The Windy Citizen has started The Daily Daley, "a new blog from Anna Tarkov that will keep track of Chicago's first citizen, Richard M. Daley. Each day she'll be summarizing the mayor's activities and memorable quotes."Since Richie and Helen have turned into Best Friends Forever as of late, watching Da Mare might help us understand -- if that's possible -- Helen's next moves. We've added a link at the right.
Two Words...
ReplyDeleteTERM LIMITS
Agreed!
ReplyDeleteI third that sentiment. Just like the President - two concurrent terms and that's it.
ReplyDeleteI'll fourth that sentiment and raise you a "shortshanks".
ReplyDelete(damn that John Kass)
I'll take the shortshank & then I'll fifth it.
ReplyDeleteDaley Rocks.
ReplyDeleteSo your comment has been lingering out there for a while now, falco. I am just curious, as a lawyer, why you think "Daley Rocks" when things have gotten so bad in Uptown that voters have had to pony up for not one but two lawsuits against the city this year? Daley got 79% of the vote in Uptown during the last election yet turns a blind eye when Shiller wants to pass something sneaky through zoning, a council committee or the full council. How does that make him rock?
ReplyDeleteSassy,
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough question to answer, but I'll try. To be honest, I used to like the mayor alot, but I think maybe he should think about retiring.
I bet that the Mayor has no idea about Shiller's shady antics. My personal opinion is that he would probably not be happy. He doesn't baby-sit Aldermen. Shiller's antics don't surprise me, every single alderman in Chicago does this the same way. It is her agenda that sucks. I also think Daley regrets his associate with Shiller, they are not cut from the same cloth. There is some reason he supported her that I cannot put my finger on. (And I don't want to hear conspiracy theories.)
Also, Daley gets blamed for everything. Do you realize what BS this guy has to deal with everyday? Just the BS from unions would have made me quit a long time ago.
How is it his fault, for example, that there was a Streets and Sanitation worker drinking beer on the job?
Daley has provided political stability in this City for a long time, and that encourages developement. He is a big part of why Chicago has developed into the great City it is.
Now don't get me wrong, he is not perfect. I am not happy with many of the TIFS and other things that go on, but I believe the mayor has the City's best interest at heart. He loves Chicago. He is one tough SOB.
As far as the lawsuits, I am not familiar with them personally, so I cannot comment on thier merit, even though I donated to FWY. When I was an attorney for the City, people sued the City for everything that you can imagine. Unfortunately, as a result of my experience, I tend to view every lawsuit against the City as without merit until proven otherwise. I mean, the unions are suing over job cuts in the budget. How does that happen? "Okay. We have no money to pay you. Therefore you are laid off." What is the court going to do? Make the City hire people? Do they think the mayor WANTS people to be unemployed? That is crazy. I also tend to view every whiner who blames the City for thier problems is a little crazy. They really have no clue what is going on. Where do they get thier information? The media? Well let me tell you this, every story in ten years about I case that I was involved with completedly distorted the facts. They were so poorly written, they often didn't even use the right names. Every story only reported the Plaintiff's side of the case, and made nutty conclusions. So tak it from me from me, they have no clue what they are talking about half the time. I really feel sorry for people that believe what they read in the paper unless it is the sports section.
Also, just to let you know, if we did get sued over something, and we realized that the Plaintiff was right, we would bend over backwards to fix the problem. (At least in my group.)
Finally, you have to admit, some of the mayor's gaff's are hilarious. Also, he really is a good guy personally.
There is really no one who could do a better job right now. It is a tough job. Thank goodness we don't have those COURAJ people in charge....
Anyway, everyone has an opinion. But the Mayor can't be blamed for everything. That is what SHiller is for.....
ANd by the way, I never have any problems in Uptown, and I have lived her for nine years. Of course, there are some "Urban Annoyances" and thing s could be better. I want to stop more subsidized housing around here, it is too dense and will lead to disaster.
Go Uptown, Go Daley, Go Chicago.
Whew, that was longest blog post I ever did....
ReplyDeleteRE: long blog posts. The first time is scary...then you risk it becoming a habit!!! I can't say I agree with you that Daley doesn't know what Shiller is up to. My guess is that after all these years sticking with Shiller seems the way to go (too many attempts to shake her out have failed). Also, if the winds shift another way he may figure most of us will not think to connect our troubles to him because he is not supporting Shiller so much as he is supporting aldermanic perogative. But, in my book, it is one thing to defer to an alderman's judgment and quite another to let them skirt around their requirements as a public servant (i.e., not following the open meetings law).
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Daley and his cronies (Tom Tunney being one of 'em) worked hard to get Helen re-elected. Daley can't stand Helen but he's able to control her so that she will vote the way he wants on critical issues. That's the Chicago way of doing politics.
ReplyDelete"When I was an attorney for the City..." Say no more. No, really, say no more.
ReplyDelete"Daley provides stability." Well, yes, in locations with one man/one party rule, that's usually the case. Unfortunately, since we are talking about a city in the United States of America and not the old Eastern Europe I'm not convinced that this is a GOOD thing.
ReplyDelete"Daley loves Chicago." And Jane Byrne DIDN'T? And Harold Washington DIDN'T? I presume that Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain both "love" this country. I "love" this city and country, too. But I don't think that qualifies me to run things. Sorry, it just gets me crazy when I hear the mayor's defenders marvel at how he "loves" Chicago...as if that's something SPECIAL.
Face it, we have lived under an autocratic political system ever since Daley Sr. cut the...legs...out from under the local GOP several decades ago. Wouldn't it be interesting to see what this city would be like if we had a truly competitive two-party system, or at least a strong opposition faction within the Dems? As much as I was disturbed by the excesses of "Council Wars," at least it was fascinating to watch real political battles in action. Competition and dissent can make us stronger. Someday, once again, we'll see it in Chicago