Sneed: Police Board chief eyed for top cop role

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The police blotter . . .

Sneed hears bets flying among top cop circles, the appointment of Chicago Police Board President Lori Lightfoot as Chicago’s new police superintendent might be a solution to solving Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s police department reorganization.

“Lightfoot is savvy, a skilled lawyer, an African-American, a former assistant U.S. attorney who could work with the feds, and there is no regulation Chicago’s police superintendent has to be a cop,” a top cop source said.

“Lightfoot could be appointed by Rahm just as non-cop Police Supt. O.W. Wilson was by Mayor Richard J. Daley,” a second source said.

Mixed into this scenario is making recently appointed acting Police Supt. John Escalante — a seasoned and well-respected police chief — the department’s first deputy police superintendent, who would run the day-to-day operation while Lightfoot reorganizes the agency.

Stay tuned.

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Just gravy, no gravitas!

Yes, yes, yes that was actress, reality star, former Sun-Times columnist Jenny McCarthy and her husband, Donnie “Blue Bloods” Wahlberg, patiently waiting by the counter at Geneva’s State Street Diner waiting for a booth to open up Saturday morning. No celebrity airs — blending in like everyone else for breakfast and making nary a fuss about the short wait.

Bricks & $$$ . . .

Sneed hears a move is afoot to move along the slow restoration of the decrepit governor’s mansion in Springfield.

Sneed is told the Illinois Mansion Association, which was mandated by Gov. Bruce Rauner and wife Diana to raise private funds to restore the state’s ancient pile without using a penny of taxpayer money — is on a new tack.

• To wit: Word is raising private restoration funds, which has already resulted in a new mansion roof, is moving slower than the repair timeframe — and the association is now in talks to find lenders willing to finance the necessary repairs.

• Translation: The loans would be paid off via donated funds.

There ya go.

Clocking Trump . . .

Tick. Tock. In line with printing all things Trump, reporters clocked just how long it took GOP presidential hopeful/Twitter star Donald Trump to tweet his response to coming in second in the Iowa Caucus.

• Answer: 15 hours plus . . . from 7:34 p.m. Monday to 11 a.m. Tuesday morning. Imagine the Trump agita during the Twitter gap convincing the Donald not to tell Iowans “You’re Fired!”

Tracking Trump . . .

A history note: It’s no secret the Brits have gone gaga over their dislike and/or fascination with Donald Trump.

Sooo it surprises Sneed the Brit tabloid press haven’t snagged an interview with former Brit actress Catherine Oxenberg, the daughter of a Serbian princess, who starred in the hit TV series “Dynasty.”

Why? Years ago, the New York tabloid columns were filled with Trump’s alleged fascination with the gorgeous Oxenberg . . . and speculated Trump’s jealous wife, Ivana, had her facelift pattered after Oxenberg’s regal face.

Hmmm. Notice how the women in Trump’s alleged romantic past are either silent or complimentary?

Ailin’ Palin . . .

Trump backer Sarah Palin, who believed polls Trump would win in Iowa, should reflect on her earlier much-quoted maxim: “Polls are only good for strippers and cross-country skiers.”

The outspoken former governor of Alaska giving her analysis as only she can.

Hill swill . . .

The women’s room: In case you missed this little piece of star gazing on the campaign trail, in addition to singer Demi Lovato and Olympian Michelle Kwan stumping for Hillary Clinton . . . actress Jamie Lee “A Fish Called Wanda” Curtis hit the Hill hustings.

Sneedlings . . .

Today’s birthdays: Morgan Fairchild, 66; Amal Clooney, 38 and Anne Burke, ageless.

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