Bernard Schoenburg
The State Journal-Register
Springfield Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin is treasurer of a newly formed political fund that donated $800 to the recent election effort of Elizabeth Jones, who lost a race to Ward 6 Ald. Kristin DiCenso. And McMenamin’s wife, Lynn, also contributed $800 to Jones, recent campaign finance reports show.
McMenamin said the goal of the new, nonpartisan “Springfield Watchdog Group” is to “support local candidates who promote the general interest, independent of special interests.”
Jones survived an objection to her nominating petitions to stay on the April 2 ballot in the Ward 6 race — which DiCenso won with 71 percent of the vote.
McMenamin said his wife had met Jones at an Inner City Older Neighborhoods meeting before the filing period for city council members, but McMenamin himself didn’t meet her until after she defeated the challenge to her petitions. The objection was based on a parking fine owed to the city.
“I thought it was shameful the way local powers tried to push a legitimate candidate off the ballot, causing her to incur significant legal fees to defend her legitimate filing,” McMenamin said. “That’s when … my wife and I both decided to help her.”
McMenamin said the “local powers” he was talking about were DiCenso herself, as a sitting council member; local Democrats, in part because Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, who chairs the Sangamon County Democratic Party, attended proceedings concerning the objection; and “apparently” the Laborers Union. The objector to Jones’ petitions, Anna Koeppel, is a Democratic precinct committeewoman and also works for the Midwest Regional Office of the union.
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The donations to Jones were revealed in a campaign finance report filed by Jones covering the first three months of the year. The paperwork showed that Jones had $100 on hand as of Jan. 1, raised $4,855 during the following three months, and during that time spent $3,319, including $2,350 in legal fees.
DiCenso’s report showed she started the year with about $14,250 in her account, and raised and spent about $20,000 during the following three months. Among donations were $2,500 each from the Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council and the campaign fund of former Ald. Cory Jobe. DiCenso was elected to complete the last two years of Jobe’s term after he moved out of town. She also got $1,000 from the campaign fund of Bill Houlihan, a member of the Democratic State Central Committee and state director for the office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, a Springfield resident; and $1,500 from Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 137. She also got $1,000 from the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 37 on April 8.
McMenamin said the chairman of the new “Watchdog” campaign fund is James Dunn. The alderman and Dunn practice law from the same building. McMenamin also said he is among donors to the group, and as of this week, it had raised more than $4,000. He also said Jones, so far, was the only candidate to receive funds from the group.
McMenamin’s own campaign report showed he had $27,850 on hand as of Jan. 1, raised nearly $8,900 over three months — all but $1,100 in contributions of $150 or less — and spent more than $22,800 during that time.
McMenamin defeated Brad Carlson, getting 59 percent of the vote. Carlson began January with $14,355 in his fund. He raised more than $17,000 during the next three months, and spent more than $29,000. He got $1,500 from the Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council, and $1,000 each from Chicago lobbyist Nancy Kimme and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 137.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 