Blues Man, Jacksons Fan
As Spann later learned, you can pretty much call yourself anything you want to on the ballot so long as it’s not indecent and the name doesn’t belong to someone else.
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“By the time I’d got around to talking to a legal person, it was too late,” says Spann. Despite the setback, he remains hopeful. “I’ve had that nickname forever, so when people see Spann they’ll know I’m the Blues Man. They’ll vote for me ’cause they know I’m for real and I care about the problems of this ward and I’m not running for the publicity, ’cause I don’t need the publicity. I’ve had plenty of publicity. I’m in this to win.”
–Ben Joravsky
With several weeks to go till the election, it looks as though the front-runner for the candidate with the most unusual platform remains Kenneth Ladien, a public-school teacher, former state senate candidate, and self-described “Pig Power” advocate out of the Tenth Ward.
My, how times have changed. Ten years ago it would have been political suicide for a black incumbent to endorse Mayor Daley. Now, among black City Council members, only Shirley Coleman of Englewood is openly supporting Bobby Rush. And Coleman–who’s mad at Daley for not supporting her favorite programs–feels compelled to do some explaining. “My constituency has said that no one was standing up for Rush. I don’t see this as an anti-Daley stance–I’m just listening to my community,” says Coleman. “Whites stick with whites, and it would be nice for blacks to stick together. That’s a lesson from the Irish and Polish.”
