Chicago aldermen want casino for Olympic Village site

Let's see what Wikipedia has to say about him:

Mell was born and raised in Muskegon, Michigan.

That's a good start for any Chicagoan.

After college, he settled in Chicago with his wife Marge and opened a spring manufacturing business. He also became active in local politics. In 1972, Mell was an unsuccessful candidate for 33rd Ward Democratic Committeeman, losing by about 500 votes. In 1975, he was elected Alderman of the 33rd Ward of the City of Chicago (map); in 1976 he was also elected ward committeeman. His ward comprises part of Chicago's Northwest Side.

He's no spring chicken.

During the Council Wars of the mid-1980s, Mell was allied with the Vrdolyak 29 who opposed then-mayor Harold Washington. However, after the 1986 court-ordered aldermanic elections, he offered to cooperate with Washington. Upon Washington's death in 1987, Mell famously stood on his desk in the City Council chambers, demanding to be recognized as the divided Council wrestled with the question of who would succeed Washington.

That sounds like an asshat move. So he opposed St. Harold until the courts go involved? How brave.

Dick and Marge Mell have three children: Patricia, Deborah, and Richard. His daughter Patricia is married to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Marge Mell died Dec. 3, 2006, of a brain disease.

A family man.

Mell was a driving force behind Blagojevich's successful gubernatorial campaign in 2002.

Yup. All downhill from here...

However, in 2005, Blagojevich and Mell had a public feud when Blagojevich shut down a landfill owned by a distant cousin of Patricia Blagojevich for environmental problems. It was later revealed that Mell had served as an advisor to the cousin. Legislation was eventually passed giving the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency more authority over landfills and preventing relatives of top Illinois officials from owning landfills.

The sins of the father...

In 2007 Mell failed to re-register his extensive firearms collection, as required by Chicago's gun control law, a law which he helped to write. Mell, along with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, proposed a one-month amnesty, where the gun registry would be re-opened. Pistol registration was closed in 1982 and the window only allowed guns registered before then, so all new registration attempts were rejected. Mell had claimed that thousands of Chicagoans were in his situation and would benefit, but just 25 people successfully registered guns during the "amnesty". [1] [2]

How much time and money was spent creating an amnesty month that led to 25 registered firearms? That's amazing.

On the whole, the guy sounds pretty typical for an alderman, a Daley loyalist bogged down by a few hypocrisies and some bad loyalty decisions.

wouldn't count myself as an outsider, i actually just moved out of the 33rd last week. and i've seen him in public meetings, he struck me as completely uninterested.