Political profiles of five mayors and their lasting impact on the city

Chicago's transformation into a global city began at City Hall. Dick Simpson and Betty O'Shaughnessy edit in-depth analyses of the five mayors that guided the city through this transition beginning with Harold Washington's 1983 election: Washington, Eugene Sawyer, Richard M. Daley, Rahm Emmanuel, and Lori Lightfoot. Though the respected political science, sociologist, and journalist contributors approach their subjects from distinct perspectives, each essay addresses three essential issues: how and why each mayor won the office; whether the City Council of their time acted as a rubber stamp or independent body; and the ways the unique qualities of each mayor's administration and accomplishments influenced their legacy.

Filled with expert analysis and valuable insights, Chicago's Modern Mayors illuminates a time of transition and change and considers the politicians who—for better and worse—shaped the Chicago of today.

|Acknowledgments

Introduction—Chicago's Turbulent Political History Betty O'Shaughnessy

1983-1987: Harold Washington—Cultural Transformation of City Government in Chicago and A Sense of Possibility Xolela Mangcu and Gregory D. Squires

1987-1989: The Sawyer Interregnum Monroe Anderson

1989-2011: Mayor Richard M. Daley and the City of Spectacle Costas Spirou and Dennis R. Judd

2011-2019: Rahm Emanuel—Chicago in Change and Crisis Kari Lydersen and Daniel Bliss

2019-present: Lori Lightfoot's Two Coalitions Marco Rosaire Rossi and Dick Simpson

Conclusion: Modern Mayors of Chicago Dick Simpson

Epilogue: History Continues Dick Simpson

Appendix A: Historical List of Chicago Mayors

Appendix B: Corruption

Contemporary Chicago Bibliography Clinton Stockwell

Contributors

Index

|"An important, underemphasized history of persistent attempted settlement by Black migrants from the U.S. South to the rural and small city Midwest. The author mounts a challenge to received wisdom and even the received archive that combines the meticulous use of traditional sources with innovative research strategies. The result is a fascinating account of how terror and exclusion were cleansed from historical memory."—David Roediger, author of The Sinking Middle Class: A Political History of Debt, Misery, and the Drift to the Right
|Dick Simpson is professor emeritus, former head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a former Chicago alderman and congressional candidate. His books include Democracy's Rebirth: The View from Chicago and Corrupt Illinois: Patronage, Cronyism, and Criminality. Betty O'Shaughnessy is retired visiting lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former adjunct professor at Oakton Community College. Simpson and O'Shaughnessy are coauthors of Winning Elections in the 21st Century.