FAMILY TIES
Kennedy. Daley. Byrne. Is it all in the family? Well, sort of. Chris Kennedy, scion of the legendary Kennedy dynasty who just threw his hat into the gubernatorial ring, not only has the support of Bill Daley, a member of Chicago’s political dynasty, but he’s incorporated help from Carol Sexton, sister of the late Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne.
“I have a long history with the Kennedy family,” said Sexton, who has been named chairman of the Kennedy for Illinois Committee, where she will act as a trusted top Kennedy adviser and help organize volunteers.
◆ Translation: “Carol was the first Illinois volunteer to work for my uncle’s presidential campaign,” said Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
◆ Backshot: “I worked for Sargent Shriver, the founder of the Peace Corps who was JFK’s brother- in- law, when he headed the Merchandise Mart during my summer break from college,” she said.
“I got caught up with the Kennedy mystique when JFK ran and lost a bid for vice president when I was in high school,” Sexton said.
“So his dynamism stayed with me and inspired me to major in political science in college.
“Then when JFK announced he was going to run for president in 1960, Sargent Shriver opened up a campaign office at 333 N. Michigan Ave., which I think was JFK’s first campaign office. I was asked to supervise the workers,” she said.
“The response was amazing. Young people. Printers. Typesetters. African- Americans. All wanted to volunteer because a new chord had been struck in America.
“Sadly, I had to go back to college,” she said.
“But it was then my sister, who was so depressed after her husband had been killed on military duty, was encouraged by our mother to go to work on the Kennedy campaign.
“And the rest is history. She took to it like a duck to water. That was the beginning of her political career.”
Sexton, who claims her energy isn’t what it once was, said they are still trying to figure out the exact formula for the Kennedy for Illinois committee. “But I plan to give the campaign my best shot.”
“It’s time. And it’s time for Chris. The state is in a mess. It’s true the Kennedy mystique draws you in and Chris draws people to him, but he actually can make a difference. He’s all about service, and now is the time in his life to make a difference.
“A Kennedy difference.”
Burke’s law . . .
The Rx ax: Watch for Ald. Ed Burke ( 14th) to introduce a City Council ordinance later this month in hopes of preventing dangerous mistakes in dispensing medicine.
“It would limit the hours pharmacists can work and hopefully tighten up pharmacy operations, causing them to become overworked and harried,” Burke said.
“It patterns a state bill being pushed by State Rep. Mary Flowers, but I believe we can make this the law in Chicago much faster than the state can act,” he told Sneed. “And our efforts would give impetus to passage of a statewide law.
“It would also provide whistleblower protection mandating pharmacies maintain a record of mistakes,” he added.
Burke hopes public hearings on the proposal would delve into the numbers of prescriptions dispensed daily in Chicago and determine how many pharmacy errors occur annually.
“In the interest of transparency, the city may also want to mandate that all of this information be made available to the public online,” Burke said.
Rahm ’ em . . .
Sneed hears Mayor Rahm Emanuel has his mojo back and is acting like all is in order these days.
◆ The big question: Is President Donald Trump about to send greenback support to pay for federal support in the city’s highcrime areas?
Stay tuned.
Sneedlings . . .
I spy: Actress Leslie Uggams spotted Monday at Hugo’s Frog Bar. She was in town filming “Empire”. . . . “Hustle and Flow” film director Craig Brewer at Hugo’s on Wednesday. Brewer is in town directing an episode of “Empire.” . . . Today’s birthdays: Emma Roberts, 26; Uzo Aduba, 36, and Laura Dern, 50.