Ald. Richard Mell to retire... maybe
Chicago Sun-Times reported early this morning that Ald Richard Mell (33rd), one of the most powerful aldermen in the Chicago City Council, decided to retire in a few months and arranged to have his daughter, Deb Mell (who currently serves as a State Representative), take his place.
If this turns out to be true, this is a pretty big deal. Ald. Mell chairs Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics, which has the ultimate say over City Council rules and procedures, as well as ward remapping and municipal elections and referendums. To put it another way, he gets to decide what the City Council can and cannot do.
As the Sun-Times article points out, the chairmanship also gives Mell discretion over a decent chunk of City Council budget and a power to appoint a couple of lucrative positions within the City Council staff. And Mell's influence extends beyond City Council - as CloutWiki points out, he helped Rahm Emanuel and Rod Blagojevich get elected to U.S. House of Representatives and Illinois General Assembly, respectively. Blagojevich, in particular, pretty much owes his political career to Mell, who supported him as he climbed up the political ladder until they parted ways over personal issues.
Make no mistake. Ald. Mell's resignation would alter the power dynamics within the City Council and Chicago's Northwest Side in general.
Ald. Mell and Me
I got a first-hand experience at what kind of person Ald. Mell was when I was covering the ward remap for Chicago Journal/Skyline. Amidst all the craziness, competing agendas and PR manipulations, there were two things that particularly stuck out. During the North Side remap hearing, Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) did something rather odd. About two hours in, without any prompting, he praised Mell for being a great alderman. I don't have my notes from the meeting with me, so I can't offer the exact quote, but it went something like this.
"I always hear people saying Old Guard this and Old Guard that." he said, his voice ringing with agitation. "But Alderman Mell has been a great person to work with. He has been very considerate, and he listens to everybody's opinions, and he's been very open to our imput."
A week later, mere day before the City Council would vote on the remap, the Rules Commitee held a final remap hearing. Throughout the entire thing, Ald. Mell patiently listened to everyone and reassured them, time and time again, that their opinions mattered. But hen I went to ask him a few questions, he told me that the City Council has already made up its mind. They just had to work out a few small details.
He knew that what he said contradicted everything he said during the actual hearing - and he didn't care. Things were the way they were. It was that simple.
What's Next
The Sun-Times report indicates that he wants his daughter to succeed him. Mayor Emanuel has the power to appoint replacements for aldermen who leave before the end of their term, and there's no reason to think he wouldn't honor the request of a loyal alderman who helped him out in the past.
City Council has a long history of aldermen passing on their seats to their children. The Cullerton dynasty, which has been running 38th ward for as long as anybody can remember, is just the most prominent example.
But what's interesting is that, according to Sun-Times report, Deb Mell wouldn't inherit all of her father's perks. The control over the City Council jobs would be transferred to Ald. Michelle Harris (8th). Harris is a product of the South Side section of the Chicago Democratic Machine who originally got her post thanks to her connections to the powerful Stroger dynasty. She was a loyal supporter of both Richard M Daley and Rahm Emanuel, and that loyalty earned her the position of President Pro Tempore. The position doesn't really amount to much - it gives Harris a power to run City Council meetings when the mayor isn't present - but it does have powerful symbolic value. She also serves as the vice-chairman of the Commitee on Workforce Development - a commitee chaired by Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th), Mayor Emanuel's right-hand man in the City Council.
If the Sun-Times story is accurate, Ald. Mell's retirement ould means that Harris would get some actual perks to go with her symbolic importance.
A couple of hours after the story broke. Mell spoke to Chicago Tribune's Clout Street blog. The alderman called the report "premature," saying that he hasn't made a decision whether to retire or not. But he stopped just short of saying that he definitely wouldn't retire. He also mentioned that he would like Deb Mell to succeed him when he retires and mentioned that she was interested in the post.
Which, to me, suggests that Sun-Times report has more than a grain of truth. Maybe Mell really didn't make up his mind, but he was probably seriously considering. Sun-Times political reporters have pretty good track record of breaking political news. Even if things don't quite happen the way the story suggests, I would not be surprised to hear more about it in months, if not weeks, to come.
