Submitted by arlenegloria on Sat, 02/06/2010 - 17:15

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As Hyde Park Ascends, A Contradiction Emerges

By DON TERRY and DAN MIHALOPOULOS
February 5, 2010

As chants of “Toni, Toni, Toni” washed over her on Tuesday night, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle’s pearl necklace glistened in the bright glare of televised victory. She had just become the Democratic nominee for Cook County Board president.

Ms. Preckwinkle’s success is the latest example of Hyde Park’s serving as a launching pad for black politicians putting together multiracial coalitions to win higher office.

Long known as a liberal bastion of independence from City Hall and the city’s Democratic political establishment, Hyde Park has bred political figures who use the skills developed in that diverse South Side enclave to establish careers that take them far beyond Hyde Park.

But Ms. Preckwinkle’s likely ascension in November’s general election to the board presidency, long known as a patronage plum, exposes a less-ballyhooed fact of life in Hyde Park: The neighborhood’s political mavericks may brandish strong liberal credentials, but they gain power by entering into a marriage of convenience with the Democratic establishment that remains at the center of Chicago’s political universe, the office of Mayor Richard M. Daley.

To read more, please visit Chicago News Cooperative: http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/as-hyde-park-ascends-a-contradiction-emerges/