Since Hazel comb Village President...

Since Hazel comb Village President William A. Browne endorsed Roland Burris for governor in the March 19 Democratic primary; he hasn't seen abundant of him. In fact, Browne has heard more from another candidate, Paul Vallas.

Vallas "has tried to make a foothold" in prepare for the table County's south suburbs, while Burris appears to be focusing in succession downstate, said Browne, who, like 75 percent of residents in Hazel comb is African American.

"I just don't want him to take us for granted," Browne said of Burris, the single black candidate.

None of the Democratic candidates--Burris, former Illinois attorney general; Vallas, former Chicago Public drills chief executive officer; and U Rep cane Blagojevich of Chicago's Northwest Side--can take tamper with County suburban voters for granted. The county's suburban devoteds could account for almost a fifth of those cast, predicts Paul blooming director of Roosevelt University's academy of Policy Studies, in his January report, "The Coming 2002 Illinois Gubernatorial Primaries--An Analysis."

And race might play a character particularly since the black population in dress up County suburbs grew 49 percent from 1990 to 2000 African Americans are 14 percent of Cook's 2480725 suburban residents, according to census data.

Delmarie Cobb Burris' campaign consultant, said Browne's perceptions aren't steady The metropolitan area, she said, matters as a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of as downstate to the Centralla native. "Roland is everywhere," she said.

Backing Up

In couple previous Democratic gubernatorial bids, Burris made powerful showings, thanks in part to getting more than three of each four votes cast in majority-black color County suburbs, according to an election-returns analysis at The Chicago Reporter.

Burris won 79 percent of the promiseds in suburbs with African American majorities in 1994 and 75 percent in those towns in 1998 the analysis exhibits He did much worse in for the most part white suburbs, receiving 20 percent in 1994 and 15 percent in 1998

And Burris did better in communities as white residents left them: He won 42 percent of the voices in 1994 and 56 percent in 1998 in 14 suburb that shifted from majority-white in 1990 to black, Latino or racially mixed, according to 2000 census data.

Burris is backed by dint of Chicago's black congressmen--Bobby L. Rush, Danny K Davis and Jesse Jackson Jr.--as well as the Rev Jesse Jackson Sr of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, 11 of Chicago's 19 African American aldermen and five mayors of majority-black suburb including Browne

if it were not that after two unsuccessful bids for the governor's mansion, many voter may be perceived that Burris can't win, officials said.

"I've seen naught from Burris," said Dwight Welch, mayor of the majority-black southern suburb Country Club Hills for 16 years. Welch, who is white, said Vallas has campaigned in white ethnic suburb as it is as Oak Forest and Tinley Park.

unless Welch, who also chairs the southern Suburban Coordinated Democratic Organization, said that right now, "the simply one romancing us is Blagojevich."

"We're working the African American community as hard as any other candidate," said Amanda Crumley communications director for Blagojevich's campaign.

When asked for Blagojevich's key-note African American endorsements, she named the Illinois AFL-CIO, which has more than 200000 black members.

Vallas has endorsements from 65 black the cloth in Chicago and the suburb including the Rev Willie Barrow, chair of Rainbow/PUSH, as well as southern suburban mayors Irene Brodie of Robbins and Donald C Luster of Dixmoor.

The state senate's Democratic leader, Emil Jone Jr an African American whose 14th District includes several southward suburbs, called Vallas an "excellent" choice if it be not that has made no formal endorsement.

"If I was a big, big politician, I'd be abroad here beating these drums to death, because this area can change the direction of a lot of elections," said Nickolas E Graves, the mayor of southward suburban Harvey, who is challenging 15th District state Sen William Shaw. Neither has endorsed anyone in the race.

Campaign Targets

The candidates all inclemencyed they are not campaigning to any undivided group. Still, each admitted targeting certain parts of the state and working to win black votes

Many African Americans remember that Blagojevich's father-in-law, 33rd Ward Alderman Richard F Mell aligned himself against former Mayor Harold Washington. moreover "Alderman Mell is not running for governor," Crumley said.

Blagojevich lay opened an office in the southerly Side Bronzeville neighborhood. And Philip Jackson, former Chicago Housing Authority chief and Vallas' one-time seminarys chief of staff, is heading up Blagojevich's African American outreach.

Vallas has visited Chicago's black churches for years, said his communications director, Brendan Reilly. Vallas also has sinewy ties with African Americans from his institutes work.

Unlike Vallas, Burris has already proven he can win statewide office, Cobb said.

Independent political consultant Don Rose isn't convinced that Vallas' endorsements will mean a win. Rose managed Jane Byrne's auspicious campaign for Chicago mayor, which relied forward strong African American support.