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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Aldermen lose interest in running for mayor Most who showed initial enthusiasm decide they are unwilling to risk their jobs By Kristen Mack and John Chase, Tribune reporters Within minutes of Mayor Richard Daley's bombshell pronouncement last month that he would not run for re-election, nearly a dozen aldermen flirted with the idea of ascending the political ladder from City Hall's second-floor council chambers to the mayor's office on five. But as the weeks have passed, the stream of aldermen willing to step up has fallen off. On Friday, the number dwindled again as the City Council's dean, Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, said he'd rather run for re-election. That leaves first-term Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, as the last alderman with public plans to run for mayor. The precipitous drop-off is understandable. Unlike other prospective candidates, aldermen actually have something to lose — their job. To run for mayor, they'd have to give up their ward seats because they cannot vie for two offices on the Feb. 22 ballot. They also know history isn't on their side. Since the city's founding, only a handful of sitting aldermen have actually been elected mayor while serving on the council — none in the 20th century. "Most of the aldermen who (considered) running are the young aldermen who just found where the bathroom is," said Ald. Bernard Stone, who at 82 is the oldest council member. "All the older ones who know where things are hidden don't really want it, because they know how difficult it will be. People who really understand the situation aren't too anxious to jump into the fire." Indeed, as attention has turned back to the Nov. 2 state and county elections, aldermen who initially took advantage of the free media interest after Daley announced his decision have quietly taken themselves out of the race, telling supporters and reporters they will run for re-election instead. Those decisions were made in the face of a fast-approaching Nov. 22 deadline for submitting 12,500 valid signatures to be placed on the ballot. The prospect of all that street work is more difficult for aldermen, who represent only one-fiftieth of a city of about 2.9 million people, than for other potential candidates who represent broader swaths of the city or Cook County. On paper, aldermen would seem like attractive candidates. They have a basic understanding of how the city operates and functions. But they may find it hard to escape the reputation of a council known for routinely bowing to Daley's wishes on major policy initiatives. As a result, aldermen have a long trail of votes they have rarely had to defend because there is little debate on the council floor. As mayoral candidates, they would be obligated to explain their legislative records on controversial issues, including the controversial long-term lease of city parking meters, which all but five aldermen approved. "In terms of preparation, it's good. Politically though, it's hard," said Cook County Clerk David Orr, a former alderman who hasn't completely closed the door on a potential mayoral bid. "Even if they have a well-developed skill set, historically they didn't move up that much because they were a cog in the machine, rather than an enlightened policymaker." With such tough odds, many of the longer-serving aldermen are viewing next year as an opportunity not only to re-establish the council's pecking order, but also to reclaim their power in what is supposed to be a strong-council, weak-mayor form of government. But Fioretti, 57, said he's leaning toward running for mayor. He has often differed with Daley on budget issues and found himself the target of a Daley rant in 2008 after speaking out against an increase in the real estate transfer tax to bail out the Chicago Transit Authority. Fioretti acknowledges it's a jump that could cost him. The decision to give up his aldermanic seat to run for mayor, he said, "weighs on me all the time." "I see a number of constituents every day — they will support me for mayor, but they hate to lose me as alderman," he said.
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