Chicago is a global city with a high-profile mayor, Rahm Emanuel, who commands national attention. Unfortunately, the recent attention has been bad.
The Laquan McDonald killing and dash-cam video scandal is making national waves, in outlets ranging from the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page to far-left Salon.com.
“[Emanuel] didn't appear to grasp the full scope of the city's financial problems until four years after he was first elected, when Chicago's bond rating was cut to junk. His infrastructure trust fizzled. The schools went from bad to worse.”
How did Emanuel end up falling to this point?
As a Chicago resident in 2011, I voted for Emanuel. Where others saw Machiavellianism, I saw pragmatism. Like his mentor Bill Clinton, Emanuel was motivated by maintaining popularity and power more than pushing an ideological agenda. Having spent time in high profile positions in Washington, he had the gravitas and high-level network a global city needs in its mayor.
Emanuel is clearly also a man of immense talent, drive and fighting spirit. That was exactly what Chicago needed after a “lost decade.” He entered office like a whirlwind, giving the city a badly needed jolt of energy. Immediately putting his Rolodex to work, Emanuel jawboned major corporate CEOs into committing to add thousands of jobs in Chicago. He announced an innovative financing program called the Chicago Infrastructure Trust with former-President Bill Clinton. He made a push for a longer school day at CPS. He unveiled a major legacy project in the form of the incredible $100 million Riverwalk.
Even when he crossed the line, you had to admire Emanuel for his fighting spirit. When CNN produced the "Chicagoland" reality show, emails revealed that Emanuel and the producers had coordinated to portray both him and city in a positive light. How many other mayors in America would have the audacity to attempt such a thing as getting their city a starring role in CNN, much less trying to spin the story?
Unfortunately, Emanuel's leadership style came with fatal flaws. A political streetfighter by inclination, he lacks an operational orientation. He didn't appear to grasp the full scope of the city's financial problems until four years after he was first elected, when Chicago's bond rating was cut to junk. His infrastructure trust fizzled. The schools went from bad to worse. He didn't get it that Chicago's police department hadn't been fundamentally reformed the way New York's and Los Angeles's had been.
Emanuel's governing style has been all tactics, no strategy. He'll pick up the phone to twist the arm of a CEO or fight to win the day's media cycle. But what's his vision for the city?
Nobody is great at everything, but Emanuel's arrogance seemingly won't allow him to address his own shortcomings. Famously vindictive, he alienated the local media and others, turning those who might have helped him into enemies.
One reason I voted for Rahm was because he was a man without a natural constituency or base. He had to perform in order to survive politically. Alas, he hasn't performed—at least, not well enough. His approval rating is currently 18 percent and a majority of Chicagoans thinks he should resign.
Emanuel apologized for the McDonald shooting in an address to the City Council. He fired Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and pledged to fix the underlying problems in the Chicago Police Department. But why should anyone believe him? During his tight reelection bid this spring, a kinder, gentler Emanuel acknowledged that his personality could “rub people the wrong way.”
“Emanuel's governing style has been all tactics, no strategy. He'll pick up the phone to twist the arm of a CEO or fight to win the day's media cycle. But what's his vision for the city?”
Meanwhile, though, he was cutting a $5 million deal with the McDonald family, and the city was sitting on the explosive video that contradicted police accounts of his death.
After the election, he simply went back to bullying his way through public life. Despite the manifest disasters that have plagued his administration, he seems constitutionally incapable of change.
Emanuel may weather the McDonald shooting scandal. But the opportunity for the legacy he hoped to leave has already been squandered. That's a tragedy not just for him, but also for Chicago.
This piece originally appeared in Crain's Chicago Business, an adaptation of City Journal Online
This piece originally appeared in Crain's Chicago Business