Jackson moves closer to committing as mayoral candidate

Jackson moves closer to committing as mayorThursday, September 7, 2006


By Jonathan Lipman
Daily Southtown
Staff writer

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson said he's "more likely than not" going to run for mayor of Chicago in 2007, but knows he needs money and manpower to beat five-term incumbent Richard Daley.

Standing with his wife and two children in their back yard in Chicago's South Shore community, Jackson (D-2nd) announced Wednesday he was creating an exploratory committee for mayor and will go on a citywide listening tour to gauge support.

"The mayor has, in some ways, done an extraordinary job," Jackson said. "But what I'm hearing from the people is that it's time for a change."

Jackson would face political activist William "Dock" Walls, Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown and probably Daley, who also has made it clear he intends to run but has not yet formally announced his decision.

Although Jackson also wouldn't commit to a campaign — saying he wants to win re-election to Congress first — he sounded like a mayoral candidate Wednesday. Unlike Brown, who announced her intention to run last week, Jackson pointedly attacked Daley on the corruption scandals that have dogged city hall over the past year and on the quality of some neighborhood schools.

"Forty-one people (have been) indicted in this administration, and the taxpayers are footing the bill for waste, fraud and abuse," Jackson said. "The cost of that … can be found in the classrooms of every child in this city who doesn't have a new book."

Jackson's exploratory committee will try to determine whether the congressman can amass the resources needed to win. He said he'll need between $4 million and $6 million in pledged donations and a political operation that can register at least 100,000 new voters. He has $2.5 million pledged now, he said.

"We will raise money wherever we can raise money, from New York to California," Jackson said.

The city council and the culture of politics in Chicago also needs changing, Jackson said, and he plans to run with a slate of aldermanic candidates and candidates for city treasurer and clerk. That may include some progressive incumbents but likely will be mostly new faces.

"The mayor's recruiting candidates," Jackson said. "I don't know another way to compete effectively against this operation."

The Service Employees International Union is working with Jackson on the aldermanic slate, the congressman said. The union has been unhappy with Daley over his opposition to the big-box living wage ordinance, which Jackson supports.

Jackson said he has 15 candidates already going through a vetting process. One of those might be his wife, Sandi Jackson, who is considering a run for the 7th Ward seat that will be vacated by Ald. William Beavers if Beavers wins election to the county board in November. Beavers reportedly wants his daughter appointed to the seat.

"It's very difficult for me to see someone with Sandi's energy … and then to discourage her," Jesse Jackson said. "I will live with the outcome, whatever the political consequences are for me and whatever it is I choose to do."

Jackson's decision on whether to run likely will come after his congressional election in November, aides said. Petitions to be placed on the February ballot are due Dec. 15.

Jonathan Lipman may be reached at jlipman@dailysouthtown.com or (312) 782-1286.