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To coin a phrase, Chicago is hardly a change machine

John Kass

August 25, 2008

DENVER—Mayor John Hickenlooper doesn't talk like a Chicago politician, though he'll open the Democratic National Convention here Monday night, to be followed on stage by several young Chicago politicians who are the children of Chicago politicians.

These children of Chicago political insiders will talk about change we can believe in, as long as that change happens in Washington, not Chicago.

Hickenlooper knows about change too. The former geologist and Denver pub owner is building a decent reputation here with clean and open government and a thriving downtown. He began his political career a few years ago with several handfuls of quarters.

Politicians raised the parking meter fees to cover a budget shortfall and outraged citizens complained. Hickenlooper, a political neophyte, decided to fight the parking squeeze. He ran for mayor on the quarters platform.

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"We did a commercial, sort of like 'High Noon,' though I'm not Gary Cooper," Hickenlooper told me Sunday. "We had a great actor, heavyset, sort of like Broderick Crawford, giving out parking tickets. And I walk on to say how bad it was that the city raised the parking. And just before he writes a ticket, I put a quarter in somebody's meter. It was a great commercial."

For weeks, he walked through Denver feeding meters.

"It was all about making change," he said. "To change the way we do business. To bring new people in, talented young people, not through old-style politics."

Quarters, eh?

"Quarters," he said.

So I felt compelled to tell him the story of Chicago political legend John "Quarters" Boyle.

As some of you know, Boyle stole millions of dollars worth of quarters from the Illinois Tollway. After serving a prison sentence, Boyle got a job with the City of Chicago through the Coalition for Better Government, one of Mayor Richard Daley's patronage armies. And Daley defended him.

Quarters was a great political worker and got out the vote, but his true talent involved taking bribes. Though a low-level employee, he had magical influence over city contracts and pushed through some kinky deals in the Hired Truck scandal.

"Well, we don't have Quarters Boyle around here," Hickenlooper said, somewhat stunned.

I asked to sit with Hickenlooper to learn how the Western states might deal with Chicago-style change and reform, should City Hall's favorite reformer become president of the United States.

"I've always been impressed with Chicago," he said. "Mayor Rich Daley is doing a wonderful job. Chicago is clean and well run, and you have the best emergency management system in the country, better than New York and Los Angeles. I can't tell you how many times I've called Chicago to speak with their creative and talented young managers. Where does the mayor find such creative young folk?"

Well, he's got creative and crotchety old guys, and they put the creative young ones on TV, I said.

I asked again about the differences in political culture between Chicago and the West. He said he couldn't make that sort of judgment. But he diplomatically told the story about the day in 1988 that he opened his pub, the Wynkoop Brewing Co.

"On opening night I had 250 people coming in for a birthday party for an old friend," Hickenlooper said. "And a city inspector comes in to tell me a railing is 2 inches too high. 'I've got 3 hours, 250 people coming,' I said, 'and you're telling me I can't open my restaurant because a railing is

2 inches too high? What do I have to do, make a contribution to the Inspectors Retirement Fund?' " he said sarcastically.

The building inspector was appalled and asked, " 'Mr. Hickenlooper, where are you from?' " the mayor said.