Did you know Richard J. Daley started as a Republican? That a Chicago Tribune editor was a mayor of the city? That one mayor spent his first birthday as an immigrant on Ellis Island?

Rahm Emanuel joins a colorful group of predecessors when he’s sworn in and here’s a look at five of the more noteworthy:

Richard J. Daley

Years served: 1955-1976

Party: Democratic

Noteworthy News: Richard J. Daley, the current mayor’s father, played a major role in the Democratic Party, having pledged his support for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1960 and Hubert Humphrey’s in 1968. Daley oversaw construction of O’Hare International Airport, Sears Tower and McCormick Place. He gained notoriety for the violence that broke out at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, as well as for his questionable machine politics. Daley died in office at the age of 74.

FYI: Daley was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as a Republican.

Jane Byrne

Years served: 1979-1983

Party: Democratic

Noteworthy News: Byrne was the first and only female to date to serve as mayor of Chicago. Despite the fact that Byrne worked for Richard J. Daley during his time in office, she presented herself to Chicagoans as a reformer. However, her actions as mayor were not always consistent with her image. David Axelrod told The New Yorker that Byrne’s “was a great reform campaign” yet “she became sort of a parody of a machine mayor.” Byrne is famous for her decision to temporarily move into Cabrini-Green, a public housing development that gained notoriety for its violence.

FYI: Many commentators cite severe snowstorms as Byrne’s ticket to City Hall. Mayor Michael Bilandic was in office when massive amounts of snow paralyzed Chicago in January of 1979. Voters saw Bilandic as an ineffective mayor and found a replacement in Byrne.

Harold Washington

Years served: 1983-1987

Party: Democratic

Noteworthy News: Harold Washington succeeded Jane Byrne and became the first African American mayor of Chicago. He graduated from both Roosevelt University and Northwestern University’s School of Law. Washington struggled to assert control over Chicago politics and local government; however, he is remembered for being a fair mayor who gave a voice to minorities. A Nov. 26, 1987 editorial in the Chicago Tribune wrote: “Harold Washington did not neglect white Chicago the way his predecessors neglected black Chicago, and let that be a permanent part of his legacy and a lasting tribute to him.” Washington died in office at the age of 65.

FYI: Washington dropped out of high school to work in a meat-packing factory.

Anton Cermak

Years served: 1931-1933

Party: Democratic

Noteworthy News: Anton Cermak mobilized the new immigrant population to challenge the Irish politicians who controlled city politics. With the help of minority groups, Cermak won the 1931 mayoral election. He spent most of his time as mayor dealing with the Association of Real Estate Taxpayers’ refusal to pay real estate taxes, and the lack of funds that resulted from the strike. Cermak was shot while shaking hands with President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Speculation around the shooting has raised claims that the assassin’s original target was Roosevelt. Cermak is said to have told Roosevelt, “I’m glad it was me instead of you.”

FYI: Cermak was born in Kladno, Czechoslovakia, and spent his first birthday at Ellis Island. Cermak’s opposition in the election criticized him for his immigrant background. His response has become famous: “It’s true I didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but I came over as soon as I could.”

Joseph Medill

Years served: 1871-1873

Party: Fireproof

Noteworthy News: Medill served as editor-in-chief of the Chicago Tribune before taking office one month after the Great Chicago Fire. Medill established the Chicago Public Library during his term and reorganized government finances. He resigned from office in 1873, claiming that his health was deteriorating. He returned to the Tribune, where he worked until his death in 1899.

FYI: Medill, born in Canada, was one of the founders of the Republican Party and strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln and his administration.

The mayoral election is over, but what happens to the remaining funds Mayor-elect Emanuel has left? He began the year with little over $8.3 million in his campaign reserves. Now, it is estimated he has $2 million remaining.

Emanuel has chosen eight candidates in the 14 aldermanic run-off elections on April 5 to support. This can be financial or personnel.

Last week Emanuel began a political action committee “The New Chicago Committee” to give funds to candidates who fit his reform agenda. According to David Morrison, Associate Director Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, under the new campaign finance law, Emanuel could give up to $50,000 from his PAC to each aldermanic candidate.

However, the new law limits Emanuel to only be able to transfer $50,000 from his mayoral election reserves to his PAC. So, old-fashioned fundraising is the name of the game for The New Chicago Committee.

