He definitely accomplished a lot and ruled with an iron fist. Several mulligans along the way (parking meters, Soldier Field, Meigs). Continued problems of corruption and favoritism seem to be part of the fabric of Chicago. Overall however the city has never looked better than it does right now.
Progress on matters like the Mus. campus were overshadowed by corruption to the core.
A missed opportunity.
He had the strength to stand up but failed. “I have the moment of my greatness flicker, I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat and snicker, and, in short, I was afraid.”
Ultimately, he just lacked the courage to be great.
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:44 am:
I don’t respect anyone who lets people take the fall for them. The Mayor set up the system of patronage hiring and Sorich, McCarthy & others went to jail for it.
I know they are good loyal Bridgeport boys who fell on their swords to keep the gravy train rolling-but it doesn’t make it right.
I guess this is when you see the true character of the individual. He goes to parades and goodbye tours while the other guys try to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.
I hate being judgmental but I find the celebratory nature of the end of this tenure deplorable.
A lot better than I thought it would be in 1989. The corruption was expected, the reaching out to Hispanic and African American constituents was much more than I imagined given the casual racism thrown around at the time and his father’s infamous final years. In that sense, HDO is an example of racial progress, if still repeated bad governance.
The environmental record is interesting, with some genuine innovation and strong leadership (I put destroying Meigs here) despite repeatedly pathetic (and unnecessarily expensive) recycling policies.
He portrayed himself as a visionary uber-manager who knew where every sparrow fell. Yet somehow, when his friends and family were chronically caught robbing the city, he didn’t see nothing. Didn’t know nothing. Didn’t understand nothing. Time for the funny, distracting, red-faced, malaprop, crazy mayor act.
Chicago became the four largest metro economy on Planet Earth because of geography, geology and by drawing the hardest working people from all over the world.
There’s no Indispensable Man. Chicago was great before the Daleys, and will be long after Richard the II is gone.
He did alright and he made a lot of friends and family rich on the taxpayer dime. It’s that kind of town. But it’s time to move on from the Cult of Personality.
I have lived in Chicago for two of his terms, during which time the parts of Chicago I frequent (white, middle/upper income) have improved. I like the city and my gripes are no worse and in many cases better than any other large urban area.
My job has borne witness to many mayors doing much worse jobs, and few doing much better.
===* What is your overall view of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s tenure?===
Long.
Ok, the tenure was like a loaf of bread.
At first, its warm, and fluffy and anything attach to it is so good. As the bread gets older, you find what you put on the bread doesn’t taste the same, and isn’t always better connected to the bread. The end? The bread gets stale, repetetive, no flavor, no taste … the bread can fill you up, but you know you need new bread ….
Chicago is the beautiful city it is due to Mayor Daley. He will be missed, this city will never have a more loving and caring first family. Maggie has been a lovely partner in making Chicago a wonderful place to live. After School Matters is an example of their work. I love and will miss them day to day.
Handgun ban,Olympics, Parking meters, Patronage, Murder rate, Crime and Corruption But Daley must have armed security after he retires but, citizens cannot protect themselves.
Richie made Chicago a world-class city - FOR TOURISTS.
Unfortunately, the residents and taxpayers got the short end of the stick at every turn.
Chicago isn’t Detroit, but it sure is broke like Detroit.
- CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:22 am:
he put Chicago back on the right track.
It is too bad that American involvement in the world sports federations is so weak, because the city would have been a great host fo the 2016 Games.
Originally, he tried to blend hiring bright, young folks and old machine folks. John Schmidt was his first chief of staff. John Schmidt! he was willing to try new things, as well as take care of old friends in the old ways.
He also decided, from the beginning, to lower the racial temperature, and cut everybody in on the deals. But he never got rid of the deals.
But as time went on, almost all that was left was the corruption; the deals, the rigged hiring, the inflated contracts. And with the parking meter fiasco, the cost was exposed in a way for everyone to understand.
Sure Millenium Park (for example) is beautiful. But the City will be paying the extra costs for a long time.
He lowered the temperature. The CHA high rises are gone. The schools in most neighborhoods are still poor. Downtown looks good. The cupboard is bare. His friends made money. Some guys took the fall.
Very positive early on - he did a terrific job of keeping the city a great place to live, kept the tax base of professionals young and old and businesses in Chicago. More recently he abused the TIF program too much, with giveaways to developers in places that didn’t need it. The Hired Truck program, the hiring / political favors, the parking meter deal became too much.
He was ok the first couple of terms. Then like most long term incumbents(Madigan, Philip, Thompson, etc.) he moved further and further away from the people that got him elected and closer and closer to the rich aristocracy. Now he feels much closer to the Pritzkers than the guys from Schallers. His move to the south Loop was symbolic of his philosophical move away from the people. The rich got richer while they poured millions into Daley’s campaign funds. Al Sanchez and Victor Reyes became the guys to go to and the ward committeemen and aldermen became figureheads. He was around long enough to have appointed most of the city council which pretty much made his reign a dictatorship and the neighborbhoods suffered. He built a bunch of new police stations while woefully inderstaffing the police dept. It was always all about pr. The schools stink, the city is broke,the streets are crumbling, and the alleys are full of rats.
I guess his greatest accopmplishment was staying out of jail. He always had layers of fall guys to take the heat. So, good riddance. Go to Michigan and collect your $225,000 pension. In reality, he was a total failure.
