Ty Wansley Interview [Cont.] / Bill Gritsonis at Billy Goat Tavern

with with daily in this election and daily is very very very popular with Latino voters right now I mean I'd be real surprised if he got less than 75 or 80 or maybe even higher some of the Latino politicians just saying it's gonna get 90 % of the vote in their districts can you tell us what what seems to be the dominant coalition going on over here and if at this point at least in this point in time if black politicians are looking from the outside looking at this point I mean what's the dominant politics coalition that the only seems to be putting together right now you know that is so weird to figure out because I don't see daily doing anything proactive to galvanize coalitions I think Hispanics unfortunately are just tying into that daily mystique tying into the daily name and and the daily aura I don't see the are doing anything that's very succinct to to pull in Hispanic politicians and it's it's really I think double jeopardy because many of those same Latinos who are saying we love Mayor Daley now were during the 80s saying we're part of the Harold Washington coalition I don't see daily doing anything that's really substantial to bring them in I think the Hispanics are basically living on on the daily mystique in the daily name and I think they'll be cheated in the long run they're cheating themselves well they're doing something for themselves in this are they making a calculation as far as what they can get out of this I would think so I would think so but but once again if I were a Latino I wouldn't be able to put my finger on anything distinctive that Mayor Daley has done for me or promised my community I think too many Latinos are living on that that past daily mystique and they feel that there's there's more than it's more than just a mystique that there's a certain link I mean we're talking about everybody being Catholic talking about being immigrants and being somewhat conservative so well you know there's much concern about the mayor issuing a directive to the city police department if someone is a suspected of being an illegal immigrant it's a hands off procedure with the police department the mayor says you can't suspect them you can't detain them INS isn't happy about it so yeah you're probably right maybe the Hispanic community feels an affinity there because there's a hands off policy in terms of illegal immigration so maybe that is a hook for them but I don't think it's a legitimate hook in a regular city in any city you'd expect that the mayor would have some support in the black community and there'd be people politicians on it come out publicly and say yeah I'm with the mayor and somebody will come out and say they weren't doesn't seem to be the case well you know you look at these black politicians in this town that historically have aligned themselves with the black churches let's face it the black church has been the base of black politics dr.

King Jesse Jackson and the like I mean to preach from the pulpit is is what preachers should do but politicians get up there every election and they want to be preachers and it's so sad and it's so tragic and politicians pimp black churches every election especially in this town and black parishioners fall for the okie -dokie and you look at these African American ministers who constantly support the incumbent and I don't see him doing anything for them in particular in helping the congregations they might help certain preachers to get contracts and to get sweetheart deals from the city but I don't think the members of those churches are benefiting and what really really bothers me as an outsider as a from the outside in this political sphere I see a lot of these preachers for example altering the Lord's Prayer give us this day our daily bread as in Richard Daly and to me that's a total insult and I really don't think black parishioners should fall for them but they do and it's sad but nevertheless there even there seem to be some aldermen who are in the daily camp but they don't they can't say publicly they don't seem to be able to black base has been anti Richard J.

Daly anti Richard M.

Daly and oftentimes perception becomes reality and if there is a slight perception that activists politicians that outspoken black politicians that rebel black politicians or even merely aligned or are slightly aligned with the incumbent mayor that could be suicidal in their communities that's why someone like a Gator Bradley is becoming more attractive nowadays because they're into their attuning themselves they're bonding with those angry masses out there and even though I don't think Gator Bradley will win this particular campaign I think it will come down to a race between Ty Kenner because he's so well known in the ward and the incumbent Dorothy Tillman there's a place for someone like a Gator Bradley out there and that's why they're becoming increasingly popular because they're they're they're binding those angry masses.

