[Chicago Tribune] In a stunning decision, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Tuesday morning that he will no longer seek a third term in office, signaling the end to what has been a tumultuous ‐ and at times transformative ‐ eight years in office.Emmanuel is a Democrat's Democrat. A former Obama fixer, he has a black belt in Incompetence. I suspect his successor will be even worse.
With First Lady Amy Rule by his side, an emotional Emanuel said the time simply had come to write a new chapter in their lives together.
"I’ve decided not to seek re-election," Emanuel said. "This has been the job of a lifetime, but it is not a job for a lifetime."
Emanuel’s decision marks a dramatic political reversal, as for the better part of the last year he had said he would run for a third term. The mayor, long a prolific fundraiser, had already reeled in more than $10 million toward a bid for a third term.
Read Emanuel's prepared remarks announcing he will not seek re-election »
Over the holiday weekend, though, whispers began emerge that Emanuel might not embark on a third campaign. The mayor’s closest aides privately dismissed the talk as "bull" and "BS." Emanuel even told some close friends who called to inquire that the rumors weren’t true. A top aide close to the mayor said he didn’t make the final decision until Monday.
Emanuel weighed the decision as the murder trial of reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown
... home of Al Capone, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel,...
police officer Jason Van Dyke is scheduled to begin this week, a high-profile case that is sure to bring about fresh scrutiny of his handling of the Laquan McDonald police shooting, in which Van Dyke shot the teen 16 times in October 2014 as he walked down a Southwest Side street holding a small folding knife.