The Mayor

  • Reimagining Rahm's "sweater" campaign ad

    15 March 2015
    Rahm Emanuel's reelection campaign has put out a video ad in which a sweater-clad mayor "owns" that he "can rub people the wrong way." Here's an audio version (2.3 minutes) showing what else some think Emanuel should have owned:

    Music: "Ego Grinding" by Megatroid

    Standard audio:

    Here's the original 30-second ad:

    Standard audio:

  • What's missing in the mayoral election?

    9 March 2015

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on how Mayor Emanuel's perceived financial gravitas might not work in a second term, and more.

  • Rep. Danny Davis endorses Chuy Garcia for mayor

    4 March 2015

    Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL-7th) has endorsed Jesus "Chuy" Garcia for mayor in the April 7, 2015 runoff municipal election.

  • Why Obama won't vote for Rahm

    22 February 2015

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on Rahm's attributes that Obama decided he didn't need after all, and more.

  • 2015 elections: some council incumbents are flush

    19 February 2015

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky about which incumbents had ads funded by the Emanuel-tied PAC, and more.

  • Obama anoints, Rahm's on point

    12 February 2015

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on voters' panic that they're about to do something stupid, and more.

  • Reimagining Obama's endorsement of Emanuel

    6 February 2015

    Rahm Emanuel's reelection campaign has put out a radio ad in which Pres. Barack Obama urges Chicagoans to vote for Rahm. Here's what some have suggested Obama meant to say:

    Standard audio:

    Here's the original 60-second ad:

    Standard audio:

  • Willie Wilson's 2015 radio ads

    6 February 2015

    2015 mayoral candidate Willie Wilson has put out two entertaining radio ads.

  • Emanuel campaign: don't call us, we'll call you

    21 January 2015

    We recently got the following from a staff person with a non-governmental organization in Chicago.

    "My coworkers and I had been trying to track down the contact information for Rahm Emanuel's reelection campaign.

    "For all the other mayoral campaigns, we were able to find mailing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses within the first hour of looking. Within the second hour we generally had the names and direct contact information of their campaign managers and schedulers.

    "We noticed that Rahm's campaign Web site provided no contact information whatsoever. Not a mailing address, not a phone number, not an e-mail address. Curious, right?

    "We did tons of Google searches, drawing blanks. No information anywhere on the Web about where this campaign office is, or how to reach it. I was dumbfounded.

    "So I contacted three aldermen with whom I have relationships to see what advice they'd have, and I asked if they could help poke around to find a phone number or mailing address. No dice.

    "Then I had a brainstorm: the Chicago Board of Elections. They would have to know, right? When I called, the guy said they 'don't deal with that' and redirected me to the City Hall info line.

    "So I called City Hall. The person there redirected me to the fifth floor. The fifth floor placed me on hold for five minutes, then finally gave me a number to Rahm's 'field office,' 312/854-3074.

    "I called the field office. The number rang endlessly. No voicemail. After allowing the phone to ring for literally five minutes, a staffer picked up. She was willing to provide a mailing address and general inquiry e-mail address for the campaign. It's This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., if you're wondering.

    "Taking advantage of finding a real live human on the phone, I mentioned to her that Emanuel's campaign Web site doesn't provide any contact info, and I said that, as a result, the campaign is nearly impossible to reach.

    "She said, 'Yes, that's correct, it is.'

    "And ended the call."

  • Investor-funded pre-K based on false premises, excluded kids

    15 January 2015

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on how the investor-funded scheme demands that some kids not attend pre-K, and more.

  • Does social promotion pass the test?

    18 December 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on the justification for staying in school when you don't learn much, and more.

  • Banksters not risk-adverse with city purse

    26 November 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on school-program funding becoming dependent on test scores, and more.

  • Reelection run means selective endowment

    13 October 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on parents who vote for Rahm having delusional issues, and more.

  • Emanuel's privatization: a clean sweep?

    2 October 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky, speculating on which city services Mayor Emanuel wouldn't privatize, and more.

  • Mayoral election: What Shaw and Emanuel bring to the table

    18 August 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on "strong mayor" as code for "white mayor," and more.

  • Municipal election preview: a signature event

    19 July 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on how Mayor Emanuel has inched to the left, and more.

  • A principled stand against the administration

    10 June 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on the issues about which principals as a group remained silent, and more.

  • State rep primaries: who's the real progressive?

    7 March 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on incumbents accusing challengers of betraying ideals that they themselves betray, and more.

  • Council rules favor mayor

    27 January 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on how aldermen game the rules to bury insurgent motions, and more.

  • Charter schools: where does the money go?

    17 January 2014

    Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on the level of scrutiny the public has of neighborhood vs. charter schools, and more.