Let me ask you this I mean in a city where aldermen you know really are you know they base their power or their influence on being able to provide services if all the African -American aldermen the ones that like daily and the ones that don't like daily you know can't ally themselves at all publicly with them where does that leave them in terms of having the ability and the access to be able to do anything for their constituents? It leaves them out in the cold look at John Steele for example in the sixth war John Steele replaced Gene Sawyer who was acting mayor and a lot of black people are still angry at because they think he would he sold out I'm not saying it's true but that's the perception John Steele replaces Gene Sawyer in the sixth ward which strongly has been one of the largest turnout wards in terms of black voters and you've got black services in the sixth ward because they were aligned with the daily administrations old man daily and then and the new King Richard as many people say but you look at a John Steele for example he still gets city services in his ward even though he's anti administration but I think the administration respects someone like a John Steele so that's where I again urge more black activists politicians to step up I think that if they challenge Mayor Daley more often they'll get more respect but not enough black politicians in my mind are bold enough to step up they want to sit back and play it safe and if they keep that attitude that will be suicidal.

So what's what's in your words how would you describe Chicago politics sorry by saying Chicago politics is? Chicago politics is a circus an absolute circus but who doesn't love to go to the circus New York has Broadway LA has Hollywood here in Chicago we've got our politics we've got our sports teams and we've got our politics as my partner Ed Vidalak he says Chicago politics is a sport and that's true but to me it's a sport slash circus so whoever isn't into sports they're into politics or they've got the best of both worlds they're into both in this town we don't have Broadway we don't have Hollywood but we've got our sports teams whether they stink like the Cubs or they're on the move like the Bears we've got politics and we've got sports and we live and die with them.

What are Chicago politicians like? Chicago politicians I think are totally unique animals some of them are very greedy and these are the longtime incumbents because they've used people for so long and many of them will supply city services to get that first wave of votes but I think Chicago politicians that have been around for a long time have gotten complacent have gotten apathetic and thereby the voters have gotten apathetic and that's why you see such low voter turnouts you've got the historic machine wars that will turn out but I think again harkening back to the Gator Bradleys of the world and some of the the new rebels that are coming up now if they learn from that same formula of the old dinosaur machine politicians and refine it to to the 90s they could have those same long -term compensations.

Where do black voters in Chicago, where do they get their information from about politics? Is it the same place that white voters get it? Well talk radio is very big in this time and as we know talk radio certainly played a major role in the last national elections and even though many pundits will say that that wave of the electronic town hall on talk radio is very conservative and that could be detrimental to blacks.

Talk radio has been a long -standing trough for blacks to draw from over the years but I think it's been ignored by mainstream.

In this town for example you've got WVON which is talk radio but it's a daytime station and it's only a thousand watts but people pay attention so where blacks get their information they get it from the media and now the talk radio has become a national phenomenon and you've got persons like me who obviously is an African -American and it's in the mainstream media they're paying attention to outlets such as this.

Is it also easier for African -American candidates who sometimes don't have the access to resources to be able to tell us about that? Absolutely.

Look at the city clerk's race for example Jim Lasky he's an city clerk he wants to step up he has some money behind him he has campaign commercials Ricky Hinden his opponent incumbent state senator a longtime West Side Force but Ricky doesn't have the bucks but he knows he has access to shows like Edward O 'Liac and Ty Wansley he knows he has access to the other talk shows in town because he's a rebel and I commend people like Ricky Hinden even though he might not win this election I commend him because he's the type that's going to step up and let's face it the 90s are an in -your -face attitudinal time people like Ricky Hinden he gets in your face you might not like him you might despise him but you pay attention to him because he gets in your face and even though he might not have the bucks he certainly has the the chutzpah to get in your face and tell his story and I think we need more of that.

