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

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 8:01 AM By dwi

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

Emanuel, who overwhelmed the vie with truckloads of money and friends in broad places from pedagogue to Hollywood, module verify control of a municipality in unfathomable business trouble with problems ranging from an inadequate 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 mistress and City Clerk Miguel del Valle, who each had 9 percent. He succeeds Mayor Richard M. Daley, who is retiring after 22 eld in duty as the longest-serving mayor in Chicago's history.

Emanuel was backwards at it primeval Wednesday, acknowledgement voters at a South Side train kibosh and locution he was heartened by the support he conventional "and the opportunity to turn the page and move anew with a firm first on tackling the problems that grappling the municipality of Chicago."

The municipality he inherits, though perhaps more beautiful than ever after eld of extensive urban 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 finances 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 crowning $500 million, mostly the result of reduced set income from the recession, and could accomplish $1 1000000000 if the municipality properly assets 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 restore Police Superintendent Jody Weis' contract. The division is discompose from low temperament and staffing estimated at 1,000 officers beneath previous levels.

Members of the City Council, including a sort elected Tuesday, hit made country they module obligation more dominance after eld of domination by Daley.

In 25 eld of open life, Emanuel has earned a estimation as a complete politician and as a semipolitical operative, serving in both the politico and Obama administrations and as a legislator from Chicago. But the mayor's duty module effort his courage 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, starting with his possess office.

But, like the another candidates, he has been unclear most how he'll accomplish the reductions. And nothing he has advisable comes close to the projected deficit.

Emanuel said he crapper spend $110 meg by streamlining "outdated and duplicative work processes to pore on front-line assist delivery," according to his campaign. His crusade did not ingest the articulate "layoffs," but it did hint to "reducing layers of direction bureaucracy and consolidating tautological tasks."

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

The politics 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 seek to discuss changes. He insists the municipality crapper cipher the problems without a confrontation like the one in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands of grouping hit been demonstrating right the Washington to oppose anti-union budget revilement legislation. "We hit to find, I think, common connector and a sense of hope," he said during a crusade kibosh this week.

Still, whatever metropolis officials say the pensions module be hornlike to finesse. "This mayor is feat to hit to encounter a artefact to equilibrise that too, in a artefact that doesn't alienate our municipality workers, who are incredibly hardworking folks," said Alderman Sandi Jackson.

Already, various unions are energising for a fight. More than a half dozen unions endorsed Chico, including the personnel and blast unions.

Emanuel has also talked most expanding the municipality income set to include more services, patch cloudy its coverall rate, but he'll requirement approval from the land General Assembly.

Many voters wish Emanuel's clout in national politics module help him encounter right avenues for help. President Obama spoken support for Emanuel when he mitt the White House, and heavy hitters in the semipolitical and entertainment communities contributed to his campaign.

"He's (got) semipolitical savvy. He's politically equal 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 determine at a Newmarket Avenue polling place, said it's a motion saucer for the city. "The future's feat to be interesting. This is feat to be a thickened punctuation of instance for the city," playwright said.

____

Associated Press writer Deanna Bellandi and Carla K. President contributed to this report.


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