Politics

  • The Mayor + Accountability

    It has been a remarkable couple weeks here in Chicago since a judge forced the release of a video showing the murder of Laquan McDonald. I could link all day/ all night to the pressure for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In the news, in opinion, in the streets. I supported Rahm Emmanuel for election in both 2011…

  • Runoff Election Day, April 2015: We are in a Golden Age of Civic Engagement

    It is axiomatic to say that it’s hard to recognize you are in a golden age while you are in one. Chicago: we are in a golden age of civic engagement. Treasure it, build it, please don’t let it go. Today is election day in Chicago. I strongly urge you to vote to retain our Mayor, Rahm…

  • Technology, Equity, and Who’s Mayor

    I read this article this morning, looking for myself, since I am in technology and I support the Mayor for re-election: “Can Chicago’s Tech Community Carry Rahm Emanuel To Victory?” I found lots of places and themes that are familiar to me (1871 as a hub for innovation, the growth in tech jobs, and the…

  • The Sweater Ad, Feelings, and the Methods for Listening

    Mayor Rahm Emanuel published a new campaign video last week. The ad has gotten lots of attention and has been covered by media in the context of the runoff to be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. The Washington Post put it this way: Rahm Emanuel’s remarkable confession. The 30-second ad, which began running on Tuesday…

  • Three Great Places Named After Former Mayor Jane M. Byrne

    As reported first by (who else?) Michael Sneed, Former Chicago Mayor Jane M. Byrne passed away today. I just drove through her highway interchange yesterday and was thinking that it’s an odd thing to name places like that after people. When she died, I lamented that there was no natural (safe) place to gather in her honor,…