Chicago without a Mayor Daley? Inconceivable!

[What Exit?]

After a 50+ years period of mostly Mayor Daleys Chicago's mayor announced he will step down shortly after breaking his father's record for longest serving Mayor of Chicago. I don't even remember the period between the two Daleys. I suspect it might not have really happened.

Will this be good or bad for Chicago?
Does anyone actually care?
What will the legacy be for this father and son?
Do you think Rahm Emanuel will be the next Mayor?
Is there another Daley ready to run in a few years?

Link: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=7655904

[Exy]

I don't know much about Chicago politics. (I suspect Sarah and Oliveloaf will be here to opine soon enough! And I'm guessing Sarah will be pleased.)

It's hard for me to think it'll make much difference given how corrupt Chicago politics tends to be; whoever gets elected is probably going to be part of the same political culture. Definitely will be if it's Rahm Emmanuel. I bet he's got a good shot, anyway, and he's certainly expressed interest in the post.

[Sarahfeena]

I wouldn't say I'm pleased. It's not like Daley is likely to be replaced by someone less of a Democrat than he is! It's kind of a devil-you-know kind of thing here...there are a lot of things to like about Daley, if you can turn a blind eye to the corruption, and let's face it, that won't change anyway.

My biggest concern about the city is that crime has gotten out of hand in the poorer neighborhoods. I can't watch the local news anymore because SO MANY school children are killed in random gunfire. It's sickening, and I've been very disappointed in Mayor Daley's non-reaction to it. Where the tourists go and the rich people live, the city is beautiful. Meanwhile, the ghetto neighborhoods are getting worse and worse. My biggest wish for the next mayor is someone who will at least attempt to address this problem. Question is, will they have the clout to make anything happen? Maybe Rahm Emmanual could, I don't know.

[What Exit?]

I guess it was 4 years ago already but I ended up walking through some bad neighborhoods (in the daytime) and it did not seem too bad then. Has it deteriorated that fast or was I just lucky?

[Sarahfeena]

Not sure where you were, but I'm guessing you were only in moderately bad neighborhoods if it didn't seem that bad. As I said, the thing that's most scary is the random gunfire. I would say we have at least one child a week getting killed that way these days.

[What Exit?]

I think I was walking from the Blue to the Green line around Cicero. http://www.transitchicago.com/assets...ap/200806W.htm

[Sarahfeena]

Yikes, oh yeah, I know that area...it's not that far from where I live. It's not the worst worst part of town, but I wouldn't take a stroll there! You are brave.

[What Exit?]

Well it was clearly not a good area but it was daytime and it looked so much easier to walk between lines to get the train back to my hotel. I figured I walked in worse areas in the Bronx in the past.

[Sarahfeena]

A high school student was murdered yesterday..."first of the school year," as they put it on the news. Everyone knows there will be plenty more. As I said, Daley has done many things for this city, but his apparent lack of anger of this issue is very disappointing to me. I just pray that whoever ends up getting elected will consider the lives of children more important than huge art installations.

[What Exit?]

Bring in Rudy G for 8 years. By the end few will like him but he did wonders for NYC. Then you need to find your own Bloomberg type to follow him.

[Sarahfeena]

I know there were people who didn't appreciate Rudy's tactics, but I swear at this point I don't care. We just need someone who will bring the hammer down on the criminals.

[What Exit?]

Rudy was basically a blunt instrument. Not a very likable fellow and oddly offensive for a politician but he did what you would like to see done for Chicago very well. I found it funny as he ran for the Republican nomination that every time he spoke his polling got worse. I would say NYC was pretty desperate when they elected him. Has the crime gotten to that point yet? Is there some equivalent to Rudy in Chicago? When was the last time a Republican was Mayor of Chicago?

[Sarahfeena]

The last Republican mayor served from 1927-1931, and currently only one member of the City Council (out of 50) is a Republican, so I'm not thinking we'll have a pub any time soon.

I think the crime situation is bad enough, but the problem is the regular-to-rich folks aren't feeling it. It's pretty much 100% a problem of the desperately poor neighboorhoods, so no one gives a shit. They don't care that their schools suck, they don't care that kids are getting shot every week, and that the kids are just glad if they get out of it alive. And, no, I don't think there's anyone like Rudy who has asserted him or herself as someone who's going to focus on trying to solve this problem. I don't think it's a Dem/Pub issue. Daley is the kind of Mayor who COULD have done something about it. People would have gotten behind him if he got tough on crime, and I actually think it's better sometimes coming from a Dem. But, his focus was on the parks and the Olympics and whatnot. Don't get me wrong, those things are important, and I think it's terrific that so many tourists come here now and think it's a beautiful city. But someone has to care about whether or not children can go to school safely. That would be the person I would vote for, if I lived in the city.