The same year Barack Obama was born, Nicholas Blase became mayor of Niles, Illinois--it's town just west of Morton Grove. There has always been an air of suspicion around Blase, and two years ago, the other shoe finally dropped. Blase was indicted on his 78th birthday for allegedly shaking down restaurant owners. Prosecutors claim that Blase threatened to withhold liquor licences if they didn't purchase insurance from a Wheeling, Illinois firm.
Amidst rumors of a plea deal, Blase resigned today.
Although elections in Niles are non-partisan, Blase is a Democrat; he once served as the Democratic Committeeman for Maine Township.
And finally, the United States Postal Service is frequently, and often justifiably, the target of criticism. One thing it does right is honoring people with postage stamps. No living person can appear on one--and unless the honoree is a former president--the subject of the stamp must be deceased for ten years.
The Village of Niles needs a rule like that. Come to think of it, lots of places do.
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I don't know anything about Blase---I didn't even know his name---but I've assumed the mayor of Niles was crazy ever since he put up that sign protesting the "dangerous" cell tower that AT&T had put up. That and those weird "Why shop on the internet when you can shop in Niles?" ads on television a few years ago. The people of Niles will probably be better off without him.
ReplyDeleteI always thought he was upset by that tower because it was on the Chicago side of Howard Street. I don't know if it was city-owned land, but Niles wasn't getting a dime of it the revenue from the tower.
ReplyDeleteBlase reminds me of a guy selling stuff from the trunk of his car.