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Ex-Ald. John Pope Done With Politics For Good, Shuts Down Campaign Funds

By Sam Cholke | April 20, 2016 5:44am | Updated on April 22, 2016 11:51am
 Former Ald. John Pope, center, appears to be out of politics for good after shutting down all of his campaign funds.
Former Ald. John Pope, center, appears to be out of politics for good after shutting down all of his campaign funds.
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DNAinfo/Sam Cholke

SOUTH CHICAGO — A return to politics for former Ald. John Pope (10th) seems highly unlikely with word this week that he had zeroed out his campaign funds and was shutting them down.

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Pope has closed his funds for his aldermanic and committeeman campaigns after spending down the last of the money in recent months on a bid to get an ally into a committeeman seat, a golf outing and a portable toilet.

“He’s preparing to close them because because I don’t think he has an intention to run again,” said Jake Breymaier, the manager of Pope’s last campaign.

Pope was not available to comment.

Pope conceded in May after a lengthy recount showed he had lost the run-off election to Susan Sadlowski Garza by 20 votes.

He is now a deputy commissioner in the Department of Water Management for the city making $116,856 a year, according to city records.

By June of last year, most of Pope’s aldermanic campaign money was spent, the last of it — $82.50 — going to Oui Oui Enterprise, a company that rents portable toilets, for an event and a $120 donation to the South Chicago Chamber of Commerce.

The remainder of the money was transferred to Pope’s committeeman campaign, where it was used for a golf outing at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in south suburban Palos Park. That cost $1,510.

He spent the last of his money on March 30 on consultants and mailings as city worker Fred Carrizales tried to hold on to Pope’s committeeman seat against Garza. Pope was chairman of the campaign committee for Carrizales, who lost the election to Garza.

It seems highly unlikely now that Pope will play a financial role in any future campaigns in South Chicago. He has not raised any money since December, has no money left to spend and has closed all of his campaign funds.

He continues to serve as chairman of Carrizales' political committee, which has not yet filed the state-required paperwork on its expenditures.

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