Patrick Botterman: Political groundbreaker, true friend

Patrick Botterman was a born political strategist who broke barriers for Democrats in the Republican-dominated Northwest suburbs and launched the careers of state and federal leaders.

But as friends and family gathered Saturday to mourn his sudden death, the memories went beyond his election campaign savvy.

A champion of the poor and a true friend were among the accolades offered at a funeral Mass in Arlington Heights.

"He was a man dedicated to changing things for the better in our political system," the Rev. Edward Fialkowski said. "A man who understood the underdog needed support."

The 44-year-old Arlington Heights native and Harper College trustee died of a heart attack Monday.

Being a Democrat was in Patrick's DNA, brother Mark said in his eulogy. "He was content to be a political animal and I mean that in a positive way."

Although Botterman once held an office job, the structured environment didn't suit him and he left for a career as a political and public affairs consultant.

For years, "the Northwest suburbs were Death Valley for Democrats," Botterman said, explaining that Patrick was able to see changing demographic trends and seize on them.

One of his early and unexpected victories was running Waukegan Democrat Terry Link's 1996 state Senate bid.

Chipping away at the GOP bastion, Botterman helped dozens of Democrats including U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington and state Sen. Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge.

Longtime friend Aaron Gold characterized Patrick as "the fellow in the back of the room -- watching, assessing, playing political chess."

Calling Botterman his mentor, Gold added, "you could never have a truer friend."

Tributes to Patrick's political instincts from others included comments such as, "'he was just like Darth Vader,'" Mark Botterman said as the audience chuckled.

But Botterman also reached across the partisan divide, assisting moderate Republicans in local races.

And Botterman bucked the status quo, backing prosecutor John Schmidt over Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan -- the daughter of powerful state House Speaker Michael Madigan -- in the 2002 primary and by supporting a challenger in 2004 to Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown, whom he had helped elect.

"He was deeply suspicious of the power of incumbency," Botterman said.

Fialkowski narrated an anecdote from Botterman's mother, Marian, about how she chided her son for going without a hat, gloves or a scarf on a frigid January day.

It turned out Botterman had donated the lot to a homeless man.

Mark related how his brother took his nephews to Washington, D.C., to see government in action, recently developed a love for classical music, knew all the secret parking spaces at Wrigley Field and carried a hammer in his car for election signs.

He had just seen his brother the previous weekend at a college basketball tournament in St. Louis.

"This is the last place I thought I'd be six days later," Botterman said.

About 300 people attended the service, including state Reps. Kathleen Ryg and Elaine Nekritz, Link, Kotowski and Schmidt.

Despite the upbeat tone of the service, there were few dry eyes at Our Lady of the Wayside Church.

"He really was a true believer," said Ryg, a Vernon Hills Democrat. "He was about making a difference for people."