Hunter Clauss of Early & Often reported that Emanuel has already given $16,000 for a poll to Danny Solis (25th Ward) and $10,000 for phone banks to Freddrenna Lyle (6th), JoAnn Thompson (16th) and Latasha Thomas (17th).

“All of his spending from the PAC will be reported as an expenditure on his next campaign disclosure report,” said Morrison. “[The report] will cover the time period Jan. 1 through March 31, and is due to the State Board of Elections by April 15.”

Amidst accusations of buying seats in city council, Emanuel has said he is working to reform Chicago. ”I want a council that will part of the reform agenda, and be a partner in that effort,” he said.

By Maham Khan

In the shadow of unbeatable odds, stood some candidates who decided the odds didn’t matter.

The results of this past mayoral election confessed what many predicted: a lot of money and big endorsements usually win. But still, a strong lineup of horses approached the election track.

One of those horses—the least bet upon—was Dock Walls. Walls was the most under-covered and poorest of the final six candidates (contrary to what Miguel del Valle claimed all season), raising under $5,000 for his entire campaign.

In a race against celebrity endorsed Rahm Emanuel, city-connected and veteran Gery Chico, Latino powerhouse Miguel del  Valle, and two other African-American female candidates working with at least six figures (Carol Moseley Braun and Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins); most of us, at some point in this race would say to ourselves: Maybe it’s time to drop out and support one of the other candidates.

This sort of decision was rampant in the race when there were up to 12 candidates back in September, and we saw Meeks jump on a black consensus candidate bandwagon, hoping to raise Braun’s numbers.

But Walls didn’t cave.  So it had to be asked: “What’s up Doc?”

“I continued to run for our programs,” Walls said in a post-election interview with DePolitics1011.com. “Sometimes it’s not about winning as it is about letting people know that our programs are out there.”

But do people really know?

If Emanuel got 100 percent coverage from the media during campaign season, then how much did Walls get?

“Three percent,” Walls guessed.  “Networks like WGN and WTTW denied us the debates and most mainstream coverage.”

Walls was given no fair reason or explanation for the exclusions.  The media decides who will be advantaged and disadvantaged right from the start, he said.

“We do have the best message and had the best platform and program but that is all irrelevant if the media does not adopt you,” Walls said. “Even with two presidents behind him, we could have given Rahm a run for his money, if the media had been fair.”

Walls admits that he knew he only stood a chance if Emanuel got booted from the ballot, which is why he worked hard on the residency challenge against the new mayor-elect.  It wasn’t personal—just political; an attempt to level out the playing field for smaller campaigns like his, Walls explained.

In the 11^th hour on election day, Walls was out campaigning with no regrets and high spirits because he believed his campaign was the only one built upon real plans and programs for Chicago.

“I was offering something totally different then everyone else,” Walls said. “I was talking about bringing new industry to Chicago in the form of nano-technology, creating a hundred thousand private sector jobs, empowering small and medium sized businesses instead of the big Boeings in Chicago. Our programs were worth running for.”

Amongst his fellow candidates, he respected del Valle and Van Pelt Watkins the most because their general philosophies were similar to his. But, they too, “lacked real programmatic substance needed to move Chicago forward,” Walls said.

Walls has not been approached by mayor-elect Emanuel after the election like some of the other candidates have been, but said he would consider working with the new mayor if the opportunity to create jobs and economic development arose.

He fears that Emanuel’s priorities are not in the right place.

“It’s too early to tell if Chicago’s future is in good hands,” Walls said. “I’m afraid for Chicago’s future.”

As for Walls future, he will continue to work in the field of nano-technology. He has  also been inspired to write a political-religious thriller novel—in which the plot and characters will be fictional and not represent true people or places in any way.

By Courtney Pohlman

What kind of person did Chicago elect as its new mayor? Why not push aside the highly-public political rhetoric for a closer look at Rahm Emanuel—and what one very famous friend had to say about him.

In a 2005 benefit for Citizens United for Research of Epilepsy (CURE), then U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel was “honored” for his work with the charity in a roast by friends and colleagues.

Paul Begala, former advisor to President Clinton, was the master of ceremonies while other speakers included then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama. The future President playfully poked all kinds of fun at Emanuel, his future Chief-of-Staff and now Chicago’s mayor-elect.

Who knew? He touched on Emanuel’s ballet training which he pointed out prepared Rahm to “move feet to the left and to the right without anyone one knowing where he stood.” He recalled a “tragic deli slicer accident” in which he was left with only half a middle finger rendering him “practically mute.”

