Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley is at it again.
Last week Quigley, a candidate in the Illinois 5th Congressional District special election primary on March 3rd, launched a direct mail attack on opponents State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz and John Fritchey for voting for a .25% sales tax increase in January 2008 to prevent an insolvent CTA from implementing its "Doomsday scenario" of slashing bus and train service across the city.
The CTA's cuts would have stranded tens of thousands of Chicago residents--seniors, students, the working poor, professionals, everyone dependent upon public transportation--preventing people from getting to and from work, school, hospitals, and grocery stores.
Thousands of Quigley's own constituents would have also been marooned.
What opposition did Quigley express at the time of the CTA .25% tax debate in Springfield?
According to a search of the Chicago Tribune archives, Quigley is quoted as saying: " ... " . The Sun-Times archive yielded this gem: " ... ".
Did Quigley call John Fritchey to express his opposition to the tax? No.
Did Quigley call Sara Feigenholtz to express his opposition to the tax? No.
That's right. Quigley had zippo to say publicly or privately to Fritchey or Feigenholtz.
But now 13 months later that's he once again grasping for a higher office? Quigley is a critic of the CTA rescue.
This week the Quigley campaign dropped yet another attack mail piece on Feigenholtz and Fritchey for their CTA rescue plan vote. And this mail piece drops the reference to the CTA altogether and labels the vote as the "Blagojevich tax plan" --even though Blagojevich vetoed the CTA rescue bill.
It's a distortion.
And the Chicago Sun-Times, which endorsed Quigley in the race, whacked the candidate Thursday on the misleading mail.
"The fight for the open 5th Congressional seat is getting ugly. And Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley deserves a knock for moving it in that direction," wrote Kate Grossman, an editorial board member.
Fritchey and Feigenholtz had the courage to take a tough vote to keep the buses and trains running for thousands of their constituents and thousands of Quigley's. Quigley had the cowardice to attack them for it.
Quigley better stay off any CTA train or bus for the next few days.
Disclosure: I have contributed to Feigenholtz's candidacy but am in no way affiliated with the campaign. All views expressed are my own.