Emanuel faces big money woes as next Chicago mayor (AP)

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 4:01 AM By dwi

CHICAGO – Former White House honcho of body Rahm Emanuel won't hit such time to fete his conclusion as Chicago's newborn mayor.

Emanuel, who overwhelmed the vie with truckloads of money and friends in broad places from pedagogue to Hollywood, module take curb of a municipality in unfathomable business discompose with problems ranging from an understaffed personnel division to underperforming schools.

On Tuesday, Emanuel won 55 proportionality of the vote, easily outdistancing past metropolis schools chair Gery Chico, who had 24 percent, and past U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and City Clerk Miguel del Valle, who apiece had 9 percent. He succeeds Mayor Richard M. Daley, who is retiring after 22 eld in duty as the longest-serving leader in Chicago's history.

But the municipality he inherits, though perhaps more bonny than ever after eld of comprehensive cityfied improvements, is in business straits that it hasn't seen since before Daley's father, Mayor Richard J. Daley, came to noesis in the 1950s.

"Not since the Great Depression hit the assets of the municipality been this precarious," said saint Pacyga, a student and communicator of "Chicago: A Biography." The city's incoming budget deficit could again exceed $500 million, mostly the termination of low set income from the recession, and could fulfill $1 1000000000 if the municipality properly funds its pension system.

Emanuel, who takes duty May 16, also faces a fractious semipolitical landscape.

He'll hit to encounter newborn leadership for the struggling open edifice system, as digit crowning interim executives organisation to leave. He'll also requirement a newborn personnel chief, having said he would not renew Police Superintendent Jody Weis' contract. The division is suffering from low temperament and staffing estimated at 1,000 officers beneath previous levels.

Members of the City Council, including a number elected Tuesday, hit prefabricated clear they module obligation more dominance after eld of ascendance by Daley.

In 25 eld of open life, Emanuel has attained a estimation as a complete leader and as a semipolitical operative, bringing in both the Clinton and Obama administrations and as a legislator from Chicago. But the mayor's duty module effort his mettle as an executive.

Throughout the campaign, Emanuel has acknowledged he'll hit to attain budget cuts, and has promised to distribute the discompose as evenhandedly as possible, play with his possess office.

But, same the another candidates, he has been unclear about how he'll fulfill the reductions. And null he has suggested comes close to the sticking deficit.

Emanuel said he crapper save $110 meg by streamlining "outdated and duplicative impact processes to focus on front-line service delivery," according to his campaign. His crusade did not ingest the word "layoffs," but it did allude to "reducing layers of direction officialdom and consolidating tautological tasks."

"What comes incoming is a clump of ugly," said Ralph Martire, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. "It's feat to be a fell budget year and there are not quick and cushy fixes."

The persuasion of the cuts could be perilous. Most of the deficit is in the $3.1 1000000000 generalized fund, which pays for the personnel and blast departments, which hit been revilement significantly since 2000, Martire said.

As for the underfunded pensions, Emanuel said he wants to "preserve" the pensions but haw essay to discuss changes. He insists the municipality crapper cipher the problems without a confrontation same the one in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands of people hit been demonstrating right the Washington to oppose anti-union budget revilement legislation. "We hit to find, I think, common ground and a sense of hope," he said during a crusade kibosh this week.

Still, whatever metropolis officials say the pensions module be hard to finesse. "This leader is feat to hit to encounter a artefact to equilibrise that too, in a artefact that doesn't disaffect our municipality workers, who are unbelievably diligent folks," said Alderman Sandi Jackson.

Already, different unions are bracing for a fight. solon than a half dozen unions endorsed Chico, including the personnel and blast unions.

Emanuel has also talked about expanding the municipality sales set to include more services, patch lowering its coverall rate, but he'll requirement support from the land General Assembly.

Many voters hope Emanuel's clout in domestic persuasion module support him encounter right avenues for help. President Obama expressed support for Emanuel when he left the White House, and onerous hitters in the semipolitical and entertainment communities contributed to his campaign.

"He's (got) semipolitical savvy. He's politically tied in. That's essential to me because he crapper get things done," said Ralph Vallot, 57, dean of students at a metropolis broad school.

Loren Miller, 65, who is old and served as an election judge at a Michigan Avenue polling place, said it's a turning point for the city. "The future's feat to be interesting. This is feat to be a tough period of time for the city," playwright said.

____

Associated Press illustrator Deanna Bellandi contributed to this report.


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