It’s a different side of Emanuel. Find out what else Chicago’s new mayor elect is known for by his friends and colleagues, as broadcast by C-Span and on the above YouTube video.

With the mayoral drum roll of Feb. 22 behind us, Chicagoans and a rookie pool of alderman are looking to the mayor-elect to see what City Hall changes, if any, will be made.

Even before Rahm Emanuel was elected, hints of deep cuts to the budget, shifts in the city council power structure, a plan for Chicago’s struggling public school system and new union pension expectations were alive and well, among other things.

Nine aldermanic incumbents weren’t even on the ballot, meaning City Hall will have at least that many new members, perhaps more, as 14 city council races wait to be determined in April’s runoff. In short, City Hall will undoubtedly look different. What now remains on council members minds, is will it be any different?

With two decades of a largely submissive city council under Mayor Richard M. Daley as a foundation, Emanuel, despite his noted abrasiveness, has stated he is looking to build a new relationship between the mayor’s office and the city council.

According to Barbara Guttman—treasurer for 43^rd Ward Ald. Vi Daley, with a largely fresh picked team of city political players—Emanuel couldn’t have chosen a better climate to do so. ”You have this perfect collision of a new mayor and a new city council. A perfect storm,” Guttman said.

Guttman also notes an aldermanic desire for a fully functioning legislative body, especially from those newly elected. “Some new alderman will be looking at City Council much less like a group that is ruled by the mayor, the old city council was subservient to the mayor.”

Caitlin Allen of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development in Chicago, also observes the long held ladder of commands in city council. “Chicagoans are accustomed to a certain way of politics, essentially having a ‘boss’ in office,” she said. “Chicagoans observe some parochial traditions in a sense because powerbrokers are revered for their power—both with voters and in Council chambers.”

What about the promises that Emanuel has made? From the city’s fiscal crisis, to public safety and education reform, does he have the time to get his ducks in a row before he settles into the office on the fifth floor?

Guttman would argue that he does. “[Rahm Emanuel] has plenty of time to decide upon some things seeing as how he doesn’t take office until May.”

That’s time he will need to use wisely, with a long list of city to-dos, ranging from his pledge to put 1,000 more policeman on the street to his promise of reigning in more city jobs.

“The first 100 days of Emanuel’s office will set the tone for his tenure so it’s likely that he’ll push for an aggressive response to some hot campaign issues,” said Allen. “Appointing CPS and Police chiefs will also help set the tone to the agenda his office will pursue.”

With about three months before his agenda is actually put to the test, the Emanuel spotlight has just been traded in for a microscope.

Chicago's mayor Richard M. Daley. (Photo courtesy of Creative Commons)

By Marin Kolev

(This opinion piece is by Marin Kolev, a graduate student from Bulgaria in the College of Communication.)

After 43 years of reign, the mighty Daley Regime in Chicago ended. On Feb. 22, Rahm Emanuel changed the history of the Windy City.

Last Sept. 7, Richard M. Daley announced that he was not going to run for re-election. We all got caught in a whirlwind of news, names of prospective candidates and predictions. Names were dropped in and out every day from the list of candidates. Chicago got into a campaign mode with candidates everywhere greeting people.

When we talk about politics and elections, there is always that sense of expectation for discussions, serious talk, platforms, breakdowns of issues and social problems. On the contrary, during the 2011 mayoral election in Chicago, local media outlets focused on dramatic events.

Emanuel made the most fuss with his residency issues. People talked about his residency more than about his ideas of how to fix the budget deficit of the city, the corruption or the crime rate.

Carol Mosley Braun, on the other hand, tried to get more attention with her statement that she was bullied as a child. Then we had to hear the name of the girl that bullied her and find out if that was true or not.

All of that was unnecessary and of zero importance for Chicago’s future. Residents could stop watching Bravo’s Real Housewives. They had a new show: The Real Mayors of Chicago.

There is no doubt that the 2011 election is a historic event for the Windy city. For the past 56 years there hasn’t been a mayoral election in Chicago without an incumbent candidate.

Since 1955, when Richard J. Daley came into office, there have been only five people that separated father and son on that position. Two were not even elected by the people, but from the city council because of Harold Washington’s death.

I was born in 1985 in Bulgaria during a communist regime that lasted for 45 years. Being an international observer of the American democratic society, I can see that people are scared of communism here.

