Chicago Tuesdays: More Miguel Plugs

First, there's this:

It had the look and the excitement of a political convention, and indeed it was: a convention of Chicago’s grassroots...

At the beginning of the New Chicago 2011 mayoral forum, held Tuesday evening at the UIC Forum, members took turns calling out their organizations from the podium, and in turn each section erupted in cheers.

It’s likely to be the largest crowd for a mayoral forum all season – well over 2,000 people — but for some reason, you won’t hear much about it in the city’s mainstream media...

In his opening statement, Del Valle drew the clearest line between his campaign and Emanuel’s, telling the audience, “You understand the need for a neighborhood agenda, not a downtown agenda, not a big business agenda, but a neighborhood agenda.”

When the candidates were asked about immigration reform, Del Valle drew the most sustained applause of the evening, attacking Emanuel as “the one individual most responsible for blocking immigration reform, as a congressman, as chief of staff,” continuing to a passionate crescendo over the rising cheers of the crowd: “How can we expect him to protect the residents of this city’s neighborhoods?”

He also made a clearest distinction with Emanuel’s program for schools: “We can’t continue to set up parallel systems of education, on one track selective enrollment, magnets and charters, on the other track neighborhood schools. It’s time to strengthen neighborhood schools.”

Then, here's your key to the audio for this conference referenced here. And some great shots from the event can be seen here.

And here's an interview with Dr. Quentin Young (a longtime hero, activist for equality, a big advocate for Harold Washington and single payer health care) on how Miguel can finish off Rahm in the qualifying race:

Q: What do you like about del Valle?

A: He’s atypically straight-laced, clean, effective and committed for a Chicago pol. None of the other candidates come close to Miguel for leadership both in the legislature [he was a state senator for 23 years] and as City Clerk. He hasn’t gotten rich; he doesn’t give favors. He was an early supporter of [Harold] Washington, and I think you can see in his style and politics—what Washington tried to do for the city...

Q: During the residency hearing, Rahm seemed so calm, so polite.

A: While Rahm conducted himself impressively, I don’t think he can withstand the give-and-take of the primary race. I think the part of him that I find politically unattractive—the boss mentality, "take no prisoners" attitude, will emerge.

Of course, the interviewer can't keep his mind off of Rahm long enough to keep it positive. But, for my Single-Payer Health Care-focused mind, there's some money right here:

Q: So what’s wrong with the new national healthcare plan?

A: It won’t solve any problems. Costs have risen since it passed and will continue to do so. Having a bill that squeaked through puts a break on serious reform. [Young blames Emanuel, “a powerful mobilizer of the Democratic vote,” for the three-vote margin in the House].

Q: Would you have been happier had no bill passed?

A: Yes, it would be better to have a clean slate.

How important is Dr. Young's endorsement? It's pretty big for progressives in the city. According to The Ward Room's Edward McClelland:

Young, the former chairman of medicine of Cook County Hospital, is a healthcare activist who heads Physicians For a National Health Program, a Chicago-based non-profit that lobbies for a single-payer health care system. A Hyde Park acquaintance of Barack Obama’s, Young sat on the committee Obama created to draft a health care plan that would cover all Illinoisans. Young’s Movement roots go deep: he provided medical care to civil rights demonstrators in the South, and protestors at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He also served as a physician to Martin Luther King Jr., Harold Washington and Studs Terkel.

The hits keep coming, of course. But without the big platform and name of an Obama staffer, without the resources of a millionaire politician intricately connected to big business who could pull ads out of his backside, with cold weather keeping people (like me) indoors, and with a huge gap that needs to be tightened within a few short weeks, can Miguel pull ahead to give Rahm a run for his money? I would like to believe so. All this positive media coverage only gives me more hope.

I mean, we're talking about a Chicago pol who didn't accept a security detail. I mean, how anti-Machine is that? We're talking a pol in the 21st Century who isn't taking money from mega-corporations or Chicago vendors. How gangsta anti-Machine is that? And what does the city need right now more than anti-Machine?

More here.

The Hizzoner Is Dead! Long Live the Hizzoner!

I normally (if ever) write about local concerns once a week. But right after I wrote my rare Chicago Tuesdays profile, the citywide news of the year broke. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I'm going to add to the noise or not. I just want to have a place to explore my thoughts and invite dialog about meaningful local politics.

Daley will have been king of Chicago (with some help and propping from the self-serving Machine of patronage that his father established and perfected he has updated and continued) for 22 years by the time he steps down next year (unless he pulls a Favre. Although he could conceivably pull a Jordan, now that I think about it), but he is leaving the city in economic turmoil that he didn't create, but he did help to exacerbate. Much like his birthday buddy, GWB, Daley didn't make much use of surplus when he had it and squandered billions in bad ideas and in shady deals to politically connected friends. Additionally, of course, there were the scandals that always seemed to escape this Teflon Don: Hired Trucks, Silver Shovel, police misconduct,

and locked-up cronies and associates acting as Fall Guys.

But he did some things right. The tourist areas of Chicago are more tourist (and native) friendly. And, unlike Detroit, moneys have been brought back into the city and the economy is pretty diverse. Of course, that source of revenue is funded most easily by gentrification and cheap TIF handouts - in short, displacing the poor while giving welfare to the rich corporations.

But there's no shortage of good reasons for Daley to quit now. His wife is in poor health. He will have been in office for a longer period than even his father (who, like Harold Washington after him, died in office). The city is losing revenue while costs are raising. And then there's the bondoogles, like the Parking Meter FAIL privatization scheme, which is the one scandal that finally caught up to him in any appreciable (though not legal) manner. So, that's another source of revenue that the city - and whoever leads the city - can not count on to help through the recession.

Whoever occupies the City Hall Royal Throne next has their (thankless) job cut out for them. He or she is going to have to find ways to bring in jobs (which would cure a whole mess of ill, including closing the budget woes and decreasing crime), bring in other sources of revenue, streamline effectiveness and pull out the weeds to loosen the patronage grips of the Machine while tightening the budget. Importantly, the next mayor can do these things while serving the poor and minority populations. It's going to be a tough job.

What we're looking for here would be a Wonk, primarily, but not only. Someone who has proven capabilities and can work with business and community leaders as well as a possibly fractious city council. The new mayor, much like the old, will need to have connections with and wide support from White, Black, and Latino populations and communities (including the diverse White ethnic communities) as well as the diverse social and economic groups.

From what I can see, the list of possible contenders runs from the hopeful but novice Scott Waguespeck (one of the few aldermen to actively object to the recent fiascoes, most notably the Parking Meter privatization. I like him, but it may be too early for him yet. Some more money, name recognition and experience will do him a world of good, though), to the Law & Order types like Sheriff Tom Dart (L&O's like Daley himself don't tend to take care of fundamental problems as much as sweep them under the carpet. Just ask anybody in New York who got 'Guiliani'd'.), to the dynasties like the Jackson family - three of whom are rumored to be thinking about it, to the BIG NAME Rahm Emanuel (a bane to progressives, of course. And a man too much connected to Daley and the hard-line machine to cause any real difference. Except possibly cuss more in front of a mic. Or confront adversaries in the nude) to the already-entrenched Machine Heads like Alderman Burke (no.).

But I think the person who best fits the needs of the city - and, as a bonus, could actually pull off a win - is current City Clerk - and longtime pol - Miguel del Valle. As an extrie bonus, he's actually represented and worked with the poor and Latino populations.