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Gery Chico

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Gery Chico
Chico at his mayoral campaign's pre-election rally
Born (1956-08-24) August 24, 1956 (age 68)
Chicago, Illinois
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationBA, University of Illinois at Chicago (1978)
JD, Loyola University Chicago School of Law (1985)
OccupationLawyer
Political partyDemocratic

Gery Chico (pronounced GERR-ee CHEE-koh; born August 24, 1956) is a Chicago lawyer and public official and former candidate for Mayor of Chicago. Chico served as the Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley from 1992 to 1995 and board president of the Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to 2001. From 2007 to 2010 he was board president of the Chicago Park District, and board president of the City Colleges of Chicago in 2010.

With a Mexican-American father and a Greek-Lithuanian mother, he grew up in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood. He majored in political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago while volunteering in his political ward at the same time. He later worked for the Chicago City Council Finance Committee and received a law degree from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Chico ran a failed campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator from Illinois in 2004.

Early life and education

Gery Chico was born on August 24, 1956,[1] to a Mexican-American father, Jesse, and a Greek-Lithuanian mother, Jacqueline. With his two younger brothers, he grew up in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood. Gery often helped do maintenance work at properties owned by his Mexican grandfather Encarnacion, who worked at a meat-packing company for 43 years. Gery also did chores at the church rectory where his mom worked as cook, and worked at his dad's printing business and gas station.[2] His mom also worked as a secretary at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry.[3] Chico attended a now closed parochial school, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Elementary School at 35th and Hermitage,[4] where he headed the altar boys and patrol boys and also played baseball for two years. A hip injury kept him in a wheelchair during his freshman year at Kelly High School