Historically in the black community what's the importance of Lou Palmer's radio shows? Not only Lou Palmer's radio shows years ago when I first came to this town in 1980 Lou Palmer had a syndicated five -minute program called Lou Palmer's Notebook was sponsored by Illinois Bell for a while it was sponsored for a while by People's Gas not only his shows Lou Palmer now has a show called On Target on WVON which airs maybe twice a week maybe three times a week that's an essential in terms because Lou Palmer opens his show with African drums beating and African drums certainly years and years ago were the talk radio of their time and I think Lou Palmer is very wise to continue that signature logo because when you hear the drums beating you know it's time for Lou Palmer to tell you how he feels and most people in the black community that feel downtrodden and oppressed and used and abused by the system will pay attention to Lou Palmer and will probably buy into the philosophy and the notion of Lou Palmer and see Buck and Bipple so when I first came to this town Lou Palmer had Lou's Notebook and even though it was five minutes people listened to it every day they knew what time it was coming on they knew what stations it would be on not only did they listen they digested they remembered and they learned from it and even though Lou doesn't have his notebook anymore and he's heard at night on WVON and he has a very limited audience people still from those Lou Palmer notebook days pay attention to this man they they listen and they learn and I think Lou will be a permanent force in terms of not only getting people involved he educates the black masses and we need more loop homers and I hope he's cultivating more youth to to come up in his life so you think he has an impact politically every day more than you know so tell tell me that the Lou Palmer has Lou Palmer has tremendous input because people learn from Lou Palmer they just don't listen to Lou Palmer they learn and they take away a message and Lou Palmer for example in my mind was the one responsible for Harold Washington running in the first place Harold ran back in the 70s I think as a diversion just to see if the time was right he didn't he didn't win and maybe some people thought the time wasn't right at that particular time Harold was reluctant to run in 83 but it was Lou Palmer who held the plebiscites at Bethel AME Church it was Lou Palmer who got on the airwaves of various stations saying we shall see in 83 and it was Lou Palmer who I think basically convinced Harold Washington you can do it so Lou Palmer was important then and is just as important now because people again just don't listen they learn from him So one last time tell us that he's important but it's Lou Palmer having importance in a political importance so we know that it's that it's Lou Palmer it's in Chicago and it's politics I didn't say politics Okay so tell us about Lou Palmer one last time Lou Palmer is extremely important Lou Palmer is vital when it comes to Chicago politics because not only African -Americans listen to Lou Palmer people in Chicago listen to Lou Palmer and they learn from Lou Palmer because when it comes to politics he educates people how to register how to vote he educates people the importance of a plebiscite because in my view Lou Palmer convinced Harold Washington when he was comfortable in Congress to run for mayor in 83 and had it hadn't have been for the importance of Lou Palmer saying we need black plebiscites we need to have a canvassing of who the potential candidates would be Harold Washington never would have run and never would have won but thanks be to the education and the foresight of Lou Palmer we got Harold Washington and I think Lou Palmer was important then politically and even more politically important now they listen and they learn One more question We've been both in black and white wards.

The white wards feelings run high about politics people are really involved they really get into it.

Is it like that in the black wards? You know what amazes me about that? Right after Harold Washington's death I was doing a talk show similar to this working solo on a black owned and operated station and I had people call the show that identified themselves as police officers I have my doubts about their authenticity but they called and said Ty we're white cops and Ty we just got one message for you and all those black people out there I said okay what's your message and the message was as follows quote Ty we're going to take our city back I said who's we who does the city belong to? We white people.

You black people had Harold Washington you black people had Harold Washington appointing black people and yeah you had your you had the city for a while but we are going to take our city back at that point I proceeded to remind these very ignorant callers in my view of the original founding father of Chicago certainly the Native Americans were the indigenous citizens to this town but I said who founded Chicago who was the first permanent settler they thought about it they didn't know and it was Jean Baptiste Pointe de Sable a black man a black Haitian so my point is if they're going to say we're going to take our city back we being white people I historically remind people it was a black who was the first permanent settler so who city was it in the first place? Food for thought.

