Welch declares candidacy to newspapers

The Pioneer Press (David Pollard) covers the essentials of Emanuel Christopher Welch declaring his candidacy to run against Rep. Karen Yarbrough in the Democratic Primary.

The Forest Park Review (Seth Stern) gets into the personal animosity behind the contest.

According to Yarbrough, Welch told her that he was upset that people she associated with, including District 209 board member Charles Flowers, blogger Carl Nyberg, Maywood youth mentor Barbara Coles and Yarbrough supporter Gary Woll, had been critical of his policies at District 209.

She said that Welch called his critics Yarbrough’s "attack dogs," and implied that he might drop out of the race if she got them to quiet down....

Nyberg said that his friendship with Yarbrough had nothing to do with his criticism of Welch. "Chris Welch doesn’t believe that any political organization can exist without someone pulling the strings, because that’s how he operates. He doesn’t believe there are people who actually believe in good government," he said....

"I look at him as a person who is consumed and crazed with power…his actions as school board president would tell me what not to vote for," said Flowers.

And the Forest Park Review editorial staff wrote this:

We hope he does not also bring with him the controversy, paranoia and disdain for differing opinions that he has shown at D209.

It is highly doubtful that all of Welch’s critics are all part of some shady, well-planned plot against him.

For a "real Democrat" Emanuel Christopher Welch sounds quite Nixonian. "Flowers, Barbara Cole, Gary Wohl and Nyberg, they're enemies! Keep a list of them."