* And, now, we get Rahm Emanuel’s lunch schedule…
Rahm Emanuel lunched [yesterday] with Chicago billionaire Sam Zell, chairman of the Tribune Company, as the White House chief of staff mulls a run for Chicago mayor.
The two dined at a chic eatery, Central Michel Richard, a restaurant manager confirmed. The spot is about six blocks from the White House, where Emanuel serves as chief of staff to President Barack Obama.
“They have lunch all the time when he (Zell) comes to D.C.,” according to a source close to Emanuel, who cautioned against reading too much into the power lunch. “He’s known him (Zell) for a long time and I imagined they talked about the race, Chicago, the economy, education and other issues.”
In other words: This is not news. But, hey, if they were really enterprising reporters, they’d tell us what the two men ordered.
* Speaking of not news…
WASHINGTON — Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, is resigning to run for mayor of Chicago, people familiar with his plans said today.
We’ve known this for days now. Thanks for retelling us.
* But there was one useful story about Emanuel this week. Medill Reports took a close, even-handed look at his residency questions. State law requires a mayoral candidate to reside in the city for a year before an election. Chicago’s election is February 22nd. Election law attorneys Burt Odelson and James Nally claimed Emanuel can’t run…
Odelson noted that a section of the statute in the Illinois election code allows individuals who are in service to the U.S. to keep their residency status, but only for voting purposes.
“Even if Mr. Emanuel could make a claim that he’s in service of the U.S. and still vote absentee, he cannot make the claim he has been a resident of the city of Chicago for one year prior to the election because he leased his house to a family,” Odelson said.
And while Nally admitted that election law weighs heavily on “intent,” it also requires an actual physical presence for candidates…
“Physical presence is very important,” Nally said. “The statute asks, ‘Were you residing in that municipality a year prior to election?’ That’s a pretty straight-up fact question.”
However, Jim Allen with the Chicago Board of Elections disagrees, and says if a candidate maintains a residence and voter registration, then he’ll pass muster. And Ron Michaelson, the former Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Elections, agrees with Allen…
“Intent goes a long way in determining where one’s residency actually is,” he said.
Michaelson also noted that in these types of residency laws, the benefit of the doubt is usually given to the individual claiming intent.
* Roundup…
* Del Valle: No Money from Connected Donors
* Dart close to signing Joe Trippi as mayor campaign adviser
* Daley has nice words for Gery Chico in mayor’s race
* Emanuel to kick off mayoral campaign with city “listening tour”
* Emanuel Has a Campaign Manager [No name listed in story, but the author claims Emanuel is “a campaigner of mythical status”]
* Sneed: Out of the gate The Rahm run . . .
* Emanuel White House departure for mayor’s race likely to come Friday
* Emanuel faces hurdles if coming home to Chicago
* Rahm Emanuel no friend on immigration
* Rahm Snags Chicago Apartment
* Fioretti Makes Campaign for Mayor ‘Public’
* Mayoral race: Ald. Fioretti in, Ald. Waguespack out
* McQueary: Assessor’s race: Looking for love, coming up short
* Kadner: Berrios a minority of a different sort
* VIDEO: 90% of Tax Reductions Go to Berrios Donors
- Amalia - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 1:32 pm:
Rahm-a-lama-ding-dong!
- Charlie Ramp - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 1:38 pm:
Rich Miller said: “We’ve known this for days now. Thanks for retelling us.”
Ummm, don’t you know that because of all the news stories you’ve been griping about the past few days? So they shouldn’t have told you then and they shouldn’t be telling you now?
- Davey Boy Smithe - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 1:40 pm:
When Rahm wins, should we expect to hear that Kass has re-signed with the Tribune for the next decade?
- Dirt Digger - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 1:51 pm:
It would be a lot simpler if del Valle just said “I’m broke and can’t raise any money.”
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 1:56 pm:
Grilled cheese sandwiches are $15, includes fries!
- siriusly - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:09 pm:
Any truth to the rumor that Quinn plans to run for Lt. Mayor?
- Irish - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:12 pm:
CR - 1:08 - yeah pretty much. Wasting news space that could be put to better use then and re-wasting (?) it again now to retell the same non-news is redundent gossip instead of real news like follwing up on Brady’s apparent lack of support for improving education funding when better education systems and better educated employees bring in business. Business = jobs. Or taking more space to fully develop the alleged connection of donations to state positions in the Quinn administration.
- Cynic - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:13 pm:
–The spot is about six blocks from the White House–
Hmm, I often eat at the Qdoba a block away. I guess that makes me a real corridors-of-power type of guy!
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:19 pm:
Man, cheeseburgers are $17? That had better be one darned good cheeseburger.
But they do have a fairly decent, if limited, Port list. Not bad.
Rahm probably ordered the Blueberry Smash.
