Daley, a former state senator, made it happen by briefly rejoining the legislative pension plan in He stayed there just one month before returning to Chicago's municipal pension fund, but the switches made him eligible for benefits worth 85 percent of his mayoral salary — a better rate than all other city employees receive. He was just 49 years old at the time. Of course, Daley went on to win five more elections, remaining ensconced on the fifth floor of City Hall for the next two decades.
Daley declined to be interviewed for this story. His spokeswoman, Jacquelyn Heard, wrote in an email: "I can only assume that his pension was handled in the same manner that anyone's would be, given the length of service — nearly 40 years — in government.
In , the same year he secured his much larger pension, Daley's administration helped aldermen land a dramatic pension increase, providing them with benefits far exceeding those of the average city worker. The same legislation, rushed through the General Assembly on the last day of the session, also gave private labor leaders public pensions based on their much higher union salaries.
All the while, Daley blessed benefit increases for city workers without ensuring that payments into the funds would cover the costs, a problem worsened by the economic downturn. The city's pension debt is not only damaging Chicago's financial stability, but also breeding cynicism about government's ability to provide modest pensions to the people who teach the city's children, collect the garbage, run into burning buildings and keep the peace.
That cost is the erosion of public support for decent retirement benefits for employees of the state and local government. He was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each shot he fired.
After an exhaustive investigation that included cathartic public hearings, the task force released a scathing indictment of the Chicago Police Department that laid the groundwork for the U. Justice Department to do the same.
That set the stage for the consent decree now in place outlining the terms of federal court oversight over CPD. But, it was the Nov.
Lightfoot — who declared her candidacy before Emanuel decided not to run — had been stuck in single-digits in the polls before the feds showed up in force.
After that, and the filing of federal charges against Burke on Jan. In May, Burke was hit with a count racketeering and extortion indictment accusing him of using his governmental role to muscle business for his law firm. It included the alleged Burger King shakedown.
But it also alleged three similar schemes chronicled by former Zoning Committee Chairman Danny Solis 25th , who spent two years wearing a wire on Burke. But her hand was strengthened and she played it to the hilt. During her inaugural address, Lightfoot turned her back to the Wintrust Arena crowd to face the aldermen she had just portrayed as corrupt and insisted they join the cheering masses in a standing ovation for council reform.
Hours later, she signed an executive order stripping aldermen of their unbridled control over licensing and permitting in their wards and promised to do the same for aldermanic prerogative over zoning. She dumped Burke as Finance Chairman, installed reform Ald.
Scott Waguespack 32nd as his replacement and humiliated Burke on the City Council floor after delivering her handpicked leadership team. She turned it over to a private contractor. But the massive property tax increase she managed to avoid with one-time revenues may yet be necessary if she strikes out again in Springfield. That hard, but important work is impossible without strong leadership focused on integrity, honesty, legitimacy and accountability.
And to think, the Lightfoot administration has nearly three-and-a-half years to go. This story is a part of a larger series called Decade in Review. His Department of Streets and Sanitation showcased plants and trees in the medians of selected stretches of major Chicago byways. Daley, an avid cyclist, also expanded the city's network of bicycle paths. Daley promoted Chicago extensively during his tenure, hoping to make it a "world class city.
He embarked on official visits to Europe and East Asia. Under his leadership, Chicago hosted events that brought the city national and global attention, including the World Cup Tournament in and the Democratic National Convention in He entered the city in a bid to host the Summer Olympics, making the city a competitor for international recognition.
Daley also hosted many international dignitaries, most notably President Hu Jintao of China, whose January state visit capped off Daley's twenty-two years in office. His proposals for a third airport near Lake Calumet and for a "downtown area circulator" failed to win support from the state legislature. Chicago lost the bid for the Olympics. Daley managed a number of unexpected emergencies during his tenure. The Loop Flood of —caused by the Chicago River flooding into underground tunnels—required Daley to evacuate the downtown for days as the city pumped out the water.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, in New York City and the Pentagon prompted Daley to again evacuate the downtown area for fear that Chicago might be a target. In July , lingering high temperatures created a heat wave that eventually resulted in the death of more than Chicagoans. In response, Daley created an extreme weather management plan to address future problems with heat waves or dangerous cold spells.
Daley's policies were sometimes controversial. Some wrote the mayor's office complaining about his, in their view, overly accommodating stance for gay rights while others believed he acted too slowly. His decision in to unilaterally destroy Meigs Field, a small airport at what is today Northerly Island Park, struck some observers as heavy handed. Some critics charged that Daley's privatization initiatives effectively sold off city assets for short-term financial relief while others balked at what they claimed were too high rates for road tolls and parking meters.
Others believed that tax increment financing gave Daley too much discretion in allocating public money. A number of developments led observers to question Daley's management style.
Some members of Daley's staff resigned under allegations that they had used their positions for personal gain. In other instances, investigative newspaper reporters found irregularities in the allotment of city contracts, perhaps most famously in the city's "hired truck scandal," which resulted in federal prosecutions.
However, Daley himself was never charged with corrupt practices. Despite those and other challenges, Daley retained power. The City Council always ratified his budgets and almost never voted against his policy preferences. After Daley retired, he was succeeded by Rahm Emanuel, who became mayor on May 16, Washington wins the nomination and the general election. Most recently accessed December 12, Chicago Sun-Times.
Goozner, Merrill. Green, Paul M. Daley: His Views of the City and State. Daley and the Politics of Addition. Edited by Paul M. Green and Melvin G. Fourth edition.
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