Word: chicago
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...battle is refreshingly straightforward. No ideological clash is involved, just a personal power struggle waged with the vim and verve for which Chicago politics is justly celebrated. Ever since Byrne, 45, defeated Mayor Michael Bilandic in a major upset in last February's primary, she has tried to wrest complete control of the machine from the old guard. She knew how. When Mayor Daley was faced with a rebellious politician, Byrne's in stincts were: "Why don't you cut him up a little bit?" Lately she has been slashing so ferociously at errant machine members that...
...revenge on Daley, the mayor has been dropping his allies from the city payroll almost as fast as she can locate them. A score of Daley's precinct captains and city employees have been fired or demoted. The split widened two weeks ago when Daley stunned Chicago pols by announcing that he would run for Cook County state's attorney, potentially the second most powerful political post in the city. Taken by surprise, Byrne scrambled to find someone to run against him. Turned down by her first two choices, who were understandably loath to get caught...
Byrne worked feverishly to line up votes for Burke at last week's meeting of the Democratic Central Committee, which would endorse one of the two rivals. Telephones jangled all over Chicago, and if arms could not be twisted, ears could certainly be reddened. Said a longtime city hall watcher: "She created the kind of atmosphere where everyone knows that vengeance can be exacted. She doesn't have to threaten. They know what the-message is: 'Do it my way or else...
...classic Chicago scene, committeemen jammed paunch-to-paunch and cigar butt-to-cigar butt in the smoke-drenched meeting room. First to speak was Daley, who described the bills he had introduced as a state senator to help the aged, the disabled, and abused and neglected children. Never once did he mention what the fight was all about: control of the machine. Nineteen committeemen rose to endorse him. The most impassioned was Ed Kelly who, as president of the Chicago Park District, controls 3,000 jobs that Byrne has been trying to snatch away. "The Daley name is still magic...
...attorney, which means he will be battling his father's own machine. The primary winner will face the Republican incumbent, Bernard Carey, 44, who leads in the polls. But should Burke manage to become state's attorney, the story could take a fascinating twist. For Chicago pols figure that Burke is ambitious enough to challenge Byrne herself in the 1983 mayoralty race. That could be a calamity for Jane...