We’re not Detroit so mostly good. We are still a broken city in a lot of ways (segregation, financial shortfalls, graft up the wazzu) but mostly good. We’re a world class city with world class problems.
If you’ve traveled, you know America is the best country to live in, and you also know Chicago is the best big city to live in. He should recieve some credit. Problems still abound, crime, insider deals, impoverished areas (west & south), but all in all, the city is better.
I like RMD but he probably stayed a term too long. Of course, anyone who would have replaced him 4 years would have been a disaster.
The press is having a particularly sentimental field day because they know Mayor Emanuel will not be as open to them. (RMD met the press almost every day he was in town.)
On the plus side he planted trees and flowers everywhere downtown and they look very nice. On the down side: huge debt, the horrible, horrible parking meter deal, failing schools, blight in many neighborhoods, corruption, Meigs and did I mention the parking meter fiasco?
For those,like me who prefer to view history from a distance with a bit of detachment, I am going to try to answer this QOTD in that way. Forty years from now, Millennium Park will still be one of the great open urban spaces on the planet. The Chicago Art Institute will still house and maintain a great collection, and most of the brilliant architectural skyscrapers along the river and in the loop will still stand and inspire. The parking meters will be forgotten, scandals regarding Meigs, Daley’s nephew, and incarcerated friends will not be remembered or even mentioned, the Olympics will not even be a footnote, and who knows if the dangerous sport of professional football will even still be played anywhere, let alone in the mistake on the lake.
Daley’s historical legacy will be that at a time when big important cities were dying, he took office, stayed a long time and his city did not die.
The Mayor kept Chicago a successful city in spite of the corruption. Chicago functions better than any other major city I can think of. Is the guy perfect? Heck no! To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Daley is the worst big city mayor in the world; except for all the others”.
There isn’t enough space here for me to really get into his legacy. He did some wonderful things. He did some questionable things. He did some stupid things. It’s a mixed bag, but overall, I think Chicago is a better city because of his leadership.
Of course, the impact of his tenure will be felt for a generation, much like his father. It is probably too soon to say what the ultimate legacy will be, especially given the shaky financial picture he’s leaving for Rahm.
At a minimum, the city is better today than it was in 1989. I give him a lot of the credit for that.
Surveying the other responses, words like “patronage”, “iron fist”, “corruption”, “favoritism” are hard to ignore. What disappoints me most about the Daley “legacy” is its influence over leaders at every level and in all sectors of the City. I take seriously the idea that leadership is 70% “setting the example” for others and I fear Daley’s leadership has done this community great harm. One merely needs to watch the new Fox crime drama, “Chicago Code”. They should have used the more obvious (and honest) “Chicago Way” as the title. Sure, the Loop looks nice but is “Better than Detroit or St. Louis” really worth the unraveling of the civic fabric?
There’s a second part to your question, Rich: Do people live in the city or the suburbs? My observation is that the suburbanites just love the pretty planters and are so sad about the Olympics, and the city dwellers are ticked off about all the waste and thrilled that Rio gets stuck with the IOC bill.
Downtown Chicago is beautiful and offers a lot of attractions. Much of that is due to Daley. I admire his many accomplishments, though I cannot admire his tactics. Meigs Field demonstrated that he was willing to take a backhoe and roll it right over those who got in his way.
I cannot respect a mayor who turns a blind eye to the corruption happening around him. In that respect, Daley was an enabler.
In the end, it comes down to this. I admire things that Daley did, but I’ll never respect him.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.
Daley did much good. Daley did much bad. The cronyism and corruption largely contributed to the financial situation the city faces today.
Like his friend George W Bush, RMD, is an example of why bosses’ sons should not be elected to office. They always have something to prove and often lack the better qualities of their dads.
He seemed to have a real disdain for many of the “little people”. I often find John Kass’s writing to be overwrought, but he was on to something about how Daley treated the scapegoat for the Loop flood. His dad knew what it was to come up from humble beginnings and had a real understanding of average folks. The little princeling lacked that experience.
I have an inkling that the next few years aren’t going to easy on Daley’s legacy.
Interesting observation, word. I think a new trend is developing in campaign fundraising (and voter outreach), taking a lead from the Chicago Democrats. Those who want in on the action seem to be quickly aligning themselves with Daley and the “cultural” or “society” crowds and events Daley and the DC pols are well known for, and hoping that it will fly big time in the Midwest. Wannabes are taking the bait, puppetmasters will continue to use it to get what they want, but those with real dollars are raising their eyebrows even higher.
Just look at who’s party of that “society” crowd and who’s not. They probably know that whatever credibility survived during the process, will go out the window with one major scandal.
“As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. The beloved Echo of our ancestors, the virgin America, has been abandoned. We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making….”
In a country founded on separation of powers, I’m fascinated by the sentimentality for a dictator.
Benign or indifferent, a dictator is still a dictator. People say Madigan’s a dictator? He controls, on his best days, one chamber in one of three branches of government.
The only guy who could touch Daley was the U.S. Attorney, and only one of them during his tenure even gave it a shot.
For crying out loud, you could rationally argue that the destruction of Meigs Field, and the ludicrous explanation for it after the fact, was the act of a mad man. He’s not crazy, but he was drunk with power.
The city’s prettier because of this one man? C’mon. There are a lot of people in Chicago who could have done the job better within the framework of democracy and honest, open government.
