Bernard Schoenburg
The State Journal-Register
An image of an angry chess player’s hand graces a flier in race for Ward 7 alderman.
“Tantrums are for children …” it says on the mailing from the campaign of BRAD CARLSON. “Alderman JOE McMENAMIN keeps throwing fits during city council meetings when he is questioned and doesn’t get his way. As any good parent knows, this kind of behavior deserves a time out!”
McMenamin, who is seeking his third term and is being challenged by Carlson, calls the flier “a good example of twisted character assassination.”
On the other side of the flier, there are some quotes, including one about the “hostile environment” at some city council meetings. There’s a picture of McMenamin with what seems an angry expression.
McMenamin said he’s probably been to more than 500 council and committee meetings in his eight years.
“Anyone can capture an unflattering photo of somebody,” he said. “And then to use that to malign someone’s character is a better reflection of the person spreading the flier and some of his supporters.”
McMenamin said the flier paints a “very twisted” and “false picture” based in part on hearsay.
But while that makes it look like the newspaper may have reported such an occurrence, the line is actually from a story about aldermen discussing if they should have rules about “disorderly conduct” at meetings, and in that story, not using a direct quote, it says Ward 10 Ald. RALPH HANAUER made the statement about McMenamin.
Hanauer and McMenamin had traded jabs about perceived influence at a June 11 utility committee meeting. McMenamin had mentioned that aldermen had taken campaign contributions from a coal company, which he said could influence their votes. Hanauer had retorted that McMenamin is a member of the Sierra Club, which he is not.
“I would say that there’s a majority of aldermen that would like the most independent voice on the council eliminated,” McMenamin said.
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Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 