Illinois Considers Allowing Recall Attempts of Chicago Mayor
Riley and I talked this morning on the show about a lengthy piece in the New Yorker detailing the sudden fall of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In short, writer Rick Perlstein argues that Emanuel's past accomplishments were overblown and perhaps he never was worthy of the praise heaped upon him.
Meanwhile, the furor over recent Chicago police shootings has Illinois legislators considering whether voters should be allowed to recall Emanuel. State Rep. La Shawn Ford is the sponsor of a bill in Springfield:
Under Ford's proposal, two city aldermen would have to sign an affidavit agreeing with a recall petition and organizers must collect more than 88,000 signatures from registered voters in the city. At least 50 signatures must come from each of 50 wards.
The proposal would pre-empt local law, so it needs approval from two-thirds of each chamber of the Illinois Legislature to pass during the session that starts this month.
Emanuel previously has said he won't step down. We'll see if he holds to that promise if the political temperature in Chicago continues to rise.