By David W. Burns
March 5, 2007

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is now in position to pass his father, the late Richard J. Daley as the city’s longest serving mayor after being re-elected on February 27th to a sixth term. He served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors from 1996 to 1997.

“I think my dad would be very proud,” Daley said.

In his quest for re-election, Daley defeated Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown and former aid to the late Mayor Harold Washington, William “Dock” Walls with 71 percent of the vote, thus avoiding a run-off election in April. Daley’s contenders finished with 20 percent and 9 percent respectively.

“We must continue to work together and put aside any personal or political differences to keep Chicago moving forward on behalf of all the people of our great city,” the Mayor remarked in front of a crowd of supporters.

His re-election comes with a high approval of his work that he has completed since his first year of serving back in 1989. Since then, he has taken control of the public school system in 1995 and later, the Chicago Housing Authority.

Daley’s biggest passion this upcoming term will be education. He plans to make it a major priority, focusing around an extension of the school day.

“How are you going to compete as a country if students are going to school less every year?” Daily said.

The issue of education was not the only cornerstone of his campaign. Much of the campaign also focused around crime, affordable housing, and jobs. Many of his campaign issues aligned with those found in the Mayors’ 2007 10-Point Plan that debuted at our 75th Winter Meeting last January.

Daley’s sixth term will allow him to serve 22 years in office, just one more than his dad, the popular Richard J. Daley who served Chicago from 1955 to 1976.