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In the first years he was mayor, Richard M. Daley didn’t have much black support. He was clearly the beneficiary of the African-American split between Eugene Sawyer and Timothy Evans, and widely dismissed as disastrous evidence of a white backlash against the Harold Washington years. While he didn’t lose that often, Daley frequently had to wage bruising battles to get his plans through the City Council, with some of the fiercest criticism coming from aldermen who would later leave for higher office (Bobby Rush, Danny Davis), go to prison (Virgil Jones), or become one of his buddies (Dorothy Tillman).
Last night Fox News Chicago broadcast a revealing investigative piece about Hall, the board, and Frank Coconate [scroll down], a regular poster here (who’s either one of the city’s great political gadflies or a self-promoting nut, depending on your perspective). Some of the numbers were first reported here. You can check it out at: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=4866665&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1.