- Jake From Elwood - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:08 pm:
Yesterday’s Sun-Times had a pretty fair summary of Daley’s ties to several corrupt parties over the course of his tenure. I did not remember all of them. His legacy will forever be stained by the taint of those ties and the City’s perversely twisted TIF system. No leader is perfect.
I do believe he had a deep fondness for the City and tried to improve it–but under his terms. This is to be expected from the son of “The Boss”, no?
No doubt the Rahminator will place his imprint in a similar sledgehammer fashion.
Disappointing. As another blogger said “…lacked the courage to be great”. Focus seemed to be on big grandiose projects, mostly for downtown, to the neglect of neighborhood infrastructure. Corruption and more corruption. Cronies, pals, and “the Chicago Way”. Shackman decree and watchdogs?…a joke. Parochial…if a third airport would be in Chicago, it’s good…if not it’s bad and lets have the “Gary-Chicago airport”. Meigs Field typifies contempt for state and federal authority. Etc. etc. etc. These large shortcomings, and the entrenched legacy they leave, far outweigh claims of “love” for the City or targeted development by the connected.
Would like to say he was great, but can only say he was there.
He didn’t inspire, he didn’t challenge the city to be it’s best, and he didn’t clean up corruption but simply used it to the benefit of his family and friends.
Chicago is strong and vibrant because of it’s people, not because of it’s mayor….this time.
Much more positive than negative … strong on economic growth and turning Chicago into an engine of growth … strong on parks and green spaces … mediocre on gov’t reform … strong on image … strong on maintaining good relations with the White House, regardless of the President … mediocre on schools and education …
–Yeah, right. We can anticipate no personality cult w/RE. Sure.–
DD, Emanuel is not the eldest son and lifelong prince-in-waiting for the city’s (formerly) longest-serving, legendary mayor that everyone called Boss.
Emanuel doesn’t inherit that mantle. Just a gaping budget hole and a lot of unpopular choices.
Besides, he’s not going to be The Man on Five for long. His ultimate goal is his other former boss’ job. My guess is he starts eyeballing Quinn’s chair the day after he’s sworn in. Historically, governors get elected president.
You’re most likely right. I was just feeling abit snarky after watching all the MSM folk fawning over Richie. They will likely do that with RE as well but, yeah, he is ambitious and will likely move up.
- GoldCoastConservative - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:55 pm:
The vibrancy of Chicago has been immeasurably improved under this Mayor. To accomplish that however, the Mayor tolerated endemic corruption and mortgaged the City’s future. Over the following twenty-two years, the consequences of the financial mismanagement will likely undue the good that he accomplished.
–The vibrancy of Chicago has been immeasurably improved under this Mayor. To accomplish that however, the Mayor tolerated endemic corruption and mortgaged the City’s future.–
Why was “endemic corruption” necessary to achieve this immeasurably improved vibrancy? Examples, please.
X - As in the X’s that were carved into the Meigs Field runway overnight on that fateful night in perhaps the most corrupt, cowardly act ever committed by a public official, or anyone for that matter. Goodbye Dictator, err, Mayor. Best wishes to you and your family but I am glad you are gone from office.
Richie loved the city sure, but he loved his friends and family more…I think he asked for all and more from his high end staffers, even to the point of taking the fall for him…I think that the Feds could still complicate his retirement plans when his former underlings start
to sing…
I’d put Daley in the same category as Madigan. Both built extraordinary power over their careers, and both appeared to put their power agendas well ahead of public policy.
Daley is leaving the city budget in shambles, having recklessly unloaded major city assets and used that cash to cover short-term obligations.
Other than the proliferation of charter and magnet schools, the public school system also is in shambles. I heard Daley interviewed on TV the day of the Sox opener, and the reporter asked him what he would have be his legacy. “Education,” he responded, and I just about choked.
As for the public transportation system? I saw a tweet a couple days ago that said something to the effect of, “The blue line smells like the red line,” Yeah, that pretty much says what you need to know about public transportation in Chicago.
The general economy of the city, outside of downtown, certain North Side neighborhoods, and the Southwest and Northwest enclaves of city workers, also appears to be more or less devastated. How many people live in or near poverty in Chicago? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe a million? More?
As for crime? Good lord, where do you start?
Daley lost me, and many others, with his indefensible destruction of Meigs Field. That pretty much captured his legacy - he ruled with an iron fist, he did what he wanted to do regardless of the city’s best interests, and he stomped on anybody who dared challenge him.
I love Chicago, and will always consider it home for me. Frankly, it breaks my heart to see the state of affairs today. It’s time for somebody to take seriously the critical and fundamental problems underpinning the city. We’ll see whether Rahm is that somebody. But it’s clear that Daley has vastly over-stayed his welcome, and it’s past time for him to go.
Mixed- The Mayor certainly oversaw the revitalizing of the city and chicago became more of a destination during the Daley tenure- However, he badly mismanaged the budget leaving a huge deficit and ongoing fiscal issues as well as agreeing to some awful deals the worst of which was the parking meter fiasco
It is telling that Emmanuel is just about tearing about the entire system that Daley created. I think that ever since the economy turned in 2002 Daley has not known how to cut back budget-wise.
Anyone, including most of the psoters on this thread, can achieve positive results when spending billions of other people’s money, with their corresponding deficits. I’m sure that city dwellers like him more than those outside the city since many of their tax dollars funded Daley’s whims.
All of the negatives quoted here swamp any positives gained at the expense of Illinois taxpayers. Include in those negatives all of Daley’s attempts to quash individual rights.
