What’s the background on Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago runoff? Why are so many Democrats unhappy with a Democrat? In 2013, I wrote about his cozy relationship with billionaires in the post Bloomberg and Rahmbo: Sleight of Hand Artists. The reality of Rahm sponsored school closures in School Closure and Race Infographic: Something fishy going on in Chicago? and Mouth agape: What the data tell us about school closure in Chicago
A few more media articles about the Chicago race:
The Economist Can Jesús save Chicago?
Bloomberg Why is Rahm Emanuel’s Challenger, Jesús ‘Chuy’ Garcia, So Happy?
Huffington post Billionaire Who Backs Rahm Emanuel Also A Big GOP Donor
Al Jazeera Rahm Emanuel could lose re-election
Sun-Times Billionaire Ken Griffin throws in another $500,000 for Rahm re-election
See also Chuy’s interview with Maria Hinojosa (“The man who taught her to love politics”) on LatinoUSA below.
According to Al Jazeera, Garcia is narrowing the lead that Rahm had two weeks ago (See School debate threatens Rahm Emanuel’s re-election). But Emanuel is still enough ahead that it will take a lot of work to narrow the gap.
Last week Democrat Emanuel’s political action committee got half a million dollars from Ken Griffin a Scott-Walker supporting-conservative-hedge-fund-manager, BIG GOP donor billionaire (Griffin has donated $1 million to Rahm’s PAC. $750,000 since March 2)
Reports of Emanuel’s campaign coffers are listed as either $20 or $30 million.
It is hard to beat that kind of money. In fact, in the United States of America 91% of the time the better-financed candidate wins. I suspect the Supreme Court knows that and has struck down limits on money in politics
The 5 to 4 McCutcheon decision — striking down the limit on the total amount of money wealthy donors can contribute to candidates and political committees — was the fifth since Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. joined the court that agreed with constitutional arguments challenging laws designed to blunt the influence of money in politics.
But with the Network for Public Education and other grassroots support we can beat billionaires—Monica Ratliff (LA) and Ted Gordon (Austin) Also, see the post Is a Billionaire or Millionaire looking to buy your election Nov 4? (Please Vote Ted in Austin)
So what will be the outcome of the runoff?
This race is a referendum on public education vs privatization. Democracy vs Cronyism. The 1% against everyone else. It’s Monica Ratliff and Tom Torlakson races all rolled into one.
Early voting for the Chicago mayoral race between Rahm Emanuel and Jesus Chuy Garcia ends next Saturday, April 4th. The election is Tuesday, April 7th.
Diane Ravitch: I Endorse Jesus (Chuy) Garcia for Mayor of the great city of Chicago http://wp.me/p2odLa-9uo via @DianeRavitch
So for the next week, any way you can get the word out, please do so.
Facebook, Tweet, call long lost relatives who live in Chicago, make a donation at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/
Next Tuesday, from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m, Chicago time, the Network for Public Education is doing a Twitter storm in partnership with CTU. The storm is coinciding with the last mayoral debate so it should be exciting. Please join in and tweet. If you don’t tweet, share the Garcia campaign messages that are up on NPE’s Facebook.
Here are some tweets for Chuy!!
- Chuy supports sustainable community schools in every neighborhood! @garcia4chicago!
- Closing 50 neighborhood schools shouldn’t get u a 2nd term. Vote #chuygarcia @NetworkPublicEd
- @garcia4chicago! Garcia’s 1st act as Mayor: go to Springfield & demand action 2 give Chicago an elected school board. #fox32debate
- Close our schools, degrade our neighborhoods? Bye-bye, Rahm Hello, Chuy!
- @garcia4chicago! @CTULocal1 @coreteachers @EdBlogNet
- @garcia4chicago! Chicago needs an elected school board. Chuy will fight for it.
- @garcia4chicago! Chicago needs elected school board-not Rahm’s appointed friend$$ #onetermrahm
- Chicago needs elected school board not 50 shuttered schools @garcia4chicago!
- @garcia4chicago! Chicago needs elected school board Chicago needs Chuy #VoteGarciaApril7
- @garcia4chicago! Chicago needs elected school board not a board of rahm’s buddie$ #onetermrahm
- Closed schools, broken promises, time for change, time for Chuy @garcia4chicago!
- Chuy Garcia race not just abt Chicago Wake-up call for every politician working to destroy public ed #voteChuy @garcia4chicago @NetworkPublicEd
- #chuyGarcia Garcia will give students books, libraries, rec facilities. language, literature, art classes http://www.livingindialogue.com/chicago-mayoral-candidate-jesus-chuy-garcia-talks-schools/
- I vote to protect our democracy. I vote for public education @garcia4chicago!
