In criticizing Mayor Davlin's communication skills and rapport with his aldermen, Frank Edwards suggested in today's SJ-R that Davlin be more like Chicago's Mayor Daley:
When he (Daley) makes an announcement, he's surrounded by aldermen. He's reaching his hand out.
What Edwards fails to mention is that such occasions are the only time Daley lets his aldermen out of his hip pocket. It's his way of giving them their props for their reflexive "yeas" to everything that he proposes. And his outreached hand is usually making its way into somebody's pocket.
Daley probably isn't the best guy to hold up as a paragon of governing since his administration is burning, a fire the likes of which Chicago hasn't seen since Mrs. O'Leary's cow toppled a lantern. I won't get into the litany of charges, accusations, and insinuations surrounding Daley's administration except to refer those not up to date on the story to the work of the Tribune's John Kass and the Sun Time's Mark Brown. Both columnists have been doing a great job in providing a rundown of all the rip-roaring action.
Edwards is not alone in admiring the Daley machine without looking to see how the cogs are being manipulated. Earlier this year, Time magazine named him one of the top big city mayors in the country. This honor was bestowed before the charges started flying out of the federal prosecutor's office, but well after the writing appeared on the wall, in big bold letters, that all was not kosher in the hot dog capital of the world.
I'm not suggesting that there aren't aspects of Daley's regime that are worth emulating. But I would suggest, given the tempest that threatens the Windy City, that Davlin look elsewhere for inspiration. Tammany Hall would be a good place not to start.
No comments:
Post a Comment