Chicago Mayor Richard Daley Won’t Seek Seventh Term

Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced late Tuesday he will not seek another term after more than two decades in office. Potential candidates for the election next year include White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

“Simply put, its time,” the mayor said in a press conference, accompanied by his wife, Maggie, who has been battling cancer. “I am deeply grateful to the people of the great city, more grateful than I can fully express. I’ve given it my all. I’ve done my best. Now, I’m ready with my family to begin the next phase of our lives.”

A former state senator and county prosecutor, Daley is the son of the longest-serving mayor of Chicago. He was elected mayor in 1989 to complete the term of Harold Washington, who had died of a heart attack. He was re-elected five times, receiving 70 percent of the vote in his last election. His job approval rating, however, fell to below 50 percent in the past year.

President Barack Obama, who worked as a community organizer in Chicago before entering Harvard Law School, said in a statement, “No mayor in America has loved a city more or served a community with greater passion than Rich Daley.”

“He helped build Chicago’s image as a world class city, and leaves a legacy of progress that will be appreciated for generations to come,” the president added.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) added, “The job of a big city mayor is one of the hardest in America. The fact that Chicago is one of the best, most energized, most attractive places to live in our nation tells the story of Mayor Daley’s record.”

“Maggie, Rich and the Daley family poured their hearts and souls into Chicago. Their legacy can be found in the schools, the neighborhoods and the businesses large and small across this great city,” the senator added.

The Chicago GOP, however, hailed mayor’s retirement as the “end of the Daley Ice Age.”

Steve Boulton, the party’s general counsel, said in a blog post, “Now know what lay behind the stunned, blank look people in Eastern Europe had when the leader of the country for decades was deposed – pleasantly shocked, wondrous of the future. For better or worse, Richard Daley has run this town with an iron fist for 21 years.”

Daley’s announcement gives a short time for possible successors to build a campaign until the February election.

Emanuel, who was the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House before he joined the Obama administration last year, has openly admitted to being interested in running for mayor. Other potential candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.

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