Earlier Blagojevich Pick for Senate Says He Turned It Down

CHICAGO — A day after Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois appointed Roland W. Burris to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s former Senate seat, new details emerged about how the governor worked behind closed doors to make the appointment, and the United States attorney prosecuting Mr. Blagojevich on corruption charges sought a 90-day extension to bring an indictment against him.

At a Tuesday news conference here, Mr. Blagojevich breezily introduced Mr. Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, as the “next United States senator from Illinois.” But United States Representative Danny Davis, who like Mr. Burris is a longtime fixture of the Illinois Democratic Party and an African-American, said he was offered the seat in a meeting with an emissary of the governor last Wednesday, and turned it down on Friday.

“Given all the revelations and all the controversy, I would not be able to take it from the governor,” Mr. Davis, who has represented a Chicago district in Congress since 1996, said in an interview. “I felt that if I was to take the appointment, I would spend so much of my time deflecting and defending the position that it would take away my real reason for being involved in politics and political life — to find solutions to problems.”

Integrity?!

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Stella’s Column
Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - Thursday, February 23, 2006
Author: Stella Foster, The Chicago Sun-Times
IN MY THURSDAY COLUMN last week I ran a story that Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan, state Sen. Rickey Hendon, U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis , Chicago School Board Prez Michael Scott and his deputy chief of staff, Greg Minniefield, had a breakfast meeting in the back room of Edna’s Soul food eatery on West Madison.

In that article I wondered what was really on the menu of discussion. Could it have been Mayor Daley’s Renaissance 2010 initiative for closing schools, which includes Collins High School in Hendon’s and Davis ‘ districts? And why were these public and elected officials startled by the surprise appearance of some members of the grass-roots North Lawndale Accountability Commission? Why were police summoned?

That is the gist of my report, and Hendon and Davis reached out to me with the following statements:

“Hello Stella,” Hendon said. “I read your article and wanted to clarify a few things . . . There was a breakfast meeting at Edna’s and in attendance was of course myself, Arne Duncan, Rep. Danny K. Davis , Michael Scott and Greg Minniefield. Cong. Davis called the police on the intruders because they were acting like thugs and gangsters and pushed Verdell Trice, who is 82-years-old and who has been a positive figure on the Chicago West Side,” said Hendon.

“I am not going to allow my community to be highjacked by political pimps who stormed the meeting as if they were the gestapo. I plan to continue to hold meetings in regards to my schools; Morris Elementary, Frazier Elementary and Collins High School.”

The statement from Davis :

“It’s time for the black community to stop being held hostage by a group of young gangsters pretending to be community activists and whose only purpose seem to be to try and destabilize the black community,” said Davis . “They are provocateurs of the worst type. I will call the police any and every time they attempt to break up a public or private meeting that I am involved in.”

A videotape from the meeting has been circulating in which members of the Lawndale group, who appear to be gently intruding on the event, accused the men of holding an illegal or “secret” meeting. Group members kept repeatedly asking whether the officials were discussing the school closings.

I asked Davis what they were discussing, and he said “the proposed closing of the schools.” He added, “there was nothing illegal about the meeting. In fact it is absurd and ignorant to suggest so.”

Yeah, they said it!!

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U.S. rep: ‘I hope this was not a case of racial profiling’ - Davis claimed last year he was given ticket for ‘driving while black’
Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - Thursday, November 13, 2008
Author: Mark Konkol, The Chicago Sun-Times
Rep. Danny Davis was found not guilty Wednesday of “driving left of center” in Lawndale last November — a ticket Davis had blamed on racial profiling.

The Traffic Court trial did little to shed light on what happened when Chicago Police curbed Davis ‘ black sedan and ticketed him for an alleged lane violation. The Chicago Police officer who spoke to Davis during the traffic stop did not appear in court. That officer’s partner, Police Officer Laura Kuhlmann, testified that Davis was driving a gray car on 16th Street and crossed the double yellow line when turning left onto Kedzie.

Cook County Judge Martin Coughlin kept discussion focused on Davis ‘ alleged left turn crossing the center line and refused to hear testimony from Kuhlmann about a second time she claimed Davis ‘ vehicle drifted over the double yellow lines. Davis remained silent.

(snip)

Last November, Davis made headlines for filing a complaint with police claiming the traffic stop was an example of racial profiling.

After court Wednesday, Davis said he hoped the white officers who ticketed him simply had made a mistake and that he wasn’t stopped for “driving while black.”

“I hope this was not a case of racial profiling,” Davis said. “All I know is that I was driving a black car. The officer said I was driving a gray car. . . . The officer said I made a left turn off 16th Street onto Kedzie. And I’ve never been on 16th Street.”

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Is opponent taking dive for Daley ?
Chicago Sun-Times - Wednesday, January 23, 1991
Author: Steve Neal

(snip)

Following his election to the County Board, Davis gave up his seat on the City Council and persuaded Daley to name Sam Burrell as the new alderman of the 29th Ward. Daley didn’t extend the same courtesy to another political foe, County Clerk David Orr, who gave up his seat as alderman of the 49th Ward. Daley named his own choice as Orr’s successor. Why did Daley take care of Davis and not Orr? Though Davis vehemently denies making a deal, more than a few Democratic politicians are openly speculating that he is taking a dive. Democratic strategists said Davis is less likely than Byrne to get under Daley’s skin and make him look bad.

It wouldn’t be the first time Davis has parted company with his movement allies. He previously split with black independents in backing Neil F. Hartigan for governor last year, Aurelia M. Pucinski for Circuit Court clerk in 1988 and Daley for state’s attorney in 1980. Davis, a Democratic loyalist more often than not, hinted in 1989 that he might back Daley’s re-election as mayor. Then last summer he said he might back Byrne over Daley.

If Davis is running for mayor as a favor to Daley, what could be his payback? Perhaps a new congressional district drawn just for Davis.

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