- Chicago Mayoral Candidate Jesus “Chuy” Garcia Talks About Schools http://www.livingindialogue.com/chicago-mayoral-candidate-jesus-chuy-garcia-talks-schools/
- After every campaign promise Rahm makes, I finish his thought with “and I had 4 years to do that.” @garcia4chicago!
- #fox32debate
- “@MarcusAWinn: I’m ready to #DumpRahm the same way he dumped public schools.”
- Chicago didn’t vote for Garcia b/c of Mayor’s personality, but because of broken promises, bad choices, wrong priorities. #fox32debate
- Anthony Cody talks with Jesus”Chuy” Garcia .http://www.livingindialogue.com/chicago-mayoral-candidate-jesus-chuy-garcia-talks-schools/
- @garcia4chicago! @NetworkPublicEd endorses Jesus “Chuy” Garcia!
- Vote Garcia April 7
- Close public schools to re-open them as private charters: unacceptable. #votechuygarcia April 7
- Koch’s want to spend $889 million to buy elections They can’t buy our votes #VoteChuyGarcia April 7
- Chuy Garcia race isn’t just abt Chicago Put the fear into every politician working to destroy public ed #VoteChuyGarcia
- Send a message across the US-we are many & we won’t let you privatize public ed #VoteChuyGarcia.
- @NetworkPublicEd
- #VoteChuyGarcia: Equal opportunity 4 ALL Chicago’s children to learn & succeed
- Ravitch says Send a signal 2 entire nation: privatizing our public schools has failed #VoteChuyGarcia
- Ravitch: Garcia will restore true education–not test scores–as the center of school life #VoteChuyGarcia
- Politicans start your boot shaking. We’re sending Rahm home Who’s next? @garcia4chicago!
- Time to go home Rahm, you may have the $$, but Chuy’s got the people. @garcia4chicago!
- You want our votes, Rahm? You should have protected our kids. #VoteChuyGarcia
Voting early? Get your ballot in by Saturday April 4 locations here!
Also join, us in Chicago April 25-26 for Network for Public Education’s 2nd Annual Conference “Public Education: Our Kids, Our Schools, Our Communities” I will attend and convene a panel entitled Having a Conversation with Teach For America. See the entire 2105 NPE Conference Chicago schedule here. Register here. If you are going, please use this logo for your Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc.
See you there!
I will also be in Chicago for 2015 American Educational Research Association conference from April 16-20 presenting on a variety of topics. Click on the links in the Tweet below for topics, times, and locations.
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Twitter: @ProfessorJVH
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Interested in joining us in the sunny capitol of California and obtaining your Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University Sacramento? Apply by April 1. Go here.
Thanks to Robin Hiller for her research and writing for this post.
Cloaking Inequity 
Timeline:
Emanuel was sworn in as the 55th Mayor of Chicago on May 16, 2011, His Brother-In-Law, Laurent Pernot moved into the position as Executive Director, Communication at the City Colleges of Chicago in 8/11 at salary of $128,00. Laurent Pernot moved into the position as Vice Chancellor, Imitational Advancement at the City Colleges of Chicago in 12/11 at a salary of $140,000 after 3 months at CCC. Laurent Pernot moved into the position as Executive Vice Chancellor at the City Colleges of Chicago in 8/13 at salary of $150,000. Laurent Pernot current salary $153,750. Mayor Emanuel looks after his Family not us Chicagoans.
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Mayor Emanuel reneges on his promises to Chicago Veterans! Mayor Emanuel announced on 11/9/12 the establishment of the Service to Success Scholarship for Veterans attending the City Colleges to bridge potential funding gaps for returning Veterans attending college. The City Colleges set up $50,000 seed money to start the scholarship and was committed to work with corporate and institutional funders to fund scholarships into the future. The Scholarship was started as planned Spring Semester 2013 but after only providing scholarships to Veterans for 2 semesters, it was ceased even though the initial $50,000 was not completely exhausted. No additional funds were solicited and the Mayor’s promise & commitment to our Veterans now goes unfulfilled Who is going to question him and the City Colleges on this?
Now the Mayor is promising scholarships to Chicago public school graduates with GPA of 3.0. Will he renege on the promise too after he is elected? The Mayor does not have to answer to how he will fund the new scholarship/program for Chicago high school graduates or what the cost will be or if he will renege on his commitment to Chicago high school graduates as he has done with our Veterans after the Elections?
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