You said you said they were they were they were saying we're gonna take our city back? Oh and and they were vehement about it I mean I could hear the viciousness I could I could hear the the animus over the phones it was like it was payback time okay Harold's dead and gone we are going to take our city back it was frightening well I got a question for you I mean you know in listening to the some of the rallies in the last couple days whatever and looking at just what they always coalition's right now have they taken it back for the time being? Well I think those particular callers had a mindset and the more they articulate that thought yeah more white people are going to galvanize around that and perhaps to a large degree they have taken their city back but if blacks learn from that formula of the long -standing machine and they use the machine the way the machine used them in the past blacks can have their day in the Sun one more time that's great okay okay cool if you had some money hanging out of your pocket I'd really I would have talked about I alone yeah I was a eyelids and my solution What time is it? It's 7 .30 Friday before a Tuesday election.

Most people that are not done, they're probably walking to precinct right about now.

Obviously, I'm not there doing it.

I'm pretty secure in my precinct.

God help us if it does come through now, boy.

I'm sure the opposition is out working right now, either blitzing and or getting ready to do something tomorrow morning.

I'm sure they're very nervous.

We were there four years ago, wired for sound.

I mean, I guess I'm still kind of wired right now.

We won't get any sleep for another few days.

Tomorrow morning, all I'm going to do is just go back and deal with some of my so -called zeros, the undecideds.

In the final three days, I'll tell you, I'm just talking for myself.

I'm going to go after my zeros, all my undecideds, and try to relax as best I can, which doesn't come naturally.

I'm just looking forward to Sunday for the meeting, get our stuff together, and just the waiting game now, which is actually the hardest part of the game.

I'm trying to stay awake and trying to stay focused, but this is the boring part of the game because you've got really nothing to do.

I mean, there's no race going on.

I hate to say it, but there's really no race out there.

So all we're going to do is just castrate, make sure we don't get hit with anything.

If we do, we respond to it.

Maybe, maybe not.

Today we've got a little excitement to try to change a polling place on us, right in Brian's backyard.

It was a three precinct multiple, and I think we've got it under control.

I think the polling place is going to stay there, but we'll put that to sleep, I think.

We'll be able to rest lightly tonight, but right now we're just trying to rest up and pretend like nothing's happening.

Hell no.

What's the weather today? 56, 57? If it can drop 30 degrees, we'll be happy.

I want it cold.

I'll keep the opposition inside.

We've got them unnumbered on the precincts.

It's a fact, especially in Chicago, the opposition cannot bring the vote out on things like that because they can't.

They don't have the manpower to do it.

I'll be inside drinking coffee and eating donuts with the rest of them because my numbers are going to come in, and I feel very confident with them.

I care.

The candidate cares.

This game is won before the election is done.

It's a numbers game.

The only thing that I have to worry about on Tuesday is making sure that the votes come out, the pluses, or the people that are with us that come out and vote.

But whether all my pluses come out or not, my precinct has been won a month ago.

Sounds cocky, it is.

I'm confident.

It's only a matter of by how much my precinct comes in, by how much our ward carries Brian by.

It's that old axiom, all politics is local.

People vote for their backyard.

It's a precinct by precinct, door to door, neighbor to neighbor politics.

That's the way we treat it.

I don't think our opposition is treated that way.

I think they would like to, but I don't think they have the capacity or the capability to do so.

Not going to wood Brian Dian? I don't know.

I know, I know.

I really can't think of any, it's real weird.

Having a clean politician for a boss or a clean candidate or clean product to sell, because that's all it is, a product that you're selling.

We've got really nothing to be afraid of.

We're running on a record, our record's been four years of working our butts off.

And we really have nothing to worry about.

I'm sure there's other politicians out there, other ward people that have a lot to worry about for whatever reason.

You've got to worry about the last minute stuff that comes up, dirt that might pop out.

Most people on the last week don't tend to believe that, because they're pretty well educated in the city.

But the dirt can't fly out, you keep your eye out for that.

If you're looking for tricks, they could blitz your precinct and tell people that the precinct voting booths have been changed to another location.

You've seen all of them, that elections a day after, they'll do a blitz in your precinct with the wrong date on it, a different location for the polling booths.

Everything from calling your candidate a homosexual, a rapist, a philanderer, anything, it could happen.

It has to happen in this city.