The 2011 mayoral campaign is more substantive than in the last 20 years. While petition battles have already cut the field from 20 to 15, arguments continue on whether Rahm Emmanuel legally lives in Chicago. When the theatrics end in court in January, the number of candidates will probably be 10 or fewer.

Already issue debates have begun offering voters real choices. Gery Chico has suggested eliminating the city’s Office of Compliance and Board of Ethics, rolling their functions into a strengthened Inspector General’s office, changes Chico claims “will help us police waste or corruption.” And he would end pinstripe patronage by putting all legal work and investment banking contracts out for competitive bids.

Not to be outdone, Emmanuel in a press conference with former Inspector General David Hoffman, said as mayor he would issue an executive order banning mayoral appointees from lobbying for two years after they leave government. He would also prohibit city board members or commissioners from seeking contracts from their former agencies after retirement.

At the first mayoral debate at University of Illinois-Chicago (which Emmanuel, Carol Moseley Braun, Rev. James Meeks, and Chico did not attend), 10 mayoral candidates attempted to set the tone of the campaign.

As reported in the UIC Flame student newspaper, Congressman Danny Davis declared, “The city of Chicago is in a serious search for new leadership to the city of Chicago that will bring the citizens together from every walk of life, every community and every neighborhood and have people seriously engage in finding solutions to the many problems we face.”

Among programs he advocated were picking up garbage on a grid rather than the current ward system and creating with county government a single healthcare delivery system.

Regarding economic development, perennial candidate William “Doc” Walls argued in the Flame story that “we have to launch businesses into the national global economy. ...We have to become competitive. We have two thousand businesses ready to go. We just need to give them money for job outreach.”

At the same UIC debate, City Clerk Miguel del Valle proposed a tax on recycling to expand that program. He also favors a financial transaction tax. On immigration, he argued, again from the Flame article, “It is time for this country to reform its immigration system. This is a country of immigrants and it is the right thing to do at this time.”

He also wanted to strengthen the city council as a governmental branch, to create dual credit college programs for high school students, and to make the transition between community colleges and universities easier.

Among the candidates remaining in the mayoral race, Meeks and Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus, both of whom lead megachurches, are the most conservative. Meeks has voted against same-sex civil unions and abortion laws in the legislature and De Jesus has similar conservative views.

At UIC, according to the Flame, De Jesus explained that he hopes to win the mayor’s office this way: “Money gets you so far, but if we have [a] message … that resonated with the people of the city, I think at the end of the day on February 22nd people are going to come and say I want to vote for Jesus for mayor.”

In this, of course, he spoke for all the candidates without deep pockets like Emmanuel’s. They believe that message will trump money this time around.

The polls, which are not reliable at this stage of the campaign, suggest there will be a runoff election in April between Emmanuel and either Moseley Braun or Chico. But the debates and press conference thus far have made it clear that no one is going to be elected mayor without what George H.W. Bush called “the vision thing.”

Whoever would lead us as mayor out of the recession and into the second decade of the 21st century must first convince us that he or she has the vision, plan, and platform as well charisma.

Our future mayor will have to convince us that we can become a livable global city where the poor are raised up, children are better educated, we are safe in every neighborhood, and Chicago is a city that works for all of us.

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By Pedro J Cordova Jr from Printer's Row
Posted: 01/18/2011 11:31 AM

To vote or not to vote. When I learned a new mayor would be elected, I said, I am not voting. It doesn’t matter. Then as I saw different candidates' interest in the post and my interest in the race increased. I’ve learned, to my disappointment, that our city still is very segregated. We have to have a black, a Hispanic and a white candidate instead of the best candidate. Now, I am back to where I was a few months ago. In Chicago it doesn’t matter if I vote. Somehow things will remain the same.

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By Carl Nyberg from Hegewisch
Posted: 12/16/2010 9:30 AM

Calling Meeks more "conservative" than Chico seems to hinge on the definition of "conservative" and which issues you look at. For example, Chico is more of a defender of the status quo on TIFs and the CEO of the board of ed. Meeks wants TIFs to be more transparent (change) and to hire professional educator as CEO (change).