But I find it funny that the mayoral monopoly of Chicago in the hands of the Daley family lasted almost as long as the Communist regime in an Eastern European country. It is also funny that, 1989 is the year when Communism in my home country collapsed and Richard M. Daley took the reign over Chicago.

In my opinion, Communism, Socialism and democracy are platforms in politics used as labels. And sometimes dictatorship is disguised behind these labels.

With the current events in Egypt, we can see that the only power that can terminate a dictatorship is the civic society. Richard M. Daley ended his political era by himself, and then everything was in the hands of Chicagoans.

But is it really the end of the Daley Regime for Chicago?

Brother William M. Daley just replaced Rahm Emanuel as a Chief of Staff in the White House and we still have another brother, John P. Daley remaining on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

Martin J. Oberman served as alderman of Chicago’s 43^rd Ward from 1975 to 1987. He was an acknowledged expert of the city budget and a constant adversary of the Chicago City Council’s heavy-handed political majority.

After leaving the City Council, Oberman was appointed Chairman of the Shore Protection Commission, which was tasked with doing a rehabilitation of Chicago’s shoreline while ensuring environmental protection. He ran for Illinois Attorney General in 1981, 1986 and again in 1994. Currently, he is a lawyer in private practice.

Here are some observations he had about the Feb. 22 election:

Q: What was the main thing you were surprised about during this election?

A: Nothing at all. This election was very predictable.

Q: What is the main point you gathered from the results of this election?

A: The point was that this election was never really much of a contest. We had one very strong candidate and a bunch of other weak candidates. The candidates were weak because they didn’t have nearly as much money as Rahm Emanuel. Only Gery Chico had any money, and compared to Rahm, it was nothing. Carol Moseley Braun was just sort of a goofball, and Miguel del Valle was not charismatic at all.

Q: How does 2010 election campaigning in the Chicago area compare to past mid-term elections?

A: This election was unique. It is the first time we have had an election without someone named Daley on the ballot in a very long time. Because there was not a familiarity of the incumbent, people took more in depth interest in the candidates, however it did not result in much turnout.

Q: What is your assessment of Chicago media coverage of the 2010 political campaigning?

A: It was not very good. There was too much focus on Rahm’s residency and not enough on the key issues like how we would balance the budget. The media let all the candidates get away with a lot of generalities.

Q: What changes would you like to see in future election campaigning?

A: I am a big believer in public financing. Because Rahm had a much greater amount of funding for his campaign it was not a level playing field. This would greatly affect the results of the election.

In a city that’s made a name for itself out of back alley politicians and shady campaigning, accusations of foul play before an election could be a good way to flounder, but apparently not for Michele Smith.

The 43rd Ward Committeewoman and Chicago Aldermanic candidate received 38 percent of votes Feb. 22, leaving her and Tim Egan, who received 29 percent, to face each other in a runoff in April. An impressive majority one might say, given Smith ran against nine other candidates.

Also impressive is this fact: Friends of Michele Smith faced the State Board of Elections in light of accusations made that the campaign broke election law by taking three names from Vi Daley’s D-2 records in an attempt to solicit support.

On Feb. 23, a day after the election, the Illinois State Board of Elections found the Friends of Michele Smith guilty, but no fines were given and she remained on the ballot. The case concluded that it was an outside consultant on Smith’s campaign using Daley’s disclosure document to solicit to three donors on the retiring alderman’s list.

According to Barb Guttmann, Friends of Vi Daley treasurer who filed the complaint against Friends of Michele Smith, it is typical for the board to be lenient with a first-time offense. “It was basically a slap on the wrist,” Guttmann said. “But if she gets caught again, she will be fined heavily.”

Guttmann said she filed the complaint to reassure Daley’s donors that their information had not been given out and that the Friends of Vi Daley had nothing to do with the solicitations. Guttmann also believes that Michele Smith herself would never do anything purposefully against the law, since she is a former prosecutor. Friends of Michele Smith pleaded guilty to the charges, stating that they were “ready to take [their] medicine.”

Shortly after the hearing, Smith’s campaign manager Rick Bohn seemed confident the allegations would fizzle and voters would not be phased. Though the matter wasn’t solved until after the election, Smith’s reputation seemed intact at the polls.

