Mayor Daley at Northwestern a major failure Friday June 20, 2008

DaleyatNorthwestern.jpg Protesters lined up outside Ryan Field to protest Mayor Daley at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Patrick Ryan has made millions of Chicago Taxpayers money with his insurance company. Billions of dollars flow from Chicago taxpayers to Mayor Daley’s friends and cronies. This is money that should fuel the Chicago economy on the west and south side of Chicago. Mayor Daley was not welcomed in Evanston at all. The crowd was very chilly to this braggadocios Mayor. Daley told everyone what a big deal he is, making sure the kids knew he is the CEO of Chicago. Daley’s speech was gibberish at best and was a sales event for the Chicago Olympics in 2016. Ryan and the Daley family will feast like pigs if that Olympic money maker ever hits Chicago. I hope the public knows Ryan has mighty power at Northwestern and the school’s cash king paid Daley back with a commencement speech and lots of free vacations. Did you know Mayor Daley used taxpayer’s money to send bomb sniffing dogs to scout out the Ryan Field? As I told you before, the fire at Mayor Daley’s summerhouse was a hoax, and the powder sent to the Aldermen was also a hoax. The Chicago press never reported Chicago City Workers protesting outside the event, but the Evanston Police laughed mighty heartily. The two “Mayor Daley” midgets got lots of laughs at Daley’s expense. Photo by Patrick McDonough.]]>chicagotribune.com
Daley finds NU graduates a tough crowd
After complaining about the selection of speaker, some consider his talk 'generic,' one he would give 'anywhere, anytime'
By Dan Mihalopoulos
Tribune reporter
10:47 PM CDT, June 20, 2008
Appearing unfazed by the campus controversy over his selection as commencement speaker, Mayor Richard Daley told Northwestern University graduates Friday evening that he would try "to impart some of what I've learned in pursuing a life's passion of public service."
Some students had complained that Daley's selection as speaker was a letdown after the university's president promised that an "extremely well-known person" would be coming to Evanston to address the Class of 2008.
Hewing closely to a prepared text, Daley made only faint reference to the tempest shortly after stepping up to the podium for his 15-minute speech.
"For those of you who still don't know me very well, I've been for the last 19 years the CEO of the city of Chicago, one of the most culturally rich, economically diverse, globally recognized cities on Earth," said the mayor, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in law. "With that as the foundation, I will do my best."
Graduates gave the mayor's talk mixed reviews.
"It was the most generic speech anybody could come up with," said Laila Chen, a political science graduate who grew up near the mayor's Bridgeport neighborhood. "None of it was directed to us. It was just about him selling himself, the city, the Olympics. He could have given that speech to anyone, anywhere, anytime–and he probably has."
Tyler Brandt, a computing graduate from Berkeley, Calif., said, "He spent a lot of time talking about what he had done and all the things that made him great and not so much time talking to us."
Indeed, it was the kind of talk he often gives to out-of-town visitors or on trips abroad. Daley highlighted his takeover of Chicago's public schools and his efforts to make Chicago "the most environmentally friendly city in the nation." He also spoke of the city's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Daley urged students to volunteer for the Olympic effort and look for other ways to serve the public.
Chelsea Lambert, a mathematics and English literature major from Vero Beach, Fla., may take him at his word. She said she is encouraged to volunteer, perhaps helping "underprivileged adults."
And Saad Qazi, a Chicagoan who received a master's in information systems, said he was happy to hear about the city's Olympic push. "I like Mayor Daley," he said. . "Actually, I came to this ceremony because he was here."
Daley closed by telling the students they can change the world, despite the gloomy outlook of society: "Don't let the cynics and skeptics discourage you. You can make a difference. In fact, we're counting on you."

One Reply to “Mayor Daley at Northwestern a major failure Friday June 20, 2008”

  1. City: Keep porches safe

    June 26, 2008Recommend (3)

    BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
    Chicagoans were warned Wednesday to check their shaky porches and avoid overloading them — nearly five years after the Lincoln Park porch collapse that killed 13 young partygoers.

    Although City Hall is no longer conducting a blitzkrieg of inspections, acting Buildings Commissioner Richard Monocchio urged residents to protect themselves by visually inspecting porches and using them responsibly.

    » Click to enlarge image Thirteen young people died shortly after midnight on June 29, 2003, when a three-story porch pancaked to the ground at 713 W. Wrightwood.
    (Sun-Times file)

    Thirteen young people died shortly after midnight on June 29, 2003, when a three-story porch pancaked to the ground at 713 W. Wrightwood. Five annual inspections did not flag the allegedly unpermitted, oversized porch that collapsed on that fateful night.

    The Sun-Times reported in late April that the task force of inspectors created to search for shaky porches has been “folded back” into the Building Department’s Conservation Bureau.

Comments are closed.