The Harvey World Herald
Politics

City government hopefuls, struggling to raise own campaign funds, bankroll one another

As some municipal candidates have struggled to build their campaign war chest, some have turned toward clout-driven political coalitions, state finance records reveal. But that support hasn't been mutually beneficial.

Campaign finance records reveal some of the clout-driven political coalitions that have emerged since 2019. HWH / Amethyst J. Davis
Campaign finance records reveal some of the clout-driven political coalitions that have emerged since 2019. HWH / Amethyst J. Davis
author
By Amethyst J. Davis

This report was fact-checked by Olivia Stovicek. Olivia's experience as an editor and fact-checker includes serving as a senior editor at South Side Weekly and as a team leader for City Bureau's Civic Reporting Fellowship in 2021.

Aside from the mayoral race, there’s not a lot of big money driving Harvey’s campaign season, state records suggest.

Instead, as many struggle with empty pockets, some are pumping what funds they do have into one another’s campaigns. A confluence of campaign signs around Harvey and spending reveal the varying political coalitions that have formed in recent years.

But that generous spending hasn’t gone both ways, in many cases, according to an HWH analysis of campaign dollars.

Here’s a look at the financial web woven throughout Harvey’s municipal races.

Clark-Arambula-Drewenski-Clay II

In the 1st Ward, large signs dot the bustling Halsted corridor. Alderwoman Drewenski’s name joins Clerk Rosa Arambula, Mayor Chris Clark, and City Treasurer candidate David Clay II. Without much fanfare, Clay left Clark’s mayoral team last summer. Clay’s now running for city treasurer in an effort to unseat incumbent Aisha Pickett.

Clay and Arambula have each tossed at least $4,000 to Clark’s campaign bid. Arambula and a relative named David donated a combined $5,550 to Clark’s campaign. Drewenski, however, has no reported contributions to Clark’s campaign, according to recent state records.

But this spending hasn’t been mutually beneficial. State records don't include any donations from Clark to the political campaigns of any Harvey municipal hopefuls. Drewenski, Clay, and Arambula's campaigns have not filed any financial disclosures, indicating they have taken in under $5,000 in the past year, so it's unclear if Clark has donated to them. However, he’s pumped $11,600 into his own campaign.

Clark currently has $11,600 in cash on hand, according to an HWH analysis of his campaign war chest.

Tolbert-Rogers-Key

Alderman Tyrone Rogers (6th) and Alderman Tracy Key (4th) have endorsed Alderman Marshun Tolbert (2nd) for mayor. Rogers’ campaign signs sit alongside several of Tolbert’s in pockets of the city. Last fall, Rogers donated $1,000 to Tolbert’s mayoral race. It’s unclear if Tolbert has returned the favor. Neither Rogers nor Key have reported the formation of a political committee or campaign contributions to the state.

Noteworthy aldermanic spending at a glance

Shirley Drewenski (1st)

State records show that Shirley Drewenski (1st), running for reelection, hasn’t made a reported donation to a political committee representing a Harvey hopeful, be it for a mayoral or City Council seat.

Drewenski’s dollar has favored township politics, namely that of deceased Thornton Township Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli. As early as 1999, Drewenski sprinkled between $20 and $500 to Zuccarelli’s reelection bids. He passed away in January 2022. Zuccarelli led the township for 28 years.

Most recently, Drewenski donated to Phoenix Mayor Terry Wells’ failed election for Thornton Democratic committeeman. Illinois State Senator Napoleon B. Harris III (15th) won that seat.

Telanee Smith (3rd)

Appointed by the mayor following the resignation of former alderman Quinton Crudup, Smith has pumped thousands into Clark’s mayoral bids.

In the year leading up to the 2019 primary, Smith, employed as a public service administrator for the state Department of Children and Family Services, donated $2,350.75 to Clark’s campaign. Her state contribution records show an influx of $8,000 to Clark’s campaign since September 2022.

Sign up for The Renaissance Letter, our free email newsletter

Get the latest headlines from the Harvey World Herald right in your inbox.


Read past editions

author
Amethyst J. Davis@APurple_Reign

Founder

Amethyst J. Davis is responsible for spearheading the growth and development of the HWH, including outlining the editorial trajectory and content. She also produces “The Renaissance Letter,” our biweekly email newsletter, edits content, and fact-checks stories prior to publication Amethyst was an administrator at New York University before launching her journalism career. She is also a member of the Sounding Board, the community advisory board for Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.

In 2022, Amethyst was a Casey Fellow with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Black News & Views, where she covered health and COVID-19 for the NABJ’s newly launched digital news service. She is a sought after speaker on community journalism and has given talks at institutions like DePaul University and the University of Kansas. Amethyst is a regular guest on City Cast Chicago.

She was invited by Harvard University to submit a 2023 Nieman Lab prediction, which taps the smartest in media and journalism nationwide to offer thoughts on the future of digital media. Under her leadership, the HWH has become one of the nation's most-watched hyperlocal newsrooms. The HWH has received national coverage in publications like Poynter, Harvard University's Nieman Lab, the National Press Journalism Club Institute, and Editor & Publisher.

Amethyst is a Brooks Middle School ('11) and Thornton Township High School alum (‘15) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (BA'19). She is an alumni of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar program at the University of Chicago.

Read more:

More in Politics from The Harvey World Herald

;