Congratulations to Rahm
Emanuel for his First-Round Win to
Succeed Daley as Chicago Mayor.
Rahm Emanuel, the former
White House chief of staff, will take the reins of the nation’s
third-most- populous city in May after defeating several candidates to
succeed retiring Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Emanuel’s closest competitor was Gery Chico, 54, a former Daley chief
of staff and Chicago school board president, with 24 percent of the vote.
City Clerk Miguel del Valle had 9 percent, as did former U.S. Senator Carol
Moseley Braun.
The election signals the end of two decades of rule by Daley, 68, who with
his father, Richard J. Daley, ran Chicago for 43 of the past 55 years.
The new mayor confronts a declining population, pension shortfalls for city
workers and a 2012 budget deficit forecast at more than $600 million. Emanuel
will enter City Hall’s fifth- floor mayoral suite with the added burden
of troubled labor relations. His White House role in helping President Bill
Clinton win passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement and comments
he made about unions as President Barack Obama’s chief of staff left
lingering resentment.
‘Shared Sacrifice’
In his campaign, the former Chicago congressman had called for “shared
sacrifice” by public workers as the city seeks to address deficits.
Congratulations are in order
because Emanuel was the best of the lot by far. Not only was he a free trade
advocate (which shows he has something on the ball), but he has picked up the
ire of Chicago's public unions.
Seriously, how much more could one possibly expect from anyone in contention
for mayor of Chicago?
A couple of posts will show what I mean.
Seven More Unions Endorse Chico
Feb 8, 2011: More unions endorse
Chico, bash Emanuel
Mayoral hopeful Gery Chico
on Monday picked up the endorsement of seven more labor unions whose leaders
accused rival candidate Rahm Emanuel of threatening their pensions and
“demonizing” city employees.
What infuriated the labor leaders is an Emanuel campaign commercial in which
the candidate appears to lecture city employees about the meaning of public
service.
In it, Emanuel states that City Hall “is not an employment agency. ...
It is delivering a service to the residents and taxpayers of the city. I want
that mind set to be different. ... That means making sure that everybody
[who] works for city government knows they’re actually a public servant
representing and helping the people [who] pay them.”
Emanuel said he was not asking anything from police, firefighters and
teachers that he would not be asking from himself as mayor.
“I don’t think it’s a radical idea to express the vision
that taxpayers are the people we are all beholden to."
That is all you need to know
right there. However, I have more.
Chicago Unions Leaders Not Thrilled With Rham Emanuel
December 6, 2010: Chicago Unions
Leaders Not Thrilled With Rham Emanuel
Most Chicagoans are assuming
that former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will become the next
mayor of Chicago. But while the perception might satisfy many folks in the
Windy City, at least one powerful Democratic sector isn't so sure they are
happy with the whole idea. Chicago's union leaders are not very fond of the
distempered former Chief of Staff.
Big Labor has been put off on Emanuel since he helped Bill Clinton get the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) passed in the 1990s when Emanuel
was a Congressman from Chicago's 5th District.
Emanuel also has a history of dissing Big Labor. At least he's put other
interests ahead of Big Labor enough times that labor leaders are not overly
fond of the diminutive candidate.
A book about the Obama White House by Steven Ratner, Overhaul, even quoted
Emanuel as saying, "**** the UAW," when the president was
discussion the autoworker's union in a cabinet meeting.
Added Bonus
As an added
bonus, the very powerful and corrupt Alderman Ed Burke backed Chico.
Please see Alderman Edward
Burke: Top Machine Boss of Obama’s Chicago-Part 1 for details of Burke's
corruption.
You may also wish to consider Part 2: A Top FBI
Informant Accused Alderman Burke On Three Occasions of Fixing a Murder Trial
For the Outfit.
The election of Emanuel was not the best outcome. However, given the choices,
his election was the best outcome possible.
That aside, no one should expect miracles. If Emanuel does not deliver on
reining in public unions, it will be time to pour on the criticism.
Mish
GlobalEconomicAnalysis.blogspot.com
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