Chicago—Gutierrez Could Be Contender for Mayor In 2007

"After Daley resigns, an interim Mayor serves until the February 2007 election. 2006 would then feature a true campaign— the first real campaign since 1989—allowing voters to choose from credible candidates. Chicago has many leaders who could serve admirably, and it is time for new leadership," these are the wishful words from the organization known as Chicago Freedom Now (CFN). The group held a rally outside city hall on Monday, calling for Daley's resignation and a new era in Chicago government.

Citing corruption, failed policies, mismanagement, rigged election laws and skyrocketing taxes and fees under Mayor Daley's administration, CFN do not even want to wait until the 2007 election to unseat the incumbent Daley. They believe that a change is long overdue.

That evening at a rally in Hyde Park, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) strongly hinted at mounting a 2007 mayoral campaign. Some reports suggest that Gutierrez will only run for one more term as congressman as he turns his sights on City Hall.

Gutierrez has been a favored mayoral possibility for some time. In a city with a large (and still growing) Hispanic population, Gutierrez points out that Latinos don't have a single major political office in Chicago, Cook County or state government,. As the first Hispanic lawmaker in Washington to represent Illinois, Gutierrez has long championed immigrant rights.

"If I run for mayor of the City of Chicago, it will not be to bash Mayor Daley. It will be because I think I have I have a vision to share with Chicago," said Gutierrez.

Holding office since 1989, Mayor Daley has seen the better of four elections with overwhelming support (CFN is currently working on a citywide referendum for mayoral term limits with a maximum of two, four-year terms). But with a number of federal corruption charges eating away at different levels of city government, Mayor Daley's long reign has many critics.

Having also insinuated a possible mayoral run in 2007, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) is discontent with the current state of city government and has been very outspoken in his critique of Daley's involvement in the Hired Truck and other scandals. In May, Jackson told CBS, "Congressman Luis Gutierrez is a good friend and colleague for whom I have a great deal of respect. I know he shares legitimate concerns about waste, fraud and corruption within the Daley administration."

Despite problems with Daley, however, the opposition is hard pressed in finding a candidate strong enough to defeat him. On a city blog discussing a Gutierrez campaign, one anonymous resident wrote, "Gutierrez seems like a sincere person [but] Daley is well-protected by the business community in Chicago, so it won't be easy to unseat him. I hope there are powerful candidates that challenge Daley and put an end to the most erratic mayor in history."

Since the beginning of his career as mayor, Daley has enjoyed the majority of the city's Hispanic vote, which he owes in large part to Gutierrez. In 1989, then Alderman Gutierrez went against the prevailing Latino opinion to endorse Daley's candidacy for mayor. Later, Daley helped Gutierrez in his bid for Chicago's first Hispanic congressional seat.

"I supported him for congressman," Daley said on Monday, "Basically the 11th Ward carried him overwhelmingly for Congress the first time. I have a good relationship with him and his family."

In 1999, Alysia Tate of the Chicago Reporter detailed how Daley and Gutierrez have used each other for years to climb the political ladder. She writes, "Daley's popularity with Latino voters has become an integral part of his winning campaigns for mayor. Since 1989, he has earned at least 59 percent of the vote in all Latino wards, continuing an upward trend. In 1995, Daley cracked the 90 percent mark in the 12th Ward, headed by Alderman Rafael "Ray" Frias. He partly credits Daley's frequent appearances in and around the predominantly Mexican Little Village neighborhood."

At a time when the Daley supported Hispanic Democratic Organization is under federal investigation for corruption, the time is ripe for Gutierrez to step in. Gutierrez recently announced that he is setting up a new committee to strengthen the city's Latino voice in city, state and national levels of government.

Aside from corruption charges and scathing comments, Mayor Daley still has many fans who cheer the changes that he's brought to Chicago. Although Daley has not made clear whether he will, in fact, run for reelection, his reaction to the possible Gutierrez candidacy leaves little doubt. When asked about the impact of Gutierrez's mayoral aspirations, Daley commented, "Well, everybody would like to be mayor, would like to be governor, to be president, but I'm very proud of my record… look at the schools and everything we're basically providing."