“It doesn’t concern me, said 43rd Ward voter Allen Winters. “She is a serious prosecutor. It would be a silly, dumb thing to do if she were involved in it, for such a small payoff, given the centerpiece of her definition… looks like a pretty small issue to me. To take what is the centerpiece of her reputation and to have three names be enough to derail that, I think is unlikely.”

“I would say whatever that issue is, I would have to see evidence that Michele Smith herself was involved in that because her background and her profile is someone who has made a greater issue of honesty, going after corruption, going after all malfeasance and so on… that’s been the number one thing in her campaign.”

Guttmann said she was not surprised with the outcome, “It was a no-win situation. We’re just happy that the public is now aware of her campaign tactics,” she said.

Guttmann reiterated that the reason she filed the complaint in the first place was so Vi Daley’s donors knew their names had not been given out. “Our most important concern was that our donors were protected. We don’t want them to think for even a moment that we gave away the list or that we sold their names.”

She was “not surprised” that Smith is in the runoff. “She has great name recognition in the area from the last election and also from being committeewoman,” she added.

Next stop, runoff.

Facebook proved to be a popular campaign tool during Chicago’s mayoral election. Candidates used the social media platform to reach voters, contact volunteers, share pictures and educate potential supporters.

You might even say it predicted the winner: Rahm Emanuel had 59,897 followers on Tuesday, with Gery Chico at 5,036, Miguel del Valle 4,250 and Carol Moseley Braun 1,646.

Most of the front runners in the election have continued to use their Facebook pages since Tuesday’s decision.

Mayor-elect Emanuel has chronicled his post-election days online, announcing his transition team, reliving the election party and sharing pictures of him greeting morning commuters. Emanuel has gained almost 2,000 followers since the election.

Miguel del Valle used his Facebook page to thank supporters and promote unity within the city.

Chico thanks his supporters in an online post, expresses his love for the city and hints that we may see him again in four years. “Who knows?” he wrote. “Maybe we’ll see each other again on the campaign trail.”

Over 200 people ‘like’ Chico’s update and encouraged another run for mayor. One woman predicts, “I have a feeling this guy [Emanuel] won’t last.” Only time will tell with that one.

Moseley Braun? She’s apparently abandoned her page, with the last post timed 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Aldermanic candidate Mitch Newman plants a sign of his own—directly in front of Rahm Emanuels sign—in the 43rd Ward. (Photo by Paige Wagenknecht)

It was one of the most historic Chicago mayoral elections in decades, with Rahm Emanuel now facing arguably the most daunting fiscal challenges since the Great Fire of 1871. But it was decided with only 40 percent of the eligible voters casting ballots, or about 10 percent less than predicted by officials.

That didn’t keep the day from being lively. Here’s a citywide, scrapbook look, compiled by DePolitics1011 staffers and other sources, at election-related happenings from start to finish.

The Morning Shift

6:50 a.m.: A pastor overslept and opened New Heritage Cathedral at 5848 S. Princeton Ave., a polling place, 50 minutes late, according to news reports.

Rahm Emanuel’s “war room” in a South Loop office building is the candidate’s nerve center. Staffers are in constant motion, the lead team set up in a conference room with cell phones and laptops ready. They are trained at scanning voting trends and predicting how the race is looking and where more volunteers are needed. Also sighted in the hallway is 13-year-old Zachariah Emanuel soaking in the political history.

10:40 a.m.: Chico is voter number 46 at his polling place, part of a light turnout up to that point. Before he arrived, NBC News reported officials attempted to bar the news media from access in violation of Election Board policy. Even after reporters and cameras were granted access, investigators circulated, demanding credentials and other documentation.

Noon: On the city’s North Side, voter turnout had been so slow in Warren Park that election judges cheered when two voters walked in. Only 71 voters, out of 600 in the 50th-Ward precinct, had voted as of 12:30 p.m.

The Afternoon Shift

While speaking to the polling place judge at the 43^rd Ward’s 11^th precinct, nothing was more representative of low turnout than the substantial drop in the number of young voters ages 18-24.

Wonzo Zl, who has served as an election judge for 16 years, referred to Tuesday as the “slowest day” he has ever encountered as a judge. “I guess people just aren’t interested in government,” Zl said, while looking at the ballot counter, which read only 77 ballots by 2 p.m.

Kelly Johnson, a 23-year-old non-voter echoes Zl’s hypothesis. “I’m just not super interested,” he said.

