Why Doesn't Chicago have Mayor Term Limits? (Time: neighborhood, law)

[maxwellimus]

Originally Posted by j33

I can see both sides of the issue. There is definitely a huge part of me that feels like Daley has outlived his usefulness, and needs to go, but why not vote him out. We are all quite capable of not voting for the guy, nobody is holding a gun to our head making us vote for him. I do think it is pathetic that those who have run against him have been so inept that Daley doesn't even have to actively campaign and he receives over 80% of the vote (although I do recall seeing a couple of campaign commercials for him in the last election). I think that Daley would be a better mayor, and the city a better place, if there were potential mayoral candidates that actually would give him a run for his money, and make him concerned about keeping his job.

J33 I totally agree with you. I think a term limit will allow things to get done quicker and more efficiently than having/knowing the option of staying in the same position for a long time.

On the other hand, I can see why some people will say, why, we can just vote him out if we wanted to. But how can any opponent run against the 20+ years of Daley's rule without being seen as "not up for the job" just b/c Daley has been placed here without term limits and people got "comfortable"?

This is my main problem. It seems to me, which, i could be wrong, that people here are just "comfortable" with Daley and are scared of change. By bringing in term limits, change will be necessary and will allow different approaches to the way things are done.

[j33]

Well, you know, if this whole presidential thing doesn't work out for Obama, I bet he'd give Daley a run for his money, term limits or no term limits

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Sounds like Chicag Mayor is similar to Britain's PM. When the citizens get tired of him they can vote him out.

I don't think either system really is more effective. It just depends on the citizens' preference.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by maxwellimus

This is my main problem. It seems to me, which, i could be wrong, that people here are just "comfortable" with Daley and are scared of change. By bringing in term limits, change will be necessary and will allow different approaches to the way things are done.

I think people are truly happy with Daley, it's not a fear of change. There are some potential candidates who look into running every election, but they don't sense any widespread need for change, and have a hard time coming up with a platform to run on. Daley doesn't have too many terms left either, and I think many of them are waiting until he retires.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by Attrill

I think people are truly happy with Daley, it's not a fear of change. There are some potential candidates who look into running every election, but they don't sense any widespread need for change, and have a hard time coming up with a platform to run on. Daley doesn't have too many terms left either, and I think many of them are waiting until he retires.

The competitors in the last election were pathetic. Dorothy Brown? Give me a break.

[seastar311]

Daley's the least of our worries anyway, with Todd and the Governor we've got. Yikes!

[Lookout Kid]

Daley has done a good job with the balancing act between white, black, and Latino interests in the city. People fear change because they don't want a mayor that will tilt things too far in one direction or the other. Whites in Chicago fear that a black mayor will rebuild the housing projects and force affordable housing into every neighborhood, along with higher taxes and fees. Latinos fear a white mayor will cause further gentrification or their neighborhoods. Blacks fear a Latino mayor will replace black civil servants with Latino ones, and don't want to give up the jobs they have. Daley has formed alliances with each group, and is seen as a good status quo option that won't rock the delicate boat.

Chicago will never get a Michael Bloomberg-type mayor until we have mass gentrification of the city. Will this happen in the next fifty years? It's hard to say.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by via chicago

The competitors in the last election were pathetic. Dorothy Brown? Give me a break.

I said POTENTIAL candidates. Daley hasn't really faced any serious competition in a long time, and yeah, Dorothy Brown is basically like Kucinich, Paul, Nader, etc...

Jesse Jr. or Guitierrez would have made it a race, but both ended up not running.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by via chicago

Look at it this way, we do have term limits if the people so choose. Its called elections. The last time around Daley won 87% of the vote without even trying. You can take that however you want.

That is because the people that ran against Daley were a joke.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Attrill

...Jesse Jr. or Guitierrez would have made it a race, but both ended up not running.

...and this is because of what I call "The Deal."

Daley agreed to support Obama in public and behind the scenes in return for Jesse Jr. or Guitierrez pulling out of the Mayoral race. If both of them would have ran;Daley would have lost for sure. He might have lost even against one of them.