Edit (13:35, 04.01.13): And now Sun-Times is reporting that Emanuel has confirmed that he and Mell talked about retirement plans but, like Mell, insisted that there was nothing definite. Which doesn't really discourage rumors any.
If this turns out to be true, this is a pretty big deal. Ald. Mell chairs Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics, which has the ultimate say over City Council rules and procedures, as well as ward remapping and municipal elections and referendums. To put it another way, he gets to decide what the City Council can and cannot do.
As the Sun-Times article points out, the chairmanship also gives Mell discretion over a decent chunk of City Council budget and a power to appoint a couple of lucrative positions within the City Council staff. And Mell's influence extends beyond City Council - as CloutWiki points out, he helped Rahm Emanuel and Rod Blagojevich get elected to U.S. House of Representatives and Illinois General Assembly, respectively. Blagojevich, in particular, pretty much owes his political career to Mell, who supported him as he climbed up the political ladder until they parted ways over personal issues.
Make no mistake. Ald. Mell's resignation would alter the power dynamics within the City Council and Chicago's Northwest Side in general.
Ald. Mell and Me
I got a first-hand experience at what kind of person Ald. Mell was when I was covering the ward remap for Chicago Journal/Skyline. Amidst all the craziness, competing agendas and PR manipulations, there were two things that particularly stuck out. During the North Side remap hearing, Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) did something rather odd. About two hours in, without any prompting, he praised Mell for being a great alderman. I don't have my notes from the meeting with me, so I can't offer the exact quote, but it went something like this.
"I always hear people saying Old Guard this and Old Guard that." he said, his voice ringing with agitation. "But Alderman Mell has been a great person to work with. He has been very considerate, and he listens to everybody's opinions, and he's been very open to our imput."
A week later, mere day before the City Council would vote on the remap, the Rules Commitee held a final remap hearing. Throughout the entire thing, Ald. Mell patiently listened to everyone and reassured them, time and time again, that their opinions mattered. But hen I went to ask him a few questions, he told me that the City Council has already made up its mind. They just had to work out a few small details.
He knew that what he said contradicted everything he said during the actual hearing - and he didn't care. Things were the way they were. It was that simple.
What's Next
The Sun-Times report indicates that he wants his daughter to succeed him. Mayor Emanuel has the power to appoint replacements for aldermen who leave before the end of their term, and there's no reason to think he wouldn't honor the request of a loyal alderman who helped him out in the past.
City Council has a long history of aldermen passing on their seats to their children. The Cullerton dynasty, which has been running 38th ward for as long as anybody can remember, is just the most prominent example.
But what's interesting is that, according to Sun-Times report, Deb Mell wouldn't inherit all of her father's perks. The control over the City Council jobs would be transferred to Ald. Michelle Harris (8th). Harris is a product of the South Side section of the Chicago Democratic Machine who originally got her post thanks to her connections to the powerful Stroger dynasty. She was a loyal supporter of both Richard M Daley and Rahm Emanuel, and that loyalty earned her the position of President Pro Tempore. The position doesn't really amount to much - it gives Harris a power to run City Council meetings when the mayor isn't present - but it does have powerful symbolic value. She also serves as the vice-chairman of the Commitee on Workforce Development - a commitee chaired by Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th), Mayor Emanuel's right-hand man in the City Council.
If the Sun-Times story is accurate, Ald. Mell's retirement ould means that Harris would get some actual perks to go with her symbolic importance.
A couple of hours after the story broke. Mell spoke to Chicago Tribune's Clout Street blog. The alderman called the report "premature," saying that he hasn't made a decision whether to retire or not. But he stopped just short of saying that he definitely wouldn't retire. He also mentioned that he would like Deb Mell to succeed him when he retires and mentioned that she was interested in the post.
Which, to me, suggests that Sun-Times report has more than a grain of truth. Maybe Mell really didn't make up his mind, but he was probably seriously considering. Sun-Times political reporters have pretty good track record of breaking political news. Even if things don't quite happen the way the story suggests, I would not be surprised to hear more about it in months, if not weeks, to come.
Edit (13:35, 04.01.13): And now Sun-Times is reporting that Emanuel has confirmed that he and Mell talked about retirement plans but, like Mell, insisted that there was nothing definite. Which doesn't really discourage rumors any.