(snip) local politics has its own charms, no? If youre a taxpayer or homeowner, local politics and the taxes local politicians keep raising tend to eat through your savingsand the equity in your home like a ravenous herd of zombie wharf rats. Mayor Rahm Emanuel will use his vast multimillion-dollar political warchest in an impossibly crowded field of challengers to help him get the matchup he needs to survive a runoff in the spring.