I don’t know why everyone keeps harping on Meigs. This was an airport that served an astonishingly small number of people. However, these people were very loud everytime there was any kind of threat to disrupt their hobby. And it had only been kept open because of promises from the state that the state would pay to keep it afloat. Once Ryan left office, the next governor wasn’t interested in it.
I much prefer the park.
His legacy is complex and probably is too soon to judge it. I know the city of Chicago is world class and a hub on the global economy (something many other large US cities are not). RMD, Washington, RJD, Kennelly, Kelly et al probably each take some credit as well as favorable location and immigration.
Daley broke the law (and the city subsequently fined) for the middle of the night power grab. Several airplane owners had to pay to have their aircraft disasembled and shipped from the dug up Meigs. I can’t imagine why people would consider this problem worthy of harping…
Cincy: He did NOT break the law according to my legal friends when he carved the Xs in Miegs…it was his legal right to do so, and he did it in the middle of the night to have his way without public input. I’m not saying it was the right way to go about it, but as long as he wasn’t violating the law, there was really little down side for him…It was always a part of Burnham’s plan of Chicago to have the lakefront accessible to the public, not just corporate types with their own jets…Miegs is now a beautiful greenspace called Northerly Island…it is open to the public, is a major bird sanctuary, and affords a knockout view of the skyline looking west…
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:59 pm:
There are a few things I disagreed with the Mayor on: Meigs Field, education, the parking meters, corruption, but the City is a better place and a more vibrant place than ever. I live in the city and have watched it change, and I must say, for better or for worse, thank you, Mayor Daley! He has a passion for this city and always tried to make it better. I have to tip my hat to him.
Sure for their incurred expense. That’s a pretty cheap price to pay for Northerly Island. I believe the fine was simply for failure to provide notice to the craft owners. That’s different from saying he had no right to carve X’s in the runway.
I defy you to prove that any aircarft had “to pay to have their aircraft disasembled and shipped”.
Any aircraft that were still there after the runways were torn up merely took-off from the taxi-way. Methinks you made that statement up to bolster your argument.
While he should have left a term sooner the good far outweighs the bad, especially in the area of race relations. Economically every major city in this country is broke so I’ll hold off on faulting him.
- Ravenswood Right Winger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:30 am:
more positive than negative, but the negatives in the past few years really haev dented his legacy.
oh, and the budget deficit is a big stain on his record. parking meter boondoggle….
- Stones - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:31 am:
He definitely accomplished a lot and ruled with an iron fist. Several mulligans along the way (parking meters, Soldier Field, Meigs). Continued problems of corruption and favoritism seem to be part of the fabric of Chicago. Overall however the city has never looked better than it does right now.
- Skeeter - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:41 am:
Progress on matters like the Mus. campus were overshadowed by corruption to the core.
A missed opportunity.
He had the strength to stand up but failed. “I have the moment of my greatness flicker, I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat and snicker, and, in short, I was afraid.”
Ultimately, he just lacked the courage to be great.
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:44 am:
I don’t respect anyone who lets people take the fall for them. The Mayor set up the system of patronage hiring and Sorich, McCarthy & others went to jail for it.
I know they are good loyal Bridgeport boys who fell on their swords to keep the gravy train rolling-but it doesn’t make it right.
I guess this is when you see the true character of the individual. He goes to parades and goodbye tours while the other guys try to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.
I hate being judgmental but I find the celebratory nature of the end of this tenure deplorable.
- Boone Logan Square - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:46 am:
A lot better than I thought it would be in 1989. The corruption was expected, the reaching out to Hispanic and African American constituents was much more than I imagined given the casual racism thrown around at the time and his father’s infamous final years. In that sense, HDO is an example of racial progress, if still repeated bad governance.
The environmental record is interesting, with some genuine innovation and strong leadership (I put destroying Meigs here) despite repeatedly pathetic (and unnecessarily expensive) recycling policies.
Blair Kamin has a good piece in today’s Tribune about Daley’s mixed record on urban design, discussing the parking meter fiasco in that context. Worth a read: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2011/05/judging-daleys-record-on-architecture-and-urban-design-a-great-but-flawed-mayor.html#tp
- Leroy - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:50 am:
Compare how much debt Chicago was in in 1989 vs 2011.
Bonus points: plot that against Chicago’s revenues in 1989 vs 2011.
That should give you an idea of how well Chicago fared investment wise between 1989 and 2011.
- Because I say so - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:51 am:
Absolutely no questioning his love for the City. I don’t know if we will ever have another mayor with that passion. Yes, there was bad but more good.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:56 am:
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
He portrayed himself as a visionary uber-manager who knew where every sparrow fell. Yet somehow, when his friends and family were chronically caught robbing the city, he didn’t see nothing. Didn’t know nothing. Didn’t understand nothing. Time for the funny, distracting, red-faced, malaprop, crazy mayor act.
Chicago became the four largest metro economy on Planet Earth because of geography, geology and by drawing the hardest working people from all over the world.
There’s no Indispensable Man. Chicago was great before the Daleys, and will be long after Richard the II is gone.
He did alright and he made a lot of friends and family rich on the taxpayer dime. It’s that kind of town. But it’s time to move on from the Cult of Personality.
- Dirt Digger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:57 am:
I have lived in Chicago for two of his terms, during which time the parts of Chicago I frequent (white, middle/upper income) have improved. I like the city and my gripes are no worse and in many cases better than any other large urban area.
