Missing Rahm Emanuel

He announced he will not run for re-election for Mayor of Chicago. He will complete his 8^th year in office in May 2019. I will miss him then. I miss him already. Here’s why.

Rahm is a man of integrity, intelligence and selfless dedication to the City of Chicago. He has taken on a thankless job when the problems of the region are enormous. Some are listed here:

·        Pension funding in Illinois, Chicago and many other states and regions of the nation have been in serious arrears; this represents a broken promise to many employees who worked with the assurance their retirement years were secure. Now they are not. But the honor and word of the people cannot be easily revoked because elected officials erred in their administrative duties. He didn't, but his predecessors did and a host of aldermen

·        Chicago Public Schools have many problems including: aging, decaying physical plant that is costly to maintain, operate and/or replace; the teachers’ union has steadily concerned themselves more with the salaries and benefits of their teachers than the quality of education provided for the students; financial resources are sorely short of the need for them, yet the union only hinders the school system in making necessary changes to improve conditions; student enrollment is down; older teachers have lesser skills than younger ones; innovation will require an infusion of new talent and retrained elders; much to do and few willing to do the work. And new ideas are needed, not old ones

·        Neighborhood decay is getting attention but still so much to do. Many partners from nonprofits, for-profits and institutions are needed; they are being attracted; this is a slow process; but neighborhoods do have a newer life forming; new jobs and new construction are happening; the Obama Center is coming; new schools are being built; slow progress but building on a steady rhythm long overdue; it came with Rahm

·        Police Quality Control has been a problem for generations; it festered with too strong union leadership which blocked reform and collaboration with city leaders. Solutions are coming, slowly like all else; more neighborhood policing; more officer training; more supervision; more neighborhood collaboration; still the community is sick and people distrust the process, the police and leaders; they must work together with each other to solve these complex issues; these are the issues that define our future; we must solve them. For the sake of the neighborhoods, the people, the city and the region. We need to solve these problems for all of us. Yes, even those of us living in the suburbs. This is our metro region, too; we all have a stake in the shared future

·        Transportation and urban congestion. This is a symbol of both success and failure. We have the bones of the best public transit. We can refresh and build. The people are coming. For jobs and homes. They are moving into the city again; they are replacing those leaving. They are coming without cars or the demand for cars. They need and want public transit; and walking. Build it and they will come; build it and they will use it. This is the future of our nation, too; urban centers are the answer to housing, transportation and employment centers. Cities are the hubs of modern society, learning, sharing, inventing; progressing. Rahm saw this and encouraged it, supported it. He saw it, helped it along for the people trending new ground

·        Economic growth responding to new trends and historic change. Rahm recognized the signals and responded. In time new companies formed; they moved into the city; they shared their hope for the future with Chicago’s; they are willing to collaborate and build with us. Chicago is positioned for these gains because of the foundational work accomplished by Rahm. These are the building pieces, the cornerstones upon which the future will form

Rahm Emanuel knows better than anyone else in Chicago how the work of the city is collaborative if it is to be successful. It doesn’t revolve around Rahm or any other single person. It revolves around all of the people getting into step with what is happening and trending toward the future. It is a new world, not the old one refreshed. We must all change to see it, adapt to it, even adopt it.

The Mayor’s job is one of leadership. If few follow, he must still press forward in the right direction even when others do not see it. Invest in the new vision. Invest in the people’s lives. Invest in infrastructure. Invest in education, jobs and quality of life. All support vibrant people, cities and societies.

Rahm is a multi-tasker and reads complexity. This places him in a lonely position. Others may follow, or not; yet he continues onward and time will catch up with him because the others need this to happen.

How many more leaders will we burn through before we all realize these things? This is a truth in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, the Midwest, and the Nation. We live in complex times; it takes complex minds to manage the many important elements we rely on for a quality life; it also takes collaboration to make it happen. And trust.

September 7, 2018