* Rep. John Fritchey held a blogger conference call yesterday. Some of them gave him a bit of a rough time, particularly on the claim that he’s a “lobbyist.” (Fritchey is a zoning lawyer, so he has to register as a lobbyist.) Allies of Rep. Sara Feigenholtz are working hard to make this an issue. From Jesse Greenberg’s live-blog of the conference call..

Q: How can you reconcile being a candidate working for people and as a lobbyist for Bank of America, Cash America.

A: Cash America looking to locate a pawn shop, not a pay day loan shop. Those communities needed that development.

Q: Ongoing conversation online making distinction of being a lobbyist for City of Chicago and a legislator…

A: Lobbyists have to disclose clients and how much got paid. Sponsored legislation that would make process more transparent. That’s a good thing.

* Bored Now also filed a report. BN believed all along the Fritchey would run and that his decision to enter came so late was somehow strategic…

Finally, after I pushed back a little (looking for an admission that it was a strategic political decision), Fritchey responded bluntly. “Look,” he said, “who was it going to hurt but me? I knew I was behind 100,000 dollars or 300,000 dollars.” He made it clear that he wanted, maybe even needed, the time to think through this decision (even though some of us — including me — believed it was a foregone conclusion), to consult with his family and get comfortable with the reality of running for Congress.

Actually, most people figured that Fritchey wouldn’t pull the trigger… again.

There’s a whole lot more at both the above links and I highly encourage you to go read all of their respective reports.

* Democrat Tom Geoghegan was endorsed by Teamsters Local 743, which I believe is his first local union endorsement. The union “represents Chicago-are health care, technical, office, and warehouse workers,” according to the press release. More…

As a labor lawyer, Tom has fought for nurses, teachers, machinists, and other union members, as well as workers who lack the protection of a union. He has also represented Teamsters for a Democratic Union and other union rank-and-file groups seeking to root out corruption and strengthen union democracy. His efforts have helped secure health care, pensions, and lost wages for thousands of working Americans.

* Geoghegan was also interviewed the other day by Mark Bazer…

* Another slam on Rep. Feigenholtz that you probably won’t see in the MSM…

A day after state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz skipped another legislative session in Springfield in order to campaign for higher office, Mike Quigley’s campaign is calling today on Feigenholtz to return to the pay raise that she voted to give herself in 2007.

Feigenholtz’s absence from the Illinois General Assembly on Tuesday marked the second time in less than a week that she decided to seek campaign support and campaign dollars instead of carrying out her duty to the people who elected her.

* Received from the Feigenholtz campaign at about 2:30 this afternoon…

Dear Friend,

You did it again - we asked and you responded.

In the little more than 24 hours since we reached out to you to raise $5,000 in the closing hours of our financial reporting period, you have given more than $3,000!

As we stand, we are $1,710 short of our $5,000 goal.

Can you help close the gap in the final 10 hours of our reporting period with a contribution of $170, $127 or $85 right now?

The election is 20 days away and our financial reporting deadline is in just 10 hours! This election has been a sprint and the final days will be a blur. Your continued support drives our momentum and allows Sara to stay one step ahead of her opponents.

This is about all I ever get from that campaign… Solicitations for money. Just about everything I get from Quigley these days is a slam on Feigenholtz.

* Fritchey takes a shot at the Sun-Times during an interview with the Sun-Times…

“I take a mortgage out at Belmont Bank. My brother-in-law is the president of the bank. I took a mortgage out at a publicly advertised rate. Nobody alleged that I got a rate that wasn’t available to the general public,” Fritchey said. He gets static because his father-in-law, criminal defense attorney Sam Banks, defended accused mobsters.

“I think it’s offensive,” Fritchey said of the smears.

The Belmont Bank stuff was first reported by the CS-T.

* Ald. Pat O’Connor will actually show up at a candidates forum next week.

* When reading this press release, keep in mind that Wheelan’s last TV ad had almost no ratings points behind it, so don’t get your hopes up for this one…

Congressional candidate and economics expert Charlie Wheelan, whose “Underwater” TV ad caught the nation’s eye last month, launches his second commercial today; this time, like the nation’s financial future, he’s upside down.

Wheelan, pictured in a suit and tie, dangles by his heels as he personifies how many people’s efforts to pay their mortgage, afford health care and college tuition costs have gone “bottom-up”.