Contrary to the cliche, there is indeed such a thing as a free lunch, and it happened in Calumet City on St. Patrick's Day.
That was no leprechaun with a pot of gold footing the bill at Tom's Restaurant, though. It was Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush and City Clerk Gloria Dooley who were a-payin' of the green for a group of senior citizens they had bused to the restaurant.
Perhaps coincidentally but perhaps not, the bus also made a stop at (surprise!) an early voting site where the seniors, if they wished, could cast ballots in the races in which Qualkinbush and Dooley are incumbents.
Not surprisingly, supporters of write-in mayoral candidate Pam Cap say this comes dangerously close to vote buying. Cap campaign manager Keith Jaranowski said he has filed a complaint with the Cook County state's attorney's office.
But Qualkinbush said she asked for no quid pro quo.
The green fliers her people passed out at the Garden House and Victory Center senior buildings clearly read, in underlined type, "You do not have to Vote (sic) to take advantage of the free lunch."
There is the loophole, and it's enough for the Illinois Board of Elections to take a pass on investigating whether the flier is illegal.
So is this unethical, or is it just smart politics?
Given some of the bare-knuckle hardball played in Cal City elections over the years, this one's pretty tame, and I'm giving it more of a smart politics nod, although senior citizens are one of the nation's most active voter blocs, and many likely felt at least somewhat indebted to the mayor after the nice lunch at Tom's.
Which, by the way, is coincidentally, or not, owned by the family of 6th Ward Alderman Nick Manousopoulos, who is part of the mayor's United To Serve You slate.
Qualkinbush said this was a "social luncheon" and that no one was required to vote at all, let alone required to vote for her or Dooley as a prerequisite for the free lunch.
Is this any different from an alderman who throws a party for his or her constituents? That happens all the time.
The bocce ball tournaments sponsored by former Chicago Alderman Ed Vrdolyak were legendary, tying up the field at Jane Addams Elementary School for a whole day while it snowed food and rained drink, as hobbits like to say.
On the other hand, even Fast Eddie never bused people from the bocce fest to a polling place.
It wouldn't surprise me if Qualkinbush had the flier vetted by an attorney who is an expert in election law before she sent them out.
After all, she is smart enough not to want any more beefs about the campaign.
Unless they're corned and served with cabbage.
The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at markk@nwitimes.com or (219) 933-4170.