- OneMan - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:20 pm:
Why do I suspect Rahm ordered the dead fish for Zell
- Justice - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:25 pm:
Rahm will talk to Clinton regarding “meaning of words and actions.”
Where there’s a rule or law, there’s a loophole or a lawyer who can find one.
He’ll be running.
- vole - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:27 pm:
Chicago is awarded Olympic size personality and muscle. You Cheekawgoawns be so lucky.
- Louis Howe - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:33 pm:
Trippi is a great choice for Dart…with excellent grassroots skills against the entrenched elite. Dart needs a movement campaign to contrast favorably to Rahm—Mr. Inside Deal Maker.
- IrishPirate - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:58 pm:
Rahm’s campaign skills are mythic?
These out of Chicago pundits really don’t know much do they?
He had one tough campaign where the entire weight of the Daley/NW side machine was on his side and even then his victory was hardly mythic.
Now his sparkling personality is mythic.
I may be very wrong, but I think Rahm is being way overhyped. I have met ONE person who plans to support the guy. The rest view him as a nine fingered control freak with a disagreeable personality.
I am avoiding using profanity.
- Ghost - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:59 pm:
The Rahm tuff eminds me of those old E. F. Hutton (or whatever that financial advisor company was called) commercials.
- shore - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 2:59 pm:
Trippi hasn’t won a race in forever. He’s best known for his flops-mondale, dean, jeff greene ect. I also dont know why you get a national guy for the most local of local races, but this dart is not a bullseye, that’s for sure.
- soccermom - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 3:15 pm:
One Man —
How often does someone go into a restaurant and order a live fish?
- david - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 3:34 pm:
god help us all
I pray that Tom Dart will be able to run good enough campaign to beat this creepy guy Emanuel
- Ghost - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 3:57 pm:
We need a new guiding principal…. WWRD - what would rahm do….
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 4:03 pm:
That Rahm was looking to bail the White House was evident months ago when there was the spate of “If Only Obama had Listened to Rahm” stories in the Washington press.
Gee, what Team Player was behind those? I’m sure Obama appreciated it.
Then, there were the sob stories of “Rahm gave up being the first Jewish speaker,” followed by “Rahm should be mayor if Daley retires” stories.
Now here we are. I can’t wait to hear what Rahm’s has for breakfast tomorrow.
Obama’s stuck in the mud. You don’t think he blames Rahm for that, quite a bit?
The Dems are very likely to take a severe beating in November. Rahm, Axelrod and Summers got out before they were fired.
- Responsa - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 4:08 pm:
According to Politico Nancy Pelosi just said she would endorse Rahm for mayor of Chicago. So that should help him–not.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 4:16 pm:
–How often does someone go into a restaurant and order a live fish?
You can go to Doc Ryan’s on Madison in Forest Park and play the Maine Lobster Claw game. Two bucks a pop to try to catch your own live lobster, which they then will boil up for free.
Another question: Who willingly eats lunch with Sam Zell if he doesn’t work for him?
- justbabs - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 4:27 pm:
Joe Trippi has a guest spot on The Good Wife next week - playing a political consultant. Guess that’s his intro to Chicago.
- centrist - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 4:38 pm:
The dynamics of this race will be very interesting. If Dart makes it into the runoff, he wins, no matter who the opponent is, because he is the only candidate who has real potential to appeal to all three major ethnic groups. If Rahm makes it to the runoff and can keep Dart out, he has a good chance. But he could still lose to a black candidate in the runoff, because the Hispanic establishment reviles him and might be able generate a strong anti-Rahm Hispanic vote in a runoff.
- paddyrollingstone - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 4:44 pm:
centrist - I think you are correct that Dart just needs to be in the runoff and he would most likely win. I just don’t see Emmanuel making it into a runoff. If he loses, what does he do then? Should be very interesting.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 4:46 pm:
It’s also possible that Rahm see’s the mayor’s race as an out, an excuse to leave the White House without getting fired or beaten down.
In a few weeks, after his neighborhood “listening tour” (gag), don’t be surprised if he packs it in and just commences to making much, much, much monies.
- ABR* *Anyone But Rahm - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 6:09 pm:
==The rest view him as a nine fingered control freak with a disagreeable personality.==
Agree.
Besides, how many of the Democratic Regulars are going to want to go under Rahm’s thumb so soon after tasting the freedom of escaping Daley’s thumb?
- Wumpus - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 8:31 pm:
WS, this may be an out, but it his perfect out. When Rahm and I had lunch at Pat’s Pizza, he always talked about runing for Mayor.
- Boone Logan Square - Thursday, Sep 30, 10 @ 8:48 pm:
Joe Trippi is an affable fellow, but his track record is not an encouraging sign for Tom Dart’s chances of becoming mayor.