Yesterday, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) president Terrence O’Brien became the first candidate for Cook County board president to release a television ad. In the new spot, he heralds his work with MWRD, asserting that it's his job to "clean up our water and keep pollution out of Lake Michigan." In a response today, Newstips' Curtis Black argues that O'Brien's water protection record is spotty at best.

For starters, Black points out that the MWRD has"resisted calls to disinfect wastewater for nearly a decade" under O’Brien's leadership. Indeed, environmental activists say O'Brien has spent millions of dollars on lawyers and experts in an effort to prevent the Illinois Pollution Control Board from implementing a recommendation by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency requiring MWRD to disinfect. Black's reporting from as far back as 2003 finds that, thanks to O'Brien's resistance, bacteria from the county's water system is "undoubtedly ... getting into the lake." Read the whole post here.

Meanwhile, Scott Cisek -- Ald. Toni Preckwinkle's campaign manager -- tweeted today that his candidate is taking some time today to shoot her first campaign commercial. That's something to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks.

Lastly, Chicago's progressive talk radio station WCPT is hosting a Democratic candidate forum on Saturday. All four remaining candidates are scheduled to attend the event, which will take place at 1 pm at the Columbia College Film Row Cinema (1104 S. Wabash). You can find more details at the WCPT website.