Two Republicans Run For 49th Ward Committeeman

I don't know who Kevin Fullam is, but if he's got a pulse he'll make a better 49th Ward Republican Committeeman than Robert "Who?" Shearer. Incumbent Shearer has been so ineffective that only a handful of people know who he is. He has mounted no challenge to any of the voting during his tenure as a committeeman. He asked for help in getting the required sixteen (16!) petition signatures to get on the February ballot. If you are sick of the way dominant David Fagus, the Democrat committeeman in the 49th Ward, has been allowing corruption, polling place shenanigans and generally sucking up to Alderman Joe Moore, vote for the Republican Kevin Fullam. Note to Democrats - You can vote for this guy if you're sick of Fagus. What is a Ward Committeeman? Thanks to Kevin Robinson at the Chicagoist, who provided this handy answer: Ward Committeeman can be a very powerful position. Sometimes they control the ward, such as John Daley in the eleventh ward, and other times they are controlled by the alderman, such as David Fagus in the 49th. In some instances, the alderman is also the committeeman, such as Tom Tunney in the 44th. John Daley, for example, has the power to anoint (or destroy) the person that will be alderman in the 11th Ward. Either way, the role carries with it both the glory of being an insider and the clout that comes with being so close to an alderman. In most cases, if the committeeman bows to his patron, he will have the privilege of doling out jobs, favors, and services around the ward, and occasionally he will be able to put his people in other political positions outside of the ward. Although we aren't voting for ward committeemen this time around, elections such as this one are when the committeeman really gets to shine, going out into the community and whipping up money, volunteers, and support for not only the alderman, but also the slate of candidates that the ward party organization has endorsed. That's why you see stuff that says, for example, 29th Ward Democratic Club. This is the organization that the committeeman runs. They raise money, put out literature for candidates, rally the troops, and get out the vote.