My job has borne witness to many mayors doing much worse jobs, and few doing much better.
- railrat - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 9:58 am:
to the Unions love him or hate him hes the “last Union Mayor” good luck !!!
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:02 am:
===* What is your overall view of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s tenure?===
Long.
Ok, the tenure was like a loaf of bread.
At first, its warm, and fluffy and anything attach to it is so good. As the bread gets older, you find what you put on the bread doesn’t taste the same, and isn’t always better connected to the bread. The end? The bread gets stale, repetetive, no flavor, no taste … the bread can fill you up, but you know you need new bread ….
Daley’s tenure is “loaf-like”
- Julie Starsiak - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:05 am:
Chicago is the beautiful city it is due to Mayor Daley. He will be missed, this city will never have a more loving and caring first family. Maggie has been a lovely partner in making Chicago a wonderful place to live. After School Matters is an example of their work. I love and will miss them day to day.
- Bob - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:15 am:
Handgun ban,Olympics, Parking meters, Patronage, Murder rate, Crime and Corruption But Daley must have armed security after he retires but, citizens cannot protect themselves.
- Damfunny - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:17 am:
Richie made Chicago a world-class city - FOR TOURISTS.
Unfortunately, the residents and taxpayers got the short end of the stick at every turn.
Chicago isn’t Detroit, but it sure is broke like Detroit.
- CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:22 am:
he put Chicago back on the right track.
It is too bad that American involvement in the world sports federations is so weak, because the city would have been a great host fo the 2016 Games.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:27 am:
As an aside, I saw a “We Love You Mayor Daley” spot this morning featuring, among others, Bob Sirott and Alison Rosatti.
What kind of journalism is that?
The spot was sponsored by Walter E. Smythe (the wacky furniture brothers).
So you have journalists in a commercial spot praising a politician. Whatever credibility they had, it’s now gone.
I think I got Richard Dent and W in the spot, too.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:28 am:
Originally, he tried to blend hiring bright, young folks and old machine folks. John Schmidt was his first chief of staff. John Schmidt! he was willing to try new things, as well as take care of old friends in the old ways.
He also decided, from the beginning, to lower the racial temperature, and cut everybody in on the deals. But he never got rid of the deals.
But as time went on, almost all that was left was the corruption; the deals, the rigged hiring, the inflated contracts. And with the parking meter fiasco, the cost was exposed in a way for everyone to understand.
Sure Millenium Park (for example) is beautiful. But the City will be paying the extra costs for a long time.
He lowered the temperature. The CHA high rises are gone. The schools in most neighborhoods are still poor. Downtown looks good. The cupboard is bare. His friends made money. Some guys took the fall.
That’s his legacy.
- Robert - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:29 am:
Very positive early on - he did a terrific job of keeping the city a great place to live, kept the tax base of professionals young and old and businesses in Chicago. More recently he abused the TIF program too much, with giveaways to developers in places that didn’t need it. The Hired Truck program, the hiring / political favors, the parking meter deal became too much.
- CLJ - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:42 am:
X
X
X
X
- Bill - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:47 am:
He was ok the first couple of terms. Then like most long term incumbents(Madigan, Philip, Thompson, etc.) he moved further and further away from the people that got him elected and closer and closer to the rich aristocracy. Now he feels much closer to the Pritzkers than the guys from Schallers. His move to the south Loop was symbolic of his philosophical move away from the people. The rich got richer while they poured millions into Daley’s campaign funds. Al Sanchez and Victor Reyes became the guys to go to and the ward committeemen and aldermen became figureheads. He was around long enough to have appointed most of the city council which pretty much made his reign a dictatorship and the neighborbhoods suffered. He built a bunch of new police stations while woefully inderstaffing the police dept. It was always all about pr. The schools stink, the city is broke,the streets are crumbling, and the alleys are full of rats.
I guess his greatest accopmplishment was staying out of jail. He always had layers of fall guys to take the heat. So, good riddance. Go to Michigan and collect your $225,000 pension. In reality, he was a total failure.
- hammer - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:53 am:
We’re not Detroit so mostly good. We are still a broken city in a lot of ways (segregation, financial shortfalls, graft up the wazzu) but mostly good. We’re a world class city with world class problems.
- Marco Polo - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:55 am:
If you’ve traveled, you know America is the best country to live in, and you also know Chicago is the best big city to live in. He should recieve some credit. Problems still abound, crime, insider deals, impoverished areas (west & south), but all in all, the city is better.
- Redbright - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 10:57 am:
I like RMD but he probably stayed a term too long. Of course, anyone who would have replaced him 4 years would have been a disaster.
The press is having a particularly sentimental field day because they know Mayor Emanuel will not be as open to them. (RMD met the press almost every day he was in town.)
- just sayin' - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:03 am:
Who wants to know? You gotta problem?
- RightGirl - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:07 am:
His abs need some work.
- LouisXIV - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:08 am:
On the plus side he planted trees and flowers everywhere downtown and they look very nice. On the down side: huge debt, the horrible, horrible parking meter deal, failing schools, blight in many neighborhoods, corruption, Meigs and did I mention the parking meter fiasco?
