Before last month's election, 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis opposed the Clean Power Ordinance, which would have forced the two coal-fired power plants in his ward to limit emissions or shut down.
And the Service Employees International Union spent $28,000 on mailers showing the alderman's face on a smoke cloud emerging from a plant — a move that surely helped challenger Cuahutemoc “Temoc” Morfin. Indeed, Morfin assembled enough votes to force a runoff.
Now, as the Sun-Times tells it, Solis has seen the light, come out in favor of regulating the plants, and has support from the SEIU. All of which suggests that an alliance with the SEIU is more of a one-night stand than a meaningful relationship. It's over once the union receives so much as a come-hither glance from a sexier candidate. I'm not sure which makes me feel dirtier: coal emissions or Chicago politics.
Meanwhile, one can only marvel at the Trib, which somehow manages to cover the runoff while completely missing the story. Kudos!