Wonzo Zl in the 43rd Ward said it was his slowest day ever as an election judge. (Photo by Jennifer Schanz)

According to Bayou, who also worked the polls during the 2008 presidential election, ballot numbers were well into the hundreds by 3 p.m. on that Election Day.

1:30 p.m.: One polling spot improvised after an elevator broke at 2505 E. 79th St., according to news accounts. Judges had to go up and down stairs to help senior voters.

4:30 p.m.: The scene at del Valle’s headquarters: three to five people making phone calls with several high school students getting ready to go door-to-door. Spirits are high and cheerful. The candidate’s daughter, Vanessa del Valle—a Stanford law student—holds down the fort. Everyone here believes there will be a runoff with del Valle in it.

“There is a surge of voter support coming in last minute. People have been responding to his Facebook with tremendous support saying the voted for him,” said Vanessa. “As far as polls go, they aren’t accurate.”

Vanessa tells us that even at this hour, del Valle was out campaigning. For his volunteers, the most disappointing aspect to this election was “the media’s crowning of of King Rahm,” she said. “Why couldn’t they have spent more time reaching out to the other candidates and giving them coverage?”

Vanessa and del Valle’s volunteer coordinator, Monica Embry, said that they would vote for no one else in this election.

“If not del Valle, no one else—and a lot of people tell us they feel that way,” Embry said.

Vanessa del Valle and Monica Embry inside del Valle headquarters. (Photo by Maham Khan)

5:15 p.m.: Commuter greeting Rahm Emanuel at El stop, “Congratulations, Mr. Mayor.” Emanuel responds, “Not yet.”

5:30 p.m.: Board of Elections Chief Langdon Neil speculates to the news media that voter turnout is sluggish because the Chicago electorate is fatigued. He says the lower turnout will make the margins that much closer. With closer margins, there is an extra emphasis on counting each and every vote.

The Night Shift

Nancy Gdowski and Terri Korzeniowski at Braun headquarters. (Photo by Maham Khan)

7:20 p.m.: Nancy Gdowski, a campaign volunteer and friend waits at Carol Moseley Braun’s reception at the Parkway Ballroom.  Gdowski said she would be happy if Braun wins,  but is hoping for a runoff as polls are rumoring 15 percent voter turn up for Braun with Rahm at 52 percent (not confirmed).

“If Braun doesn’t make it then hopefully del Valle does,” she said. “They are both people and community candidates, while the other two are in the millionaire’s club.”

Gdowski believes the media has done a horrible job of being fair in covering candidates.

“Morning shows like MSNBC had already decided for us as if we didn’t have brains of our own,” she said.

Added Terri Korzeniowski, also a campaign supporter: “Media gave preferential treatment to Rahm, while Braun and del Valle were rarely covered. Only Carol’s faux pas were covered.”

As her friend, she would advise Braun to be more careful, but felt that Braun is simply a “real person” who talks like everyone else does and “she doesn’t play the sophistication game.”

7:30 p.m.: As the polls closed across Chicago, preparations for Rahm Emanuel’s election night watch party were well underway. The doors at the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Union, Local 130 opened at 7:30 to an eager line of supporters ready to watch history unfold.

Camera crews, reporters and volunteers had already staked out prime spots on the floor of the Stephen M. Bailey Auditorium. City flags set the backdrop on an empty stage for the night’s guest of honor. The perimeter of the hall was reserved for press on platform risers and campaign volunteers acutely monitoring the latest numbers from their laptops. A giant projection screen adorned one wall to inform the crowd of Emanuel’s standing as the night progressed.

7:52 p.m.: The screen refreshed the map of Chicago’s wards and read, “Percent Reporting: 81.05%… RAHM: 54.5%,” which was good news to campaign volunteers like Daniel Comeaux of Lafayette, La., who said he couldn’t wait for this to end so he could finally sleep. The University of Chicago student began interning for Emanuel’s campaign in January.

According to Comeaux, he spent more than 70 hours this weekend making calls and hitting the streets to encourage voters to visit the polls. Donning a “Rahm for Mayor” t-shirt and campaign button, the political science major was hollering and jumping in the air with friends as they watched the big screen.

“This is the first time the city’s had a chance to pick a Mayor in decades,” said Comeaux. “I really wanted to be a part of this. It’s been a great introduction to Chicago politics.”

