n523  0330  03 Nov 82
BC-ROYKO-11-03
    A COMMENTARY column
    By Mike Royko
    (c) 1982 Chicago Sun-Times (Field News Service)
    CHICAGO - For many Chicagoans, the preliminary skirmishing is over.
Choosing a governor, congressmen and the others can be entertaining.
But now we get down to the serious war - the election of a mayor.
    Oh, what a gory battle this promises to be, with Prince Richie of
Bridgeport trying to reclaim the family throne from Queen Bossy.
    And there could be others: Harold Washington, the great black hope,
and Roman Pucinski, the great Polish hope. Even Billy Singer, who was
once the great liberal hope, is giving serious thought to jumping in.
    For the spectator, it will be great entertainment. A Byrne-Daley
debate could be as much fun as the old Abbott and Costello ''who's on
first, what's on second,'' routine.
    Daley, of course, has been taking intensive speech lessons ever
since it was discovered by his advisers that he had never exited from
the same sentence he entered. Sources say that he has progressed to
the point where he not only can complete a sentence, but he even
understands some of what he has said.
    And Mayor Byrne has been working hard on her new calm, reasonable,
dignified demeanor. Only in private does she occasionally shout:
''Off with his head!''
    But as entertaining as it will be for most of us, it will be a
gut-wrenching experience for the city's ward bosses, aldermen, and
other politicians, and for the countless business executives, real
estate men, lawyers, contractors, and consultants who make their
living through clout with City Hall.
    They will have to decide whose side they're on. Making the right
choice could mean prosperity and influence. The wrong choice could
lead to banishment and financial disaster and the ultimate tragedy -
being forced to go out and earn an honest living.
    It's a double-strength Maalox decision, accompanied by tormented
cries of:''What if I back Byrne but Daley wins? What happens to my
zoning deal?'' Or: ''What if I back Daley but Byrne wins? What
happens to my patronage?'' Or: ''What if I make a contribution to
both? Will my consulting deal be OK?''
    For some, the choice has already been made. Daley, son of former
Mayor Richard J. Daley, is surrounded by a mixture of old-line
members of the Daley clan and Byrne-haters. Every time Byrne exiles
somebody from City Hall, he rushes to join the Daley campaign.
    And Byrne has a large following among those who are motived by
loyalty, fear, admiration, fear, distrust of the Daleys, fear, and
also by fear.
    But most of the people who can help swing an election through their
political influence and money won't make a final decision until they
stick a trembling finger into the air to see which way the wind is
blowing.
    I know this won't come as much of a surprise to Chicagoans, but the
power dealers' decisions won't be based on what is best for the city.
They'll be thinking about what is best for themselves.
    There are many ward bosses and other politicians who, while not
caring much for Byrne, still believe they are better off with her as
mayor than with Daley.
    That's because they remember what happened the last time a Daley
held that office. He kept it for 21 years, hoarded 99.9 percent of
the power, and youthful potential successors grew old waiting for
their opportunity, which never came.
    Knowing the Daleys' clannish approach, they fear that there would be
another decade or two of being dominated by Richie, his shrewd
brother Billy, Tom Hynes, and the other members of the Daley inner
circle.
    These politicians look in the mirror and say: ''I am young and I
have all of the statesmanlike qualities for leadership in Chicago:
I'm ruthless, ambitious and greedy. But if another Daley wins, I will
become toothless, arthritic and senile before I get my main chance.''
    So they figure that they would be better off with Byrne for another
four years because she might be easier for one of them to eventually
dislodge.
    They also figure that while she's in there, they might receive a
more gratifying response to the traditional Chicago question and
unofficial slogan that says: ''Ubi Est Mea,'' which is Latin for
''Where's Mine?''
    That's because the Daley clan's approach could always be summed up
this way: ''What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine, too.''
    Because Byrne has a natural flair for turning calm into confusion
and confusion into chaos, many believe that in all the confusion they
can't help but snatch a thin slice of the pie. Some are content with
less than a slice. Even a crumb makes them delirious.
    Some thoughtful readers are probably saying: ''But what is best for
the city? Who would make the ablest leader? Who could best lead us
into the perilous years ahead?''
    I'm afraid that's not main consideration - at least not to those who
will be doing the pushing and shoving. If it were, neither of them
would be running. We could probably just drop the names of all 2.9
millions Chicagoans into a hat, pick one out, and do just as well.
    END
    
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