- Responsa - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:14 am:
For those,like me who prefer to view history from a distance with a bit of detachment, I am going to try to answer this QOTD in that way. Forty years from now, Millennium Park will still be one of the great open urban spaces on the planet. The Chicago Art Institute will still house and maintain a great collection, and most of the brilliant architectural skyscrapers along the river and in the loop will still stand and inspire. The parking meters will be forgotten, scandals regarding Meigs, Daley’s nephew, and incarcerated friends will not be remembered or even mentioned, the Olympics will not even be a footnote, and who knows if the dangerous sport of professional football will even still be played anywhere, let alone in the mistake on the lake.
Daley’s historical legacy will be that at a time when big important cities were dying, he took office, stayed a long time and his city did not die.
- Irish - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:20 am:
A lot of folks are pointing out the bad things that occurred. I guess to me you have to ask yourself.
Is the city better than it was when he took over?
Yes
Have any of the interim Mayors, not a Daley, accomplished what the current Mayor has in their terms?
No.
Would you rather be in Chicago, or New York, or Newark, or Detroit, or LA?
Chicago.
Has the city grown in culture, parks and green spaces, transportation, etc.
Yes
Nuff said.
Thank you Mayor Daley.
- One of the 35 - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:32 am:
The Mayor kept Chicago a successful city in spite of the corruption. Chicago functions better than any other major city I can think of. Is the guy perfect? Heck no! To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Daley is the worst big city mayor in the world; except for all the others”.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:35 am:
Overall, very positive. He took the city of Chicago in the eyes of the rest of the world, to a new level. Let’s hope we maintain that level.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:42 am:
There isn’t enough space here for me to really get into his legacy. He did some wonderful things. He did some questionable things. He did some stupid things. It’s a mixed bag, but overall, I think Chicago is a better city because of his leadership.
Of course, the impact of his tenure will be felt for a generation, much like his father. It is probably too soon to say what the ultimate legacy will be, especially given the shaky financial picture he’s leaving for Rahm.
At a minimum, the city is better today than it was in 1989. I give him a lot of the credit for that.
- globalguy - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:48 am:
Surveying the other responses, words like “patronage”, “iron fist”, “corruption”, “favoritism” are hard to ignore. What disappoints me most about the Daley “legacy” is its influence over leaders at every level and in all sectors of the City. I take seriously the idea that leadership is 70% “setting the example” for others and I fear Daley’s leadership has done this community great harm. One merely needs to watch the new Fox crime drama, “Chicago Code”. They should have used the more obvious (and honest) “Chicago Way” as the title. Sure, the Loop looks nice but is “Better than Detroit or St. Louis” really worth the unraveling of the civic fabric?
- lakeview - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:54 am:
RightGirl for the win.
There’s a second part to your question, Rich: Do people live in the city or the suburbs? My observation is that the suburbanites just love the pretty planters and are so sad about the Olympics, and the city dwellers are ticked off about all the waste and thrilled that Rio gets stuck with the IOC bill.
- Aldyth - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:55 am:
Downtown Chicago is beautiful and offers a lot of attractions. Much of that is due to Daley. I admire his many accomplishments, though I cannot admire his tactics. Meigs Field demonstrated that he was willing to take a backhoe and roll it right over those who got in his way.
I cannot respect a mayor who turns a blind eye to the corruption happening around him. In that respect, Daley was an enabler.
In the end, it comes down to this. I admire things that Daley did, but I’ll never respect him.
- IrishPirate - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 11:58 am:
When in doubt use a Shakespeare quote:
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.
Daley did much good. Daley did much bad. The cronyism and corruption largely contributed to the financial situation the city faces today.
Like his friend George W Bush, RMD, is an example of why bosses’ sons should not be elected to office. They always have something to prove and often lack the better qualities of their dads.
He seemed to have a real disdain for many of the “little people”. I often find John Kass’s writing to be overwrought, but he was on to something about how Daley treated the scapegoat for the Loop flood. His dad knew what it was to come up from humble beginnings and had a real understanding of average folks. The little princeling lacked that experience.
I have an inkling that the next few years aren’t going to easy on Daley’s legacy.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 12:19 pm:
Interesting observation, word. I think a new trend is developing in campaign fundraising (and voter outreach), taking a lead from the Chicago Democrats. Those who want in on the action seem to be quickly aligning themselves with Daley and the “cultural” or “society” crowds and events Daley and the DC pols are well known for, and hoping that it will fly big time in the Midwest. Wannabes are taking the bait, puppetmasters will continue to use it to get what they want, but those with real dollars are raising their eyebrows even higher.
Just look at who’s party of that “society” crowd and who’s not. They probably know that whatever credibility survived during the process, will go out the window with one major scandal.
What a wicked web.
- Kilroy - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 12:28 pm:
You don’t need any special talent to take out loans and use the proceeds to improve quality of life in the city.
Hell, Eugene Sawyer could have done that, given enough time.
Show me mayoral talent that could do that *without* sticking the bill to the generations to come, and I’ll show you a good mayor.
My question is: how long will Daley be gone before we (read: Rahm and the media) start throwing him under the bus?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 12:34 pm:
“As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. The beloved Echo of our ancestors, the virgin America, has been abandoned. We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making….”
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 12:37 pm:
In a country founded on separation of powers, I’m fascinated by the sentimentality for a dictator.
Benign or indifferent, a dictator is still a dictator. People say Madigan’s a dictator? He controls, on his best days, one chamber in one of three branches of government.
The only guy who could touch Daley was the U.S. Attorney, and only one of them during his tenure even gave it a shot.
