Editing Michael Kenna (politician) (section)

===Entry into City Council===
Van Praag and Skakel would get revenge when Kenna ran for alderman in 1895. Prior to the election, the City Council had passed an ordinance granting the dubious Ogden Gas Company the rights to [[Manufactured gas|manufacture]], distribute, and sell gas for 50 years.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=119|ps=none}} The resultant [[Ogden Gas Scandal]] sparked an outrage in Chicagoans and would prove a disaster to the local Democratic party{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=120|ps=none}} and especially Kenna's aldermanic aspirations.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=121|ps=none}} Irked about the events of 1894,{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=122|ps=none}} van Praag and Skakel backed the Republican candidate [[Francis P. Gleason]] in the race,{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=121|ps=none}} and a few days before the election Kenna found much of his vote-getting money having been spent to get the Ogden Gas ordinance passed while van Praag had much money of his own.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=122|ps=none}}  Kenna ended up losing to Gleason by 366 votes.<ref name="1895 results">{{cite news |title=Vote on Aldermen in the Wards |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/349485242/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 27, 2019 |work=Chicago Tribune |volume=54 |issue=96 |page=6 |date=April 6, 1895}}</ref> The papers rejoiced in his defeat, with the ''Chicago Tribune'' writing him the following poem:
{{Quote|"I t'ink"<br/> Said Hink- <br/> Y Dink, <br/> "I'll take a drink."{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=122|ps=none}}}}
It was found after the election that van Praag and Skakel had aided Gleason by giving the local Republican party the names and addresses of hundreds of Kenna's registered voters who were deceased or lived outside of the Ward; the Republicans then had the illegitimate names struck from the register.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=123|ps=none}}

The 1895 elections produced a Republican mayor and a Republican majority in the City Council,{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=125|ps=none}} both of whom [[Charles Tyson Yerkes]] would fight in his efforts to construct rapid transit in the Loop during the [[Chicago Traction Wars]].{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=126|ps=none}} Kenna, recouping his forces in preparation for the 1897 race, saw that Coughlin could be of great use for Yerkes, and arranged for an alliance between him and rival 19th Ward alderman [[John Powers (alderman)|John Powers]].{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=125|ps=none}} However, Powers betrayed Coughlin by December, collaborating with Yerkes and the Republican majority to the exclusion of Coughlin and introducing most of Yerkes's ordinances which by custom should have been introduced by Coughlin.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=136|ps=none}} Coughlin and Kenna took their revenge on Powers by defeating his bid for the chair of the [[Cook County Democratic Party]] Central Committee in favor of [[free silver]]ite Tommy Gahan.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|pp=136&ndash;137|ps=none}}

Kenna was successful in entering the City Council in 1897. That same year [[Carter Harrison IV]] would [[1897 Chicago mayoral election|be elected mayor]] in large part due to Kenna's organizational skills in the 1st Ward.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=164|ps=none}} Kenna repeated his tactics of paying the homeless for votes, much to the horror of the Republican-dominated Special Committee for the Detection and Prevention of Vote Frauds.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=164|ps=none}} Despite the best efforts of Republican Congressman [[William Lorimer (politician)|William Lorimer]] to arrest those of dubious voter credentials,{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=166|ps=none}} Kenna continued to attract homeless voters from other parts of the city.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=167|ps=none}} The Saturday before the election Harry G. Darrow, the proprietor of the new saloon The Bon Ton, issued an invitation for its grand opening, claiming that Kenna, Coughlin, and Harrison would be present.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|pp=167&ndash;168|ps=none}} Coughlin came and socialized with the guests but Kenna and Harrison refused to come.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=168|ps=none}} Nevertheless, Kenna openly displayed his gambling affiliation in response to a condemnation to that effect by the reform-minded Municipal Voters' League (MVL), stating "Sure, I associate with gamblers. Why shouldn't I? I like a good game myself."{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=169|ps=none}} Kenna defeated Gleason by 4,373 votes to 1,811{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=169|ps=none}} and took office on April 19.<ref name="1897 date">{{cite news |title=First Night of the New Council |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/34183529/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 25, 2019 |work=The Daily Inter Ocean |volume=26 |issue=28 |page=6 |date=April 21, 1897 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Immediately upon assumption of office as a reward for his work for Harrison he was made Chairman of the Police committee, and was a member of the committees of Railroads; Gas, Oil, and Electricity; the Water Department; Elections; and Markets, which were considered among the best committees of the Council.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=173|ps=none}} Kenna made his introduction to the Council by quietly introducing an order for an ambulance division in the police department.{{sfn|Wendt|Kogan|p=174|ps=none}}