Richard M. Daley
FameRank: 4

"Richard Michael Daley" is a former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was re-elected five times until declining to run for a seventh term. At 22 years, he was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his father, Richard J. Daley. Mayor Daley took over the Chicago Public Schools, developed tourism, oversaw the construction of Millennium Park, increased environmental efforts and the rapid development of the city's central business district downtown and adjacent near North, near South and near West sides. Daley expanded employee benefits to same-sex partners of City workers, and advocated for gun control. Daley was a national leader in privatization and the lease and sale of public assets to private corporations. Daley was criticized when family, personal friends, and political allies seemed to disproportionately benefit from city contracting. Mayor Daley took office in a City with regular annual budget surpluses and left the City with massive structural deficits. His budgets ran up the largest deficits in Chicago history.

Prior to serving as mayor, Daley served in the Illinois Senate and then as the Cook County, Illinois/Cook County State's Attorney. Police use of force was an issue in Daley's tenures as State's Attorney and Mayor.

If you enjoy these quotes, be sure to check out other famous politicians! More Richard M. Daley on Wikipedia.

We believe we will see improvement in the ethics and integrity of city government.

265

It would be incomplete for the city's proposal to deal with air congestion and not traffic congestion on the ground, ... That's why this proposal, which we hope will generate much public comment, also addresses the problem on streets in and around O'Hare.

229

Without his leadership, we might not be here today.

190

While I can't change what happened in the past, I can take responsibility for it.

176

As a former federal prosecutor, David has the skills and experience necessary to root out corruption and help us maintain the highest ethical standards in city government.

151

Sure, I think everybody's nervous, ... Overall, look where the team was. No one expected them to be in first place. They underestimated the team, underestimated [Sox manager] Ozzie [Guillen], and underestimated all the ballplayers. Look where they are.

126

With the appointment of Inspector General Hoffman, anyone who tries to scam the government -- either on the job or through a contract -- will do so with fair warning: They will be caught and they will be punished.

123

It is not lost on any of you that this appointment comes at a time when questions have been raised about the integrity of this administration, ... I take these questions very seriously and very personally. I know the people of Chicago expect me to address these failures with real, tangible solutions.

118

Transportation has been the backbone of the Chicago economy ever since the city was founded, ... First it was water, then railroads, then highways and then aviation.

110