For crying out loud, you could rationally argue that the destruction of Meigs Field, and the ludicrous explanation for it after the fact, was the act of a mad man. He’s not crazy, but he was drunk with power.
The city’s prettier because of this one man? C’mon. There are a lot of people in Chicago who could have done the job better within the framework of democracy and honest, open government.
- Jake From Elwood - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:08 pm:
Yesterday’s Sun-Times had a pretty fair summary of Daley’s ties to several corrupt parties over the course of his tenure. I did not remember all of them. His legacy will forever be stained by the taint of those ties and the City’s perversely twisted TIF system. No leader is perfect.
I do believe he had a deep fondness for the City and tried to improve it–but under his terms. This is to be expected from the son of “The Boss”, no?
No doubt the Rahminator will place his imprint in a similar sledgehammer fashion.
- dupage dan - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:10 pm:
@wordslinger 9:56am,
=But it’s time to move on from the Cult of Personality=
Yeah, right. We can anticipate no personality cult w/RE. Sure.
- JustaJoe - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:18 pm:
Disappointing. As another blogger said “…lacked the courage to be great”. Focus seemed to be on big grandiose projects, mostly for downtown, to the neglect of neighborhood infrastructure. Corruption and more corruption. Cronies, pals, and “the Chicago Way”. Shackman decree and watchdogs?…a joke. Parochial…if a third airport would be in Chicago, it’s good…if not it’s bad and lets have the “Gary-Chicago airport”. Meigs Field typifies contempt for state and federal authority. Etc. etc. etc. These large shortcomings, and the entrenched legacy they leave, far outweigh claims of “love” for the City or targeted development by the connected.
- Justice - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:32 pm:
Would like to say he was great, but can only say he was there.
He didn’t inspire, he didn’t challenge the city to be it’s best, and he didn’t clean up corruption but simply used it to the benefit of his family and friends.
Chicago is strong and vibrant because of it’s people, not because of it’s mayor….this time.
- QC - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:37 pm:
Much more positive than negative … strong on economic growth and turning Chicago into an engine of growth … strong on parks and green spaces … mediocre on gov’t reform … strong on image … strong on maintaining good relations with the White House, regardless of the President … mediocre on schools and education …
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:44 pm:
–Yeah, right. We can anticipate no personality cult w/RE. Sure.–
DD, Emanuel is not the eldest son and lifelong prince-in-waiting for the city’s (formerly) longest-serving, legendary mayor that everyone called Boss.
Emanuel doesn’t inherit that mantle. Just a gaping budget hole and a lot of unpopular choices.
Besides, he’s not going to be The Man on Five for long. His ultimate goal is his other former boss’ job. My guess is he starts eyeballing Quinn’s chair the day after he’s sworn in. Historically, governors get elected president.
- dupage dan - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:48 pm:
word,
You’re most likely right. I was just feeling abit snarky after watching all the MSM folk fawning over Richie. They will likely do that with RE as well but, yeah, he is ambitious and will likely move up.
- GoldCoastConservative - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 1:55 pm:
The vibrancy of Chicago has been immeasurably improved under this Mayor. To accomplish that however, the Mayor tolerated endemic corruption and mortgaged the City’s future. Over the following twenty-two years, the consequences of the financial mismanagement will likely undue the good that he accomplished.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:03 pm:
–The vibrancy of Chicago has been immeasurably improved under this Mayor. To accomplish that however, the Mayor tolerated endemic corruption and mortgaged the City’s future.–
Why was “endemic corruption” necessary to achieve this immeasurably improved vibrancy? Examples, please.
- Kilroy - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:17 pm:
Well, he did correct the public housing mistakes his father made. Man, that was a long, strange journey.
Chicago is still one of the most segregated cities in the world. Iron fences and planters nonwithstanding.
- Good Riddance - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:21 pm:
X - As in the X’s that were carved into the Meigs Field runway overnight on that fateful night in perhaps the most corrupt, cowardly act ever committed by a public official, or anyone for that matter. Goodbye Dictator, err, Mayor. Best wishes to you and your family but I am glad you are gone from office.
- Kilroy - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:22 pm:
Oh..and let’s also not forget how demoralized the Chicago Police Department is right now.
And what bad shape the CTA is in.
The Chicago Public School System is in hock, too.
Hmmm…’world class city…’??
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:24 pm:
Word, you’ve had your say - several times. Move along, please.
- Loop Lady - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:29 pm:
Richie loved the city sure, but he loved his friends and family more…I think he asked for all and more from his high end staffers, even to the point of taking the fall for him…I think that the Feds could still complicate his retirement plans when his former underlings start
to sing…
- Coach - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:46 pm:
I’d put Daley in the same category as Madigan. Both built extraordinary power over their careers, and both appeared to put their power agendas well ahead of public policy.
Daley is leaving the city budget in shambles, having recklessly unloaded major city assets and used that cash to cover short-term obligations.
Other than the proliferation of charter and magnet schools, the public school system also is in shambles. I heard Daley interviewed on TV the day of the Sox opener, and the reporter asked him what he would have be his legacy. “Education,” he responded, and I just about choked.
As for the public transportation system? I saw a tweet a couple days ago that said something to the effect of, “The blue line smells like the red line,” Yeah, that pretty much says what you need to know about public transportation in Chicago.
The general economy of the city, outside of downtown, certain North Side neighborhoods, and the Southwest and Northwest enclaves of city workers, also appears to be more or less devastated. How many people live in or near poverty in Chicago? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe a million? More?
