Daley yet to announce, but campaign gets in gear

Daley yet to announce, but campaign gets in gear
October 3, 2006
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

If Mayor Daley decides to shake off corruption scandals and seek the sixth term he needs to become Chicago's longest-serving mayor, he's got to do the nitty-gritty things candidates must do -- like circulate nominating petitions, raise money and organize campaign volunteers.

On Monday, former Chicago Housing Authority chief Terry Peterson started doing just that in his first day on the job as Daley's campaign manager.

"The mayor asked me to come on board and start putting together a process, if and when he decides to run -- everything from petitions, fund-raising and interviewing potential campaign staffers to looking at computer and software needs and opening neighborhood satellite offices," Peterson said from the campaign office Daley has long maintained at 111 W. Washington.


Not wasting any time
"I'm setting up meetings with elected officials and labor leaders and talking to block club presidents and ordinary citizens. We want to make sure that, if and when the mayor decides to run, that anyone who wants to be involved in supporting him has the opportunity to do it."
On the day he accepted Peterson's resignation, Daley insisted he had not yet decided whether to seek a sixth term -- and won't until after the November election.

The timetable has not changed. But Peterson said, "I don't believe the mayor would have had me come over here just to waste time doing this."

Mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard called Peterson a "skilled manager" who has "demonstrated a real understanding of the city, people and their needs" while overseeing the CHA's $1.6 billion Plan for Transformation.

Aside from gathering the 12,500 valid signatures that Daley needs by the Dec. 18 filing deadline, Peterson's first order of business is raising money. It's been nearly four years since Richard M. Daley held a fund-raiser that used to be an annual ritual at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Last year, the mayor swore off campaign contributions from city contractors to restore public confidence. He has $2 million in the bank.

fspielman@suntimes.com