Miles of Gratitude to Daley...from all Outdoor Enthusiasts

When Mr. Richard M. Daley, the legendary Chicago mayor, announced that he was not going to seek re-election, a tremendous wave of emotion was felt across Chicagoland.

Those who survived the Jane Byrne politics, saw the election of Harold Washington, witnessed the City Council politics with Fast Eddie leading the way, and gaped with wide open mouths at the Chicago politics that resulted in Eugene Sawyer's election, will credit Daley with bringing a sense of calm and togetherness in Chicago.

Among his many contributions, creating an environmentally conscious city and greening the city will stand out as remarkable achievements. Who can forget the way he bulldozed the opposition over the Meigs airfield and created green space? All runners, bikers, skaters, and other outdoor enthusiasts will have to thank Mr. Daley profusely for making this a lovely outdoor-sy city.

Chicago Journal - Chicago Residents Contemplate Mayor Daley’s Exit - NYTimes.com: "There are hopes that whatever replaces the Daley administration will be more transparent, more of a technocratic meritocracy — built around professionalism and strong institutions rather than patronage and personality politics. There is a fervent hope that this time will be different from the last time City Hall had no Daley. Those old enough to remember the years between Mr. Daley and his father, Richard J. Daley, who died in office in 1976, do not do so fondly.

The city stalled, and at one point in the mid-1980s, the government broke down into what was known as the Council Wars, where white aldermen blocked the reform agenda of Harold Washington, the city’s first black mayor, turning City Hall into a tumultuous battleground of coarse racial politics. Even Mr. Daley’s critics concede that he did much to calm the racial strife, promoting minorities and women and gaining a reputation as someone who believes in diversity."