his campaign in exchange for . . .
Back then, the mayor’s supporters were using election-law lawyer Michael Kasper for what turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to bounce Wilson from the ballot. They claimed Wilson didn’t have enough valid signatures from voters, but eventually they dropped the challenge.
He was hired as the north-side coordinator, which is how he ended up bringing Wilson to Jefferson Park.
