WBEZ | Bill Daley

Bill Daley considering run for Illinois governor

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:11:00 -0600

Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley says he's seriously thinking about running for Illinois governor.

The brother of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley spoke Thursday before the civic group City Club of Chicago.

“I have commented on this before, I said that I am thinking about it, seriously,” he said. “This is about governing now and everyone in this room should play a part in that.”

He talked about the legacy of his father, former Mayor Richard J. Daley, and the need to fix the state’s money problems.

“We need to pass the state’s fiscal troubles so we can focus on the farms, the factories the schools, and roads, the ports and highways that can make us stronger,” he said.

Bill Daley also talked about the need to find a solution for the state’s roughly $95 billion in unfunded pension liability.

He said Illinois lawmakers need to compromise so the state can move forward in other key areas.

Currently, the state of Illinois has one of the lowest credit ratings in the nation due to its ongoing pension reform problem.

He said people in Illinois are “hungry for leadership” and a compromise among elected officials.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has said he'll seek re-election in 2014.

The Chicago Democrat says he's ready for any primary challenger.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A brief, valuable trip home for President Obama

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:01:00 -0600

President Barack Obama was gone roughly six hours after he got here. The president's brief visit to Chicago Wednesday night included three fundraising events for his re-election campaign.

In remarks to several hundred supporters at a rally-like event at the UIC Forum, the president avoided any direct mention of his Republican challengers. He listed as accomplishments the health care bill and the end to the Iraq War. And he tried to tap into the energy from the 2008 election despite - as he described them - "three tough years."

"If you're willing to work even harder in this election than you did in that last election, I promise you change will come. If you stick with me we're going to finish what we started in 2008," Mr. Obama said to applause.

Also at the rally, the president told the crowd that he and his outgoing chief of staff, Bill Daley, enjoyed a surprise after Air Force One landed at O'Hare.

"Now, first of all, Bill and I - we got off the plane, and we said, 'Is it really 45 degrees in January?' So we were a little confused," he said. "Thought we had landed in the wrong place."

Mr. Obama went on to thank Daley for his year of service, comments that were similar to those the other day at the White House when he announced Daley's resignation - except that in this campaign setting, there was also the promise of campaign assistance.

"It is tough to resist the greatest city in the world," the president said. "And as much as I will miss him in the White House, he's going to be an extraordinary asset to our campaign. He's going to be helping us win in 2012, so I just want to say how much I appreciate him."

While in Chicago, Mr. Obama also hit up two high-priced fundraisers, and dropped by his campaign headquarters.

Leading up to - and during - the president's visit, Republican leaders publicly questioned his priorities.

“Despite the White House’s claims that President Obama isn’t in full campaign mode, three glitzy fundraisers and a closed press swing by his campaign office is proof positive that the President is putting governing the country aside to save his own job,” Illinois GOP chair Pat Brady said in a statement to reporters Wednesday evening.

UIC Forum speech excerpts

On the Bulls:

On Bill Daley and Chicago's unseasonably warm weather:

'Change' since 2008:

2012 rallying cry:

Bill Daley to step down as White House chief of staff after 2012 election

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:27:00 -0500

CHICAGO — White House chief of staff Bill Daley says he'll return to Chicago after the 2012 election.

Daley tells WMAQ-TV in Chicago he has committed to stay with President Barack Obama in Washington "through his re-election" and "then my wife and I will be back in Chicago." Obama chose Daley to be his White House chief of staff in January. Daley replaced Pete Rouse, who was interim chief of staff and did not want the position permanently. Rouse replaced Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Bill Daley's brother, Richard M. Daley, is Chicago's former mayor. The Daley brothers are sons of Richard J. Daley, who was Chicago's mayor from 1955 to his death in 1976.

Bill Daley served as commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton and ran Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

The Friday Political Roundup: January 3rd-7th

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:05:00 -0600

Mayoral money, tax talk, and a new Congress commences.

Missed anything this week in Chicago politics? We’re back after a holiday hiatus with your weekly digest of the best game in town.

Money on the mind
This was the first full week of a 2011 mayor’s race sans Danny Davis, with Carol Moseley Braun as the anointed African-American “consensus candidate.” That leaves Chicago with four frontrunners, based on polling data (check out the Chicago Mayoral Scorecard for the latest data): Braun, Gery Chico, Miguel Del Valle, and Rahm Emanuel. And the focus this week has been on money, in the bank and on the issues.

In the horse race for cash, Gery Chico announced that he’s raised over $2.5 million. Braun’s not revealing her numbers yet; Del Valle wants voters to know he is and will be the “poorest candidate” with roundabouts $150,000 in the campaign coffers. Meanwhile, assumptions are that Emanuel’s squarely in the lead, with speculation that he may have raised as much as $10 million – a guess with evidence on your television screen. The Chicago News Cooperative has some great analysis of the costs involved. But Emanuel’s not the only one with a TV ad. Long shot candidate Patricia Van Pelt Watkins is generating some buzz with a cable spot. NBC Chicago’s Ward Room has an interview with the candidate.

Taxing talk
Personal finances have also been an issue this week, with Braun the latest to release her tax returns—we’ve got the details now for each of the four major candidates. The release has caused a little bit of trouble for Braun, with some bristly reaction to media questions about the losses she reported. The Chicago Tribune also reported that she’s had some difficulty paying property taxes on time. But, as the Sun-Times reports, Braun’s money woes aren’t fazing some of her biggest supporters.

