Gery Chico's house: also, possibly the future site of a municipal waste processing facility?
Riding high off his triumph in last week’s election, elated Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel spoke to a gaggle of reporters on Wednesday, telling them that he is still juggling which of his powers he wants to abuse first.
“To be honest, it’s a whirlwind right now,” Emanuel told reporters. “With all the commotion, I’ve barely even had time to berate, belittle and embarrass the people who stood in my way of becoming Mayor. Once I’ve had the chance to fully give those assholes a piece of my mind, I promise you that we will have a thoughtful, considerate conversation regarding how we want to abuse our power.”
Since his election became inevitable weeks ago, there has been rampant speculation among political insiders and local pundits regarding how Emanuel will initially overstep the boundaries of his authority, a hallmark of any fresh City Hall administration. While others have been suggested, popular opinion is that Emanuel will begin by overexercising his right of “eminent domain,” the power of the government to forcibly purchase private property for civic or economic development use.
“Yea, my money is on eminent domain,” said Craig O’Brien, a professor of political science at Loyola University. “He could give cushy city jobs to some of his cronies, but most of his friends and relatives are Jewish, so I’m not sure they would be willing to take a pay cut. I know Rahm would love to run up parking tickets and slam jaywalking fines on the UIC professor living in his house, but that doesn’t make the kind of splash that he’s looking for. But eminent domain? Well, any little man with a Napoleon complex would love to plaster his initials on a big, phallic downtown skyscraper.”
Among the experts, it is believed that both the Cook County Republican Party headquarters, and the home of Gery Chico, runner up in last week’s election, could also be seen as likely locations for the city’s new waste processing plant.
While refusing to go in depth, Emanuel did briefly address the rumors.
“As I said, until we’ve had a chance to discuss our plans in detail, I don’t want to make any proclamations,” Emanuel said. “But, the Cubs playing at Rahmgley Field? It does have a fucking ring to it, no?”
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