Shaw foe claims close victory

BYLINE: By Mickey Ciokajlo, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporters Joseph Sjostrom and Stanley Ziemba contributed to this report.

Cook County political veteran Robert Shaw appeared on the verge of defeat Tuesday night as a newcomer with significant backing led by more than 1,000 votes with 98 percent of the precincts reporting.

Larry Rogers Jr. declared victory, but Shaw refused to concede defeat, saying he would win when all of the ballots were counted.

Among the votes still outstanding are those cast as provisional ballots, a new concept in Illinois in which ballots are set aside when a voter's registration cannot be immediately verified. Those ballots will be counted in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown handily beat back a spirited challenge from Jerry Orbach, a former alderman and judge, to claim the Democratic nomination in her first re-election bid.

On the judicial ballot, Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy led by more than 10,000 votes with 96 percent of precincts reporting in his bid to win a Circuit Court judgeship.

Rogers, 36, a personal injury lawyer from Chicago, was backed by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and his political ally, state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago). Rogers' father, Larry Rogers Sr., is a name partner in the Chicago firm of Power, Rogers & Smith, where Rogers Jr. is an associate.

Shaw, 66, of South Holland, and his twin brother, William, are longtime political foes of Jackson and Meeks. Two years ago, Meeks took William Shaw's seat in the Illinois Senate.

Both Rogers and Robert Shaw publicly downplayed the rivalry although there was no mistaking the undertones of the race. Shaw was elected to a seat on the three-member Board of Review, which hears property tax appeals, in 1998. Before that, he was alderman of Chicago's 9th Ward for two decades.

The provisional ballots that could potentially decide the race are new to Illinois this year and were prompted by the irregularities in Florida in 2000. A voter whose name did not appear on the register at a precinct, for example, would be given a provisional ballot.

The Board of Review race received increased attention this year because of heightened awareness of escalating property taxes. In the race for clerk of the Circuit Court, Brown took better than 60 percent of the suburban vote along with an expected landslide in Chicago to beat Orbach.

Orbach, 57, raised the profile of a typically sleepy race. He aligned himself with former workers who alleged political fundraising in the office.

Brown, 50, said she was unaware of political fundraising in her office and that she would take disciplinary action against any employee found to be violating her policy against it.

Also on the countywide ballot, State's Atty. Richard Devine easily beat Tommy Brewer of Evanston and will go against Republican Phillip Spiwak of Chicago in November.

On the judicial ballot, Murphy faced four challengers on the countywide ballot to fill the seat of Lester Foreman, who died last year. Murphy plans to retire later this year after working as the county's public lawyer for children, the elderly and the disabled for 25 years.

James C. Murray received the Democratic Party's endorsement in the race.

With 96 percent of precincts reporting in the 10th judicial subcircuit on Chicago's Northwest Side, Aurelia Pucinski, former Circuit Court clerk, led with

38 percent of the vote. James McGing had 35 percent.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting in the western suburban 4th subcircuit, Bill Kunkle led Thomas J. Hennelly with 52 percent of the vote on the Republican side of the ballot.

In the race for three seats on the board of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, incumbents Patricia Young, Barbara McGowan and Gloria Alitto Majewski claimed the Democratic nomination.

Voters treated library districts favorably, approving real estate tax increases for the La Grange Park Public Library District and for the Alsip-Merrionette Park Library District and a bond issue for the Stickney-Forest View Public Library District.

A home rule proposal was approved in Forest View, a cash-strapped community where village leaders expect to impose an additional half-cent sale tax. But voters in Broadview turned down a home rule proposal.

Officials in four south suburban towns sought voter approval Tuesday for home rule.

Unofficial final results showed that only voters in Posen approved the measure, narrowly. In the other three suburbs,Homewood, Flossmoor and Matteson, the change in the municipal form of government was rejected.

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