Niles 8-16-12

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INSIDE

NEWS Man arrested for allegedly firing at mosque

SPORTS Wolves taking aim at school records PAGE 11

www.nilesbugle.com

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Our Village, Our News

AUGUST 16, 2012

Vol. 56 No. 45

PORTRAIT OF A ‘PRINCE’ New book delves into Blase career By Alex V. Hernandez Staff Reporter

Nick Blase was the mayor of Niles for almost half a century. During his administration, he defeated every challenger who stood in his path. He even went toe-to-toe with legendary Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley on occasion and won. Yet Blase, the longest-sitting mayor in the country, would leave office via resignation following an arrest on federal corruption charges the morning of his seventyeighth birthday. He pled guilty and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Despite this black cloud that looms over his tenure, there is no doubt that Blase made a huge impact on the sleepy suburb, turning the postwar bedroom community into an economic powerhouse that ranked with the largest cities in the state. After exhaustive research and hours of personal interviews, Chicago area journalist Andrew Schneider has put together a fascinating portrait of Blase’s political career in a new book. Schneider studied political science at the University of Illinois Champaign before transitioning into writing as a journalist for

Submitted Photo

Andrew Schneider

the Chicago area where he wrote for various publications including The Bugle. The Bugle interviewed Schneider about his book,“Nick Blase: The Prince of Niles, Illinois” which will be available for purchase Aug. 21.

Bugle: What inspired you to write “Nick Blase: The Prince of Niles, Illinois?” Andrew Schneider: “Well the main story is very interesting. He was the mayor of Niles See BLASE, page 2


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