The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times have just reported that Mayor Daley will not seek re-election in 2011.
"In the end, this was a personal decision, no more, no less," Daley said. "I've been thinking about this for the last several months . . . . It just feels right."
The mayor did not answer questions, but some possible reasons for his decision:
- The declining health of his wife, Maggie, whose cancer recently metastisized.
- Declining approval ratings based on privatization decisions, including the city's parking meters.
- Continuing federal corruption probes.
Despite all this, conventional wisdom was that Daley would have won re-election easily had he sought another term.
It will now be a melee to see who runs. Likely candidates include Alderman Bob Fioretti, Alderman Scott Waguespack and City Clerk Dorothy Brown. A potential sleeper is Tim Evans, currently Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Should make for an interesting primary season.
Update: Several notable omissions from my initial list, including, of course, Rahm. Others include Tom Dart (Cook County sheriff), Manny Flores (current Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission), and Congressman Luis Guttierez. Feel free to add your favorites.