Moderator becomes part of state's attorney debate
A Cook County state's attorney debate Thursday turned into a high-pitched argument -- not between candidates, but between moderator Cliff Kelley and candidate Bob Milan.
Kelley, who makes no bones about being an opinionated commentator with a definite viewpoint rather than an objective journalist, got under Milan's skin when he asked Milan a question about the Chicago police's "roundtable" process for investigating police shootings.
Kelley made reference to the world-famous video of off-duty Chicago police officer Anthony Abate beating a female bartender. The tape enraged Chicagoans and inspired charges against Abate.
Conversely, a tape of a police officer shooting an unarmed man in the head at point-blank range on Chicago's South side elicited no charges against the officer, who, in fact, was later promoted under former Superintendent Philip Cline.
Kelley at one point opined that it was OK to shoot a black man in Chicago but not to beat a white woman.
Before the Milan/Kelley exchange, Kelley criticized the roundtable process. An assistant state's attorney is present at those proceedings.
Milan, as the current No. 2 man in the state's attorney's office, has been the target of criticism by other candidates, who see various the shortcomings in the office, and Kelley continued that trend, asking why Milan hadn't had those state's attorneys in the roundtable ask tougher questions.
Milan called those candidates "Monday morning quarterbacks. You (Kelley) seem to be one of them also."
When Milan said he'd create specific "shoot teams" to investigate police shootings and have those investigators answer not to police, but to those who investigate police, Kelley asked him why he hadn't already done so as first assistant state's attorney. Milan said he'd already suggested it to State's Attorney Dick Devine.
"What you're saying makes no sense," Kelley replied. "You have lies (from police) coming out (costing taxpayers millions of dollars in brutality lawsuits) because of your office and the police department."
"Sir, you've crossed the line between analyst (and advocate)," Milan responded.
Both men at several points could not be heard as they talked over one another.
"Your defensiveness shows that you haven't done the job," Kelley opined.
Milan defended the office, saying the vast majority of police shootings are justified.
"When a cop gets up in the morning and goes to work, the last thing he wants to do is to discharge his weapon," said a clearly angered Milan, adding sarcastically, "Thank you, sir, for being so fair with me today."
Although she, too, has been with the office for a number of years, candidate Anita Alvarez attempted to capitalize on the exchange in her closing statement, where she explained why she hadn't been as vocal as Milan in the recent effort to increase state's attorneys' pay.
"There was a reason I wasn't standing next to Bob Milan for the pay raises. It's because I totally disagreed with the way he handled it, and the unprofessional manner … and the things that he said. And if someone wants to know the difference between (Milan) and I, I think you can see that right now," said Alvarez, who billed herself as just as tough as Milan, but with a propensity to listen to suggestions more than the other men in the race.
Milan and Alvarez are the only career prosecutors in the race. They face competition in the Democratic primary from Chicago Aldermen Howard Brookins and Tom Allen; Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin and defense attorney Tommy Brewer. On the Republican side, Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica is running unopposed.
Thursday's debate was hosted by the Chicago Bar Association and will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on WYCC-TV, Channel 20.