Three Questions We Bet He Fibs, Fudges or Evades
CHICAGO (February 5, 2015) -- On WTTW last night, you saw Mayor Rahm Emanuel at his most deceptive, misrepresenting his record on everything from his broken safety promises, to his thirst for red-light camera cash to fudging the regressive realities of the city's TIF shell game.
You even had him "disappear" his record of school closures outright, having him refer to the devastation as "reforms."
Rahm didn't get to where he was by telling the truth. Here are three questions for Mayor Emanuel that we bet he sidesteps during the ABC-7 debate.
1. Will You Acknowledge That You Shut Down 50 Schools?
You presided over the closing of 50 neighborhood, public schools, the vast majority of them in African-American, lower-income and Latino neighborhoods. You behave as if though this-perhaps the most infamous chapter in your mayoralty-didn't even happen. Can we expect the same tonight?
2. How Are You Going to Run Away from Your 1,000 Cops Promise?
You said it, not us, that you were going to put 1,000 more uniformed officers on the street, and you've failed to deliver. Period. At the same time, you're claiming safety successes that people in the neighborhoods just aren't feeling. Will you acknowledge your failure to meet one of your signature promises?
3. Do You Even TOUCH the Fact You've Created Two Chicagos?
Increased fees for services, hidden taxes and gimmicks like your red-light cameras have shifted the tax burden in Chicago from those with the most on to the backs of those with the least. Do you have a credible reason why your fellow 1 percenters like Ken Griffin are paying less even of their fair share in taxes while services are cuts to our neighborhoods-and the tax burden is yoked to our working families?
