Mayor Daley, a Retrospective

Mayor Daley's successes in downtown Chicago have attracted attention worldwide, but what about the rest of the city? Greg Hinz and Steven R. Strahler say Daley has fixed downtown but not the city's neighborhoods.

1 minute read

June 14, 2010, 8:00 AM PDT

By franny.ritchie


Hinz and Strahler write, "The mayor clearly succeeded in making Chicago attractive and safe for the upper middle-class - and for corporate America, which was leaving town until a newly vibrant downtown lured such names as Boeing Co., UAL Corp. and MillerCoors. A Crain's survey finds local business people hold Mr. Daley and his policies in high regard."

"But as the city's financial woes deepen, Mr. Daley will be hard-pressed to finance the policies that business likes, much less boost the fortunes of neighborhoods beyond downtown.

"Despite his attention to the schools and public housing, much of Chicago is mired in the past, with incomes stagnant, public schools little-improved and the total number of jobs still dropping."

Thanks to Franny Ritchie

Sunday, June 13, 2010 in Chicago Business

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