Big news in the Windy City -- with implications for the White House:
Mayor Richard Daley says he will not run for re-election in 2011.I always thought Daley was a good mayor because Daley's goal was to be mayor, not run for some high office. And, I think being mayor is one of the toughest jobs to have. One actually has to stay on top of the fundamentals of our lives: schools, roads, crime, trash, snow plowing.
"The truth is I have been thinking about this for the past several months," Daley said at a City Hall news conference. "In the end this is a personal decision, no more, no less."
Daley spoke for less than five minutes and took no questions.
One of the potential contenders for the Mayor's office is Rahm Emanuel:
Earlier this year, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel voiced his mayoral ambitions. But the former North Side congressman quickly added that he wouldn't take on Daley, for whom he served as a strategist and fundraiser in the mayor's first winning bid.The primary is February 22, 2011. The filing deadline is December 13, 2010. Rahm should probably start his campaign ASAP. He's already done enough damage to the Obama presidency. Bringing Obama's approval rating from the 70s to the low 40s was quite an accomplishment. One of Rahm's job was to make sure that the first two years of the Obama administration didn't mimic the first two years of Clinton. Great job with that.
If Chicago wants him, they can have him. I'd prefer that Rahm Emanuel never serve in a role that has any impact on my life ever again.
