Rahm punked out of Columbus Day Parade in Chicago... Why?
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel became the first mayor of the city in more than 60 years to miss marching in the front of the annual Columbus Day Parade. Emanuel was in the city and doing self-promotionals the entire day, but somehow managed to avoid the major event downtown that had attracted the city's political leaders for more years than anyone can remember.
On Columbus Day, instead of being at the Columbus Day parade, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel staged three media events, each of which was promoted with City Hall photographs like the one above form the first one. Above, Emanuel promotes DIVVY bicycles on the city's North Side. Taxpayers paid for the full story, which was emailed to the press on October 14, and the photographs like the one above.Rahm Emanuel was in town on October 14, 2013, promoting privatized bicycle riding -- but not at the Columbus Day Parade.
Rahm Emanuel was in town on October 14, but not at the Columbus Day Parade while he was promoting a new park flanked by one of the city's most powerful aldermen and some of his cronies on the city's North Side.
And Rahm Emanuel was in town on October 14, but not at the Columbus Day Parade while he was promoting some projects in Chinatown, assisted by another of the city's powerful Rahm-friendly aldermen.
Since Rahm's every move is choreographed as if he were in a constant media-centric ballet, it had to be clear that the mayor of the third largest city in the USA was aware of the big parade. The parade began on October 14th at 12:30 pm when the parade made its way from Columbus and Balbo Drives, proceeding North to Monroe St on Columbus Drive passing the famous Buckingham Fountain where thousands of teachers protests Rahm's policies during the Chicago Teachers Strike of 2012.
The theme of the 2013 parade was "The Year of Italian Culture in the United States," showcasing the culture and traditions of Italy. Serving as this year's Grand Marshal was Michael W. Ferro Jr., Chairman of the Chicago Sun-Times, which usually gives Rahm major play (Rahm's bicycle riding did get a mention in the Sun-Times the next day, but not his truancy). The Honorary Parade Marshal was Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court.
The Columbus Day Parade Queen, Victoria Martello, of Oak Lawn was "front and center along with her majestic court," ABC news reported, although its reporters, stuck on the station's float, apparently missed the story that the mayor was MIA. QueenMartello began her reign in July after she was selected during a pageant sponsored by the Joint Civil Committee of Italian Americans, the news reports reported.
But where was Rahm -- and why?
Could it be mayor tough guy, the mayor who had been featured on the cover of TIME, was afraid of a parade because -- for the past several months people in public have been booing him?
Nobody in the rest of the media has asked Rahm. So we are preparing to do so.
Comments:
By: Rod Estvan
a different perspective on the Mayor
Friday night I got in a car accident with a Taxi cab. It was actually my fault, but both the cab driver and I drove to the police station to file the report because no officers showed up at the scene for 35 minutes.
While the desk officer was filling out the report he said to us you are both lucky that you filed at the station. Why? You both would have gotten moving violation tickets. I said why I hit the cab. The officer said "Let me put it like this - if it can be reasonably construed that you were possibly both reckless then you both get a ticket. It's not about who is at fault its about the money - Rahm needs the money you see all the cameras and such - do you get it?
We got it.
Rod Estvan
By: John Kugler
Institutional Extortion
My wife has a handicap spot by our home, we have received no less than 6 tickets in our own spot for handicap violations. This is not to mention all the bogus street cleaning and sticker tickets we get. We contest all of them and win, but imagine if you miss one ticket or just get tired of fighting. There goes your money!! All the while the bangers run around slinging dope and shooting each other on their bicycles.
Rahm has no interest in fixing our city except to suck out as much money as he can for his buddies.
By: Kathy Jacobs
Find a Different Forum
I don't know what this bizarre comment is doing in a newspaper whose mission statement is "Defending the Public Schools for over 30 years." It is highly offensive.