Bilandic succeeds where Daley didn't In APRIL 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against the City of Chicago, charging that the city fire department was engaging in racially discriminatory practices. Richard J. Daley was mayor. In April 1978, the suit was settled. The department agreed to several methods which would make up for past hiring pratices, including an affirmative hiring plan for women and minority applicants. Michael J. Bilandic was mayor. In August 1973, the Justice Department joined an Afro-American Patrol-men's League (AAPL) suit against the city's police department. The suit complained also about discriminatory hiring and policies. Daley was mayor. In 1977, the city administration settled the case — and in the same way it settled the fire department case. Bilandic was mayor. Since at least 1973, the Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare have brought suit against the Chicago Board of Education. The suit dealt with teacher assignment practices, termed discriminatory, in the city's schools. Daley was mayor. Within the past 12 months, that suit also has been settled — again with the city agreeing to change its ways. Bilandic was mayor. Finally, in 1973, the Crosstown Expressway was the object of a three-way-tug-of-war between Mayor Daley, Gov. Dan Walker and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The fight was over who would provide most of the money for the road. Daley even attempted an end run in the U.S. Congress around Walker, by having the city's delegation introduce an amendment to an appropriations bill, concerning the Crosstown. The amendment would take a state governor — Walker — out of interstate highway decision-making if a locality — Chicago — agreed to foot the state share of the bill. In 1977, Bilandic first got Gov. James Thompson's agreement on the Crosstown project, then flew to Washington for a meeting with Transportation Secy. Brock Adams. Bilandic came out of the meeting with at least half the Crosstown project okayed for federal funding. The impression is hard to escape: since he succeeded Richard J. Daley in December 1976, the supposedly colorless, ineffective Michael J. Bilandic has been very successful at settling a series of conflicts between Chicago and the federal government. And with the federal government contributing an ever-increasing share of local city revenues all over the nation, such success can quickly reap financial rewards for the city, and, indirectly, for the state. Stories of the late Mayor Daley's clout in Washington are legion. Yet in his last years he was bedeviled by these four controversies which Bilandic has settled. How did Bilandic accomplish here what Daley could not? One possible answer is provided by a Washington source who has worked closely in the Chicago Democratic party with both men. "Daley could afford to wait," the source said. "Bilandic had to come in and show some successes, just as Daley had to do in 1955." Bilandic needed the successes in order to ward off six younger opponents within the party who are looking over his shoulder and waiting for him to stumble, the source added. "Though it is a little early to compare the two," he continued. "If you go back to 1954 and 1955 [when Daley was making his first race for mayor], there was justified doubt about whether he could do the job. The doubts were voiced by [alderman and GOP mayoral candidate Robert] Merriam and[incumbent mayor Martin] Kennelly. And look what happened — Daley turned out to be an absolutely great mayor." However, the source added that the changing political situation also played a key part in Bilandic's success. Though he praised Daley lavishly, he said Bilandic was "very astute" in settling the suits when he did, and thinks that Bilandic and the city emerged with a very good record. "Bilandic wasn't as fixed in his position in these controversies as Daley was," he added. "Daley wanted the whole Crosstown, while Bilandic was willing to settle for half — and he got together with Thompson on it beforehand." This same organization source pointed out that changing national and state politics also had electoral effects. "Daley was used to having his way with Kennedy and Johnson," he noted. "But there was a calculated program on the part of the Nixon Administration to frustrate Daley. They would send our grant proposals back for small reasons, like omitting one word, or something like that." He also noted that on a statewide level, the voters appeared to be tiring of the constant battling between Daley and the state and federal governments. "Daley started to lose some elections at the end because of this," the source noted. "Though he beat Dan Walker in 1976, the voters also voted out [judge and law partner] Power and [state's attorney candidate] Egan." He added that while Bilandic may have six potential mayoral candidates — including one member of the city's congressional delegation and one former member of it — watching every move, for Bilandic the situation is preferable to the running warfare of Daley's last years. July 1978/Illinois Issues/35
|
|||||||||||||||
