* NBC5 reported last night that the campaigns themselves are claiming that Gery Chico has moved into second place. From the script provided by Channel 5…
Staffers at the campaigns for — Emanuel, Braun and Chico — tell NBC 5 that their internal polls show Gery Chico making movement — this week surpassing Carol Moseley Braun in their internal surveys… Those internal polls do not yet give Emanuel the coveted 50 percent plus one he needs to avoid a run off, however all of the campaigns agree Emanuel is polling in the 40 to 45 percent range, Chico in second, in the 20 percent range and Braun now in third.
VO: Desperate and running out of time, Gery Chico’s making false attacks on Rahm’s plan to lower taxes.
The truth? Rahm would cut Chicago’s sales tax by twenty percent — saving working families up to two hundred dollars a year.
The Sun-Times calls it a “good idea,” saying many Chicagoans will be “paying less in sales tax than they do now.”
Chico would protect tax loopholes for the wealthy, while forcing you to pay hundreds more each year.
More money in your pocket? That’s Rahm Emanuel’s plan.
* And check out who’s showing up at a Chico event today…
Gery Chico Public Schedule Afternoon
Sat., Feb. 5, 2011
WHAT: Mayoral candidate Gery Chico will pick-up the endorsement of Ald. John Pope (10th Ward). Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th Ward) will also attend the event.
WHEN: 2:30 p.m., Sat., Feb. 5, 2011
WHERE: Lakeside Marketing Center (855 S. Greenbay Ave. – Suggested route: Lake Shore Dr. to South Shore Dr. to 86th St.)
* Also, the coppers and the firefighters have responded to Emanuel’s new ad that takes a bit of a whack at city employees…
Statement from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President Mark Donahue:
Rahm Emanuel is running a new television commercial in which he says that City Workers should know that they are “actually public servants”. This past year, members of the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Fire Department lost 8 of their brothers in the line of duty in service to the people of this great city. This past week our brothers and sisters and the other workers in every city department went above and beyond in their efforts to serve the people of this City by ensuring the safety of their lives and property from one of nature’s most violent storms, and they continue to assist in the clean up efforts. None of these public servants need a lecture from Rahm Emanuel on the meaning of public service. I believe Rahm knows better and should take this offensive ad off the air immediatly and concentrate on real issues.
And…
Statement from Tom Ryan President of the Fire Fighters Local 2:
“On behalf of the firefighters of this city, we find Rahm Emanuel’s latest ad attacking city workers including for political gain incredibly insulting.
“We dedicate our lives to protecting and serving the citizens of this city. We run into burning buildings. We ride snowmobiles in the middle of blizzards to save lives. We don’t Emanuel to remind us that we are “actually” public servants.
“In his ad, Emanuel says “city government is not an employment agency.” We, and the men and woman of the Chicago Police Department risk our lives every day for the citizens of Chicago and to suggest we do this for any other reason is cynical and unfair.
“The next time Rahm Emanuel decides to roll out an ad attacking city workers, he should think about who is keeping his neighborhood safe.”
AFSCME also got into the game…
AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer issued the following statement:
“City workers are public servants, not punching bags. It’s very disappointing that, in the wake of a devastating storm through which so many public employees worked tirelessly to aid their fellow Chicagoans, mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel’s new campaign ad impugns their integrity and dedication. Fire fighters, police officers, plow drivers, 311 operators, CTA drivers, emergency responders and countless others stood tall in a crisis and kept our city running. They deserve thanks, not a crass commercial that seeks to discredit them. Emanuel should withdraw this ad now and apologize. Chicago voters deserve a campaign focused on the issues that matter to working families–good jobs, good schools, and safe streets among them–not attack politics that try to turn our city against itself.”
