By LORRAINE SWANSON
Editor
A little birdie called us from Saturday night’s IVI-IPO fundraiser at the Metropolitan Club. Seems like Ald. Joe Moore (49th Ward) tried to crash a private pre-dinner cocktail reception for Gov. Pat Quinn. Moore arrived with his usual entourage 49th Ward Democratic Committeeman David Fagus and staffer Wayne Frazier.
Spies tell us Ald. Joe Moore was so angry after being denied admission to a private, pre-dinner cocktail reception for Gov. Pat Quinn, that he stormed out of the IVI-IPO awards dinner without eating his chicken.
IVI-IPO members were holding a general dinner for their supporters and guests. For an additional $200, guests were invited to get up close and personal with Gov. Quinn. Our spies tell us that Moore was furious when he was not admitted to the private reception with the governor and had a meltdown tantamount to the Goesselin sextuplets. (Where’s Kate Goesselin and her spanking machine when ya need her?)
Our spies tell us that Moore was furious when he was barred from admitting the private reception. Screaming “f— you” at the organizers (allegedly) and “This is pay to play.” Moore who had paid for a ticket to attend the dinner, stomped out of the Metropolitan Club. The 20 guests who had witnessed the hissy fit were furious. One of the organizers was in tears.
One guest snarkily commented, “Oh, now he worries about pay to play.”
Crossing the governor’s path, Moore reportedly screamed at him, “Your reception is upstairs.”
News of Joe’s meltdown spread like wildfire and was the talk of the dinner. Maybe Joe is cranky and tired from all those quarters he had to fork over in aldermanic menu money to the Chicago Park District for free overnight parking in Loyola Park.
Ald. Gene Schulter (47th Ward) also tried to sneak into the gov’s reception and was turned away. To Schulter’s credit, he was a big boy and stayed for the entire dinner.
Said one guest, “It was stupid because Gov. Quinn stayed for the whole night and shook hands and posed for pictures with everyone.”
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Do we expect anything Less from Moore? LOL! This buffoon has seen enough daylight. Let’s bounce the clown out of office next time we get a chance. What a putz and an embarrassment to the City of Chicago–especially the 49th Ward.
Moore yelled F-U at IVI-IPO only because he is courting Daley’s endorsement for 2011.
I was at last night’s IVI-IPO dinner. There is something noteworthy about this episode that isn’t obvious. The private reception was a smallish affair and a handful of the attendees were long-time IVI-IPO members who, not blessed with wealth, really had to scrape to put together $200 to attend the reception.
They did it because they wanted to support IVI-IPO and, yes, have some time with the Governor, a man they admire.
That Alderman Moore would suggest that pay-to-play applied to this little event with these little people—-at least that’s how he treats them; he bothers with only when he needs their endorsement for himself or his friends—-is nothing short of reprehensible.
Pay-to-play, at least in the Aldermanic tradition, requires a few more zeros and some sort of quid pro quo. Is Moore so daft as to think that raising funds for a shoestring organization, and a handshake and a photo with Pat Quinn meets that standard?
Is LEN the new gossip girl? Aren’t there already enough bloggers dedicated to slamming Joe Moore? I thought this was supposed to be a news website.
Gossip? Hardly. LEN didn’t report on the Alderman’s personal life or personal habits. LEN corroborated this story about how an Alderman, a public figure, comported himself at an event that was open to the public. Gossip is personal information spread without corroboration, which makes a gossip charge bogus.
One role of media, however diminished it may be these days, is to expose the good and bad behavior of public officials and in doing so constrain and shape expectations for the future. When the facts are right, it makes little difference whether they are presented in the pages of the Sun-Times, the posts on LEN, or any of the many blogs throughout the city. Heck, the dailies report on the Mayor popping his cork all the time. Do you consider that gossip? Why not?
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Here are a few my objections to this article as news reporting:
“A little birdie called us …”
“Seems like …”
“Spies tell us …”
“Our spies tell us …”
“hissy fit …”
“One of the organizers …”
“One guest snarkily commented …”
“Said one guest …”
An incident at a public event and not a single witness or source identified by name? I’m not saying this in defense of Joe Moore, but this is not responsible news reporting.
If I was there (and mortified) by an alderman’s behavior – -I would not be comfortable giving my name for use in a story.
Lorraine Swanson is not irresponsible with her reporting and this is simpy a report (from several local citizens) of an ugly incident by a public figure (and representative of the people who elected him).
“An incident at a public event and not a single witness or source identified by name? I’m not saying this in defense of Joe Moore, but this is not responsible news reporting.”
Really? Then why don’t you use your real name, commenting here? Is it that you fear repercussions from Ald. Moore and his associates? Or is it because you *are* one of Ald. Moore’s associates?
The anonymous criticizing the anonymous is rich. And I am being a hypocrite–but it’s because I do not want to be on anyone’s blacklist.