Speaking of taxes, Braun says she won’t raise any in a plan to rid Chicago of the much maligned meter lease deal. Gery Chico agreed that it was a raw deal, but said that the billion-dollar transaction couldn’t be undone, certainly not without raising taxes. Greg Hinz has some analysis on the likelihood of ditching the lease: don’t hold your breath.

But if it’s revenue we’re looking for, Emanuel has an idea: put ads on city stickers. Maybe you didn’t notice the announcement, but city clerk candidate Susana Mendoza did —she says she had the idea first. When it comes to raising money for his campaign, Emanuel’s opened an online store to sell “Chicago for Rahm” swag. But if you’re more concerned about the money in your own pocket, Chico is out this week with a jobs plan: he says he’ll create a deputy mayor position to focus on cultivating business and jobs. Del Valle and Braun also have job creation platforms.

More on the mayor’s race
This week, we also learned that all four major candidates have a crime platform that includes firing police superintendent Jody Weis. He’s fighting back, with an unusually high media availability: he spoke at length with both the AP and the Huffington Post.

Also not going quietly is attorney Burt Odelson, who’s still leading the charge to get Emanuel knocked off the ballot. A Cook County Circuit Court judge ruled that Emanuel could stay in the race, but Odelson said he’ll appeal. Provided Emanuel stays on the ballot, he’ll be on camera on January 27th for the first mayoral debate, along with Braun, Chico, and Del Valle.

And don’t forget about the aldermanic candidates—you can check out their websites on the new supersite Aldermanic Websites.

It’s called Taste of Food!
Finally, we’d be remiss to let Friday go by without the Mayor Daley quote of the week. Responding to a suggestion that the Taste of Chicago might end up with a $20 admittance fee, he said “It’s called Taste of Food. We’re not in it for the music.” Well, that, of course, depends on who you ask.

Veto session gets busy
Leading Illinois state political news is the apparent deal among Democratic leadership to hike corporate and individual state taxes by 75%. Keeping in mind that they’re SEIU-funded, you may want to check out Progress Illinois’s detailed breakdown of the plan. And keep an eye out early next week to see how it all comes out.

Keep an eye out, also, to see how the Senate votes on a plan to abolish the death penalty in Illinois. The House voted “yay” earlier this week.

Chicago in the capital
And the big story nationally: Mayor Daley’s brother Bill Daley is headed to the White House to serve as President Obama’s Chief of Staff. The buzz on that news is that it may signal a shift to the right/center for Obama. Fortune reports that finance types are jazzed about the appointment, and Republican Senator Mark Kirk is, too.

As the 112th Congress got underway this week, the right was in the spotlight: Illinois’ 5 new GOP congressmen were sworn in. And Kirk was also sworn in for his first full term. The Ward Room has his 15-point anti-spending plan, while Greg Hinz teases out a possible caveat.

That’s the Friday political roundup—let me know if you think I missed anything, and have a great weekend.

Flashback video: Last time Bill Daley accepted a White House appointment, he fainted

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:11:00 -0600

Bill Daley will be announced as the new Chief of Staff for President Obama today. The press conference will take place this afternoon. Daley is no stranger to Washington D.C., as he served as Commerce Secretary under Bill Clinton.

I was working as a WBEZ producer when that announcement happened. I can remember clear as day that Daley fainted during the press conference. Yep, he fainted while Bill Richardson was giving his introductory speech after being appointed Energy Secretary. Everyone remembers that, right? Well, wrong - I just polled the WBEZ City Room and not one reporter, producer or intern remembered. It was, after all, 1997. So we Googled and found the video from C-Span. Enjoy.

A Daley may be next White House chief of staff

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:04:00 -0600

The youngest of Mayor Richard J. Daley’s children is by no means the runt of the pack. As special counsel to former President Bill Clinton, Bill Daley famously led the charge to pass the North American Free Trade Agreement. He was later appointed Commerce Secretary under Clinton.

Since then, he chaired Vice President Gore’s presidential run and served on President Obama’s transition team. Now his efforts may land him back on the Beltway.

Daley may be tapped to fill the post left vacant by Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel - White House chief of staff. That position is now being filled by Pete Rouse on an interim basis.

To find out why Bill Daley might be the man for the job, "Eight Forty-Eight" spoke to Chicago Sun-Times political reporter Abdon Pallasch.

Music Button: Steve Gadd and Friends, "Undecided", from the CD Live at Voce, (BFM Jazz)

Illinois politicians support Bill Daley for White House chief of staff

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:22:00 -0600

Rahm Emanuel says Bill Daley would make be a good pick to replace him on a permanent basis as White House chief of staff. Published reports say President Barack Obama is considering hiring Daley for the position previously held by Emanuel. Daley is the brother of Chicago's mayor and he worked with Emanuel in the White House in the 1990s. Emanuel says the president's pick for the next chief of staff will set the tone for the next two years.

"The most important thing is what the president wants from a chief of staff and every president is different and during their presidency, there are different things you would want out of a chief of staff and that is what's important," Emanuel said.

Emanuel quit his position as Mr. Obama's chief of staff earlier this year to run for mayor of Chicago. Earlier Tuesday, Illinois' senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin said Bill Daley would fit in well as the chief of staff. But Durbin says he doesn't think the president has made a decision yet. Durbin's former chief of staff, Pete Rouse, is currently serving as interim White House chief of staff.