While U2’s hit, “It’s a Beautiful Day,” played in the background, those addicted to social networking took pictures of the big screen showing Rahm’s latest wins to blog about to those following from home.

Demetria Giannisis was one of them. A manufacturing consultant, she worked with the front-runner when he was known as Congressman Emanuel.

“I’m excited for the average person who’s concerned about education and healthcare,” said Giannisis. “It’s exciting to see people volunteering and taking this moment in our city’s history seriously.”

8:13p.m.: The projector screen flashed again and the winner was clear. “Percent Reported: 86.07%… Rahm: 55.63%.” The crowd erupted.

“This is a critical time and we need a vibrant and experienced individual to lead after Mayor Daley,” said J. Mentee Teah, producer of “The Africa Talk Show” and documentary on Liberian Peace.

“Rahm has a working knowledge of our Government,” Said Mentee Teah. “He will not hesitate to pick up the phone today and call on Washington or another individual who can help Chicago.”

At Gery Chico’s reception at the Westin River North, Fox News announced Rahm Emanuel had been elected—there would be no run-off. As the news spread volunteers and staffers became visibly emotional by the loss.  Guests of the election night event ranged from volunteers fresh off the street to professionals in suits. One attendee looked at his phone reading a text from a friend aloud. It said: “Emanuel the next Mayor. What have you done Chicago? What have you done?” Staffers Brooke Anderson and Leda Santo Domingo talked with news crews as they awaited results.

Emanuel staffers toss t-shirts to supporters at Rahms election night rally. (Photo by Courtney Sturgeon)

8:20 p.m.: Those who played key roles in the campaign began to file on stage to each say a few words. They included campaign co-chair, Juan Rangel, the CEO of United Neighborhood Organization and Annette Nance-Holt, co-founder of Purpose over Pain. As the now-crowded auditorium anxiously awaited Emanuel’s arrival, campaign staff began throwing “Rahm for Mayor” t-shirts into the crowd.

Gery Chico makes his concession speech. (Photo by Maham Khan)

8:32 p.m.: Chico entered the Westin ballroom with his wife and children. Supporters began cheering, “We love you Gery!” His children were upset as their father delivered the news that he had congratulated Emanuel on his victory and pledged his support.

Chico’s speech lasted a few minutes and he exited the room soon after. Tom Petty’s hit “I Won’t Back Down,” played after he spoke. The cheese, sub sandwiches and sweet breads had been sufficiently picked over and guests began to leave. The $10.50 drinks didn’t hold enough incentive to stay.

8:45 p.m.: The announcement came in Plumbers Hall: Rahm was in the building. Preceded by his family and colleagues such as, Congressman Mike Quigley and Secretary of State Jesse White, the new Mayor of Chicago walked to the podium.

After a speech of emotional thank yous and goals for the city’s future, Emanuel stepped down from the stage to shake the hands of the people who got him there. Followed closely by cameras, he signed autographs and took pictures with citizens before a final wave good-night.

Rahm Emanuel greets his supporters—including a surprise cameo by Larry David—in Plumbers Hall. (Photo by Courtney Sturgeon)

9:22 p.m.: Rahm exits the stage. Joseph Cranford, a tour guide in the Loop, said, “We wanted a grand finale and we got Rahm’s landslide victory, now that’s something we’re all going to want to remember.”

The Last Word?

Ron the cab driver got the early word from Emanuel workers. (Photo by Maham Khan)

8:05 – 8:20 p.m.: On DePolitics1011 reporter Maham Khan’s way from Moseley Braun headquarters to Chico’s in a taxi, Rahm is announced the winner. The cab driver tells her he was driving some of “Rahm’s people” around on the South Side early in the morning. They were putting up signs.

“They knew at 8:30 a.m. this morning that they had won it with the kinds of things they were saying to each other,” said Ron J., 42, the driver. He said he has been a cab driver for eight years and knows how to read people very well. He doesn’t like Emanuel.

“He smiles too much and you can’t trust people who just smile all the time,” said Ron, who voted for Braun.

Ron described the polls he visited, like ghost towns.

“It’s because people just don’t care anymore,” he said. “They are sick of it all and tired of hearing the same things again and again.”

Ron is not optimistic about Chicago’s future.

(This story was reported by DePolitics1011 staffers Jennifer Schanz, Christine Hurley, Maham Khan, Paige Wagenknecht, Zoe Barker, Courtney Sturgeon, Megan Ashley and Len Kody.)