The "favor" didn't work

A 48th Ward Democratic precinct captain persuaded a buddy in the Department of Streets and Sanitation to fill all the potholes in the streets in his precinct.

He wanted to show the voters that he had the power to get services for his area and that they didn’t need to contact the Alderman (whom he had opposed). He thought that would impress them and they would then be more willing to cast ballots for the candidates he favored.

But only the potholes on one side of some of the streets were filled, and residents complained.

“The other side is not my precinct,” he explained.

But voters parked on both sides of the street and drove down its center. Repairing only one half, they felt, was stupid. So, the guy’s supposed display of power backfired.