As for crime? Good lord, where do you start?
Daley lost me, and many others, with his indefensible destruction of Meigs Field. That pretty much captured his legacy - he ruled with an iron fist, he did what he wanted to do regardless of the city’s best interests, and he stomped on anybody who dared challenge him.
I love Chicago, and will always consider it home for me. Frankly, it breaks my heart to see the state of affairs today. It’s time for somebody to take seriously the critical and fundamental problems underpinning the city. We’ll see whether Rahm is that somebody. But it’s clear that Daley has vastly over-stayed his welcome, and it’s past time for him to go.
- Knome Sane - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:49 pm:
Rich, have I been banned?
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:50 pm:
No, but please tone it down. Hostages? C’mon.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:51 pm:
===Hmmm…’world class city…’?? ===
You’ve obviously not been anywhere else.
- Knome Sane - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 2:51 pm:
Understood.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:04 pm:
“No, but please tone it down. Hostages? C’mon.”
Knome, things like people getting taken away in ambulances against their will? Seriously!
- sue - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:21 pm:
Mixed- The Mayor certainly oversaw the revitalizing of the city and chicago became more of a destination during the Daley tenure- However, he badly mismanaged the budget leaving a huge deficit and ongoing fiscal issues as well as agreeing to some awful deals the worst of which was the parking meter fiasco
- Jim - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:22 pm:
It is telling that Emmanuel is just about tearing about the entire system that Daley created. I think that ever since the economy turned in 2002 Daley has not known how to cut back budget-wise.
- Cincinnatus - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:24 pm:
Anyone, including most of the psoters on this thread, can achieve positive results when spending billions of other people’s money, with their corresponding deficits. I’m sure that city dwellers like him more than those outside the city since many of their tax dollars funded Daley’s whims.
All of the negatives quoted here swamp any positives gained at the expense of Illinois taxpayers. Include in those negatives all of Daley’s attempts to quash individual rights.
Adios and good riddence.
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:25 pm:
I don’t know why everyone keeps harping on Meigs. This was an airport that served an astonishingly small number of people. However, these people were very loud everytime there was any kind of threat to disrupt their hobby. And it had only been kept open because of promises from the state that the state would pay to keep it afloat. Once Ryan left office, the next governor wasn’t interested in it.
I much prefer the park.
His legacy is complex and probably is too soon to judge it. I know the city of Chicago is world class and a hub on the global economy (something many other large US cities are not). RMD, Washington, RJD, Kennelly, Kelly et al probably each take some credit as well as favorable location and immigration.
- Cincinnatus - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:31 pm:
cermak_rd,
Re: Meigs
Daley broke the law (and the city subsequently fined) for the middle of the night power grab. Several airplane owners had to pay to have their aircraft disasembled and shipped from the dug up Meigs. I can’t imagine why people would consider this problem worthy of harping…
- Loop Lady - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:49 pm:
Cincy: He did NOT break the law according to my legal friends when he carved the Xs in Miegs…it was his legal right to do so, and he did it in the middle of the night to have his way without public input. I’m not saying it was the right way to go about it, but as long as he wasn’t violating the law, there was really little down side for him…It was always a part of Burnham’s plan of Chicago to have the lakefront accessible to the public, not just corporate types with their own jets…Miegs is now a beautiful greenspace called Northerly Island…it is open to the public, is a major bird sanctuary, and affords a knockout view of the skyline looking west…
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 3:59 pm:
There are a few things I disagreed with the Mayor on: Meigs Field, education, the parking meters, corruption, but the City is a better place and a more vibrant place than ever. I live in the city and have watched it change, and I must say, for better or for worse, thank you, Mayor Daley! He has a passion for this city and always tried to make it better. I have to tip my hat to him.
- Cincinnatus - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 4:01 pm:
Loop Lady,
Why was the city fined for breaking FAA regulations? Would the airplane owners have the right to sue the city for their incurred expenses?
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 4:33 pm:
Cincinnatus ,
Sure for their incurred expense. That’s a pretty cheap price to pay for Northerly Island. I believe the fine was simply for failure to provide notice to the craft owners. That’s different from saying he had no right to carve X’s in the runway.
- Knome Sane - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 4:56 pm:
Cincinnatus,
I defy you to prove that any aircarft had “to pay to have their aircraft disasembled and shipped”.
Any aircraft that were still there after the runways were torn up merely took-off from the taxi-way. Methinks you made that statement up to bolster your argument.
- Knome Sane - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 4:59 pm:
Cincinnatus:
“The stranded aircraft were later allowed to depart from Meigs’ 3,000-foot (910 m) taxiway.”
See the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meigs_Field
- Gregor - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 6:07 pm:
“X,X,X”
- thomas paine - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 7:04 pm:
While he should have left a term sooner the good far outweighs the bad, especially in the area of race relations. Economically every major city in this country is broke so I’ll hold off on faulting him.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 7:08 pm:
Sorry. Still, I’d be fascinated to know how endemic corruption and mortgaging the future lead to immeasurable improved vibrancy, as GCC posited.
- Former Chicago resident - Tuesday, May 10, 11 @ 7:56 pm:
Farewell King Daley
You’re finally off of your Throne…
- Aldyth - Wednesday, May 11, 11 @ 8:25 am:
Wordslinger, I hope that every truly competent politician in Illinois is looking at Quinn’s chair.