Chicago is at a major crossroads in its development. The city faces massive budget deficits and has been privatized to the point of no return -- the parking meters were simply a dreadful deal.
Taxes are high and TIFs needs to be equally distributed and reconsidered in their allocation. The crime rate may be down overall, but not for kids in certain parts of town who keep getting shot for no cause.
There are union problems, neighborhood re-development issues, and major questions as to what to do about the Chicago Public Schools and the City Colleges of Chicago.
It will take innovation, extensive knowledge of the public and private sectors, proven management experience, political adroitness, and steely determination to solve the major issues facing Chicagoans as we move into an uncertain future.
At this point in time, and among this particular set of candidates, Rahm Emanuel is the person who most embodies these qualifications, and therefore, I am endorsing Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of the City of Chicago.
Of the six mayoral candidates, he has demonstrated a vision for the city that will continue to move us forward in a world class direction, and his leadership, business, and political acumen simply outshines the rest of the field by far.
Emanuel's resources will serve the city well. He is a proven problem solver and his White House executive experience will serve him well as he tackles the hard stuff. He has the resolve to stand up to tough issues head on and bring about conclusive solutions.
He has the respect and ear of the business community to utilize and capitalize on resources and networks. He was instrumental in working with the White House to put more cops on the streets of America, and has found potential funding for some of the educational issues. He has also promised to hire a professional educator to head the public schools system.
Emanuel's fundraising abilities and contacts are indeed impressive, attractive and proven. Little known about the man is that he worked for Andrew Young in Atlanta as he ran for Governor of the State of Georgia. He sees Atlanta as a model for Black businesses.
Narrowing The Field
When Mayor Daley stunningly announced that he would not seek re-election, he created political chaos, and as a result, more than a dozen people cast themselves as candidates for what Daley calls the "best job in America."
They came from everywhere -- the White House, the church, the field of business, from communities wishing to express their political interest, from dormant politicians who previously laid low like rats, too afraid to challenge Daley, but suddenly wolfing like they wanted to exert some political muscle.
The Black community weighed in with five candidates. The Hispanics brought their brightest. One Jewish candidate and one Irish candidate came forth. The ministers chose a minister. African-American business people were seeking one of their very own, and the Black politicians chose a politician for the race. The election boiled down not only to race but profession, as I saw it.
Had Michael Scott lived, he would have been an obvious choice, accepted by all. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. was a clear choice, but stuff happens and he chose not to run. Other would-be candidates dropped out as the rigors of political reality set in.
In the Black community, eventually a consensus candidate came about after multiple meetings and much anguish. Rev. Jesse Jackson convened powerhouses of the Black community to come up with a single Black candidate because it was the only way to be viable and have a realistic chance to capture the mayor's seat.
The real force behind the scenes in this instance was Rev. Jeannette Wilson, who quietly and forcibly worked to boil it down to one candidate. At crunch time, Rev. Jackson vowed not to leave the room until a decision was made. The meeting lasted until midnight and resumed early the next morning when the two candidates were locked into a room to decide who would remain in the race.
In the meanwhile, N'DIGO was polling via electronic media, every time there was a major shift in the candidates and we partnered with other media outlets, WVON radio, NBC-TV Internet and WVAZ Internet, to conduct the electronic, unscientific poll.
At the outset of this race, my candidate of choice was Rev. James Meeks, but his ministry became an issue. I was for Meeks because I thought he had a hands on perspective for the problems facing the city, namely public education, crime and minority contracts.
Issues appear differently when you experience them directly. I liked his heart and his mind. Meeks has seen and buried the children killed in the streets. Rahm Emanuel has the mother of Blair Holt on a radio commercial, but it was Meeks who buried the child.
He has counseled the families in Roseland as their children have been killed. He has been an avid fighter for school funding. And he spoke up for African American businesses and the issuance of city contracts.
Congressman Danny Davis is a powerhouse in Washington and many thought he should maintain that seat. Thus, Carol Moseley Braun because the major Black candidate.
Carol Moseley Braun, The Candidate
Carol Moseley Braun has been a disappointment as a mayoral candidate. She has been an historic candidate in her many races for elective office. She has been a protest candidate. And now she finds herself as a "consensus" candidate.
She is the Black candidate, but she is not the best candidate.
Her campaign has not gotten off the ground. There simply is no buzz. Black women have come together to provide voice and reason to her candidacy, but she has failed to promote a positive message, or present her solutions to the city's problems.
Braun has not presented a platform and has not raised money. She has provided excuses for not providing her tax returns, a basic procedure for political candidates, and she has attacked personally those who have been critical of her. She has allowed herself to be provoked.
The last straw and biggest embarrassment was suggesting that fellow mayoral candidate Dr. Patricia Watkins is a crackhead after Watkins questioned where Braun has been for the past two decades.
Braun viciously attacked a candidate who is not even registering on the political radar and who has no chance of winning. Then her refusal to apologize cost her public favor.
She attacked Bill Walls similarly. These people are in the race to provoke and she ran head on into the trap. Again, with the good common sense and moral judgment, it was the behind the scenes maneuvering of Rev. Jeannette Wilson and other ministers that brought about Braun's public apology.
Braun has missed the mayoral opportunity by not expounding on issues and not aggressively campaigning. Her public record is impressive, her winning historic, but her campaigning style seeks direction, substance and a demonstration of leadership. You cannot campaign on being the first and the only. You cannot campaign on being Black and female exclusively.
She became the candidate because the Black community is desperate to have its voice heard. But the truth is -- we are divided from church to church, from West Side to South Side, from civil rights leadership to business leadership, to generational differences and various viewpoints on race relations.
Braun is not the one to unite this city and solve its problems. She has not employed winning or unifying strategies as she once did. Her past haunts her and perhaps prevents her from moving forward.
She has not demonstrated her grasp of the city's problems, with solutions. Her campaign has been a series of steady reactions to problems Braun has created herself, and that is not good enough at this time.
The Other Candidates
Miguel del Valle is the progressive candidate in the election, much like Harold Washington was. He is a hard worker and diligent in making the city run like a fine oiled machine in his current position as City Clerk. But I see no vision coming from his corner.
Gery Chico is an excellent manager who has held many of the city's top posts -- Chair of the Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges, Park District, and the Mayor's Chief of Staff. He seems to have some good plans to solve the city's problems -- but I don't see him moving the whole city forward.
Though not spoken loudly or publicly out of fear of sounding politically incorrect, the view is held by some that in business and political dealings in Chicago, as Blacks have reached out to the Hispanic community, they have not engaged in inclusive reciprocity in return. If there is a basis to that viewpoint, we do not need more of ethnic omission.
At this time, Rahm Emanuel is the best person to become the next Mayor of Chicago.
His background speaks volumes. His boldness will serve well to assure the city a global seat. His knowledge of federal government will bring home the bacon. His negotiation skills will serve in building consensus and leadership for all of Chicago.
He is feisty, energetic and aggressive, and his challenge will be to tone it down a bit as he moves from the background to the foreground.
N'DIGO endorses Rahm Emanuel for mayor, but his feet will have to be held to the fire, as promises have been made. And I vote no to the Rahm Tax.
for the black community? I hope your payoff was worth it.
Put bluntly, Carol Moseley Braun has been an embarrassment. That the Chicago community that has produced notable Black cultural icons from Jesse Jackson to The Defender to Kanye to R. Kelly (and whose last mayoral triumph was the amazing Harold Washington) could not field a better consensus candidate than the virtolic, ineffective, self-indulgent CMB is I think more a reflection of the current political power structure (and its distance, both in age and perspective, from the rest of the community) on the South and West sides of Chicago than anything else.
The Chicago Mayor's seat is simply Rahm's golden parachute to stay out of DC and the White House.
1. Voted against Congressional Black Caucus FY2004 federal budget substitute: Mar. 20, 2003, Roll Call #80
2. Voted against Congressional Black Caucus FY2005 federal budget substitute: Mar. 25, 2004, Roll Call #88
3. Voted against Congressional Black Caucus FY2008 federal budget substitute: Mar. 29, 2007, Roll Call #209
4. Voted against amendment to increase funding for the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities: Sep. 8, 2004, Roll Call #425
Rahm is trying to take credit for passing the assualt weapons ban. Carol and her senate colleagues actually passed Rahm was an aide at the time demoted by Clinton because of his abrasiveness. Ten years later at its' sunset provision, the Assualt Weapons Ban was not re-passed on Rahm's watch. It was Carol's legislative votes and work with her colleagues that got more cops on the street...Rahm was an aide.
Rahm has unapologetically said much worse. His statement to a staffer about feminine products this past April was surely grounds for sexual harassment lawsuit, something Obama could not afford. Rahm's gone and not missed. The staffer is gone. No bridges have been burned.
Rahm has no proven track record. Carol does. Carol on her worst day is better than Rahm. This time Hermene you got it twisted. ..or is it that Carol could not pay you enough. There's a word for that.
The media manipulation is clear when Hermene Hartman has received national recognition for not endorsing Braun but the same Hartman could not buy the attention to her newspaper poll when it was released then showing Braun out polling Rahm Emanuel. And now the mass media are running with the Hartman quote that "Carol is the Black candidate and not the best candidate," when Carol insisted from the beginning that she was not just a Black candidate but a candidate who was committed to all of Chicago.
But during this Black History Month, Braun should be proud to be a living part of Black political history and whose candidacy again is poised to make history again as the first woman elected Mayor since Jane Byrne and an election being held on the exact same date that Harold won the Primary election on February 22nd and making political history with Braun is significant in this Black History Month election.
I too have respect for you and have encouraged you throughout the years to stop the belly ache and start expressing your opinions. We share a common history with Rev. Jackson and we both love and respect him for all of his efforts.
There is no media maipulation here. We simply disagaree. I was not looking or seeking national recognition for the endorsement or for the newspaper poll. The poll was honest and showed what it showed at the time. Carol is the Black candidate but not the best. You must admit Mark, she has not demonstrated leadership ability, message, organization or money. You know from the ground up there is not the buzz for Carol. I love your slogan from Harold to Carol, but it is not reality. Harold was a masterful politician. You may remember he insisted registered voters and a certain amount of money in the bank before he would run. Remember?
Carol is part of a living history. As you know she remains the first and only Black female ever to hold a Senate seat. And she should not have lost her seat. But then Barrack Obama might not be president. we should vote for Carol not because it is Black History Month, we should vote for her because she would be the best mayor.
Rahm has done nothing for African Americans. He hired no black people for his Congressonal staff. He serves the financial industry. The only people who will beneift from his mayoralcy are the wealthy elite. Since the wealthy elite are voting their interests then the working joes should vote theirs and not feel they have to burn up their TIF money to make life good for downtown. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2owYbdKjS8
When has that ever been good enough to be considered for such a critical position?
As a journalist, I believe that we can endorse people to others but never coerce people to accept our endorsements. And I'm not saying that you did that.
However, I have heard from my folks in my age group (21 to 39) that there are no candidates who represent our age group. It seems as if young leaders are being ignored in our city, to the people I have spoken to. And this could create an even tighter race than expected.
My suggestion is that we start NOW to groom young talent, so there won't be such controversy about residency requirements or tax returns.
You are right about grooming the young talent though. We need to make sure that those with the ambition and smarts to some day lead get the opportunity to gain the skills to do so effectively. Often that mentorship is lost as the established people bicker among themselves.
It is mandatory that your age group are represented. You are important and you must step forward and participate and have your voice. You must also demand to be heard. And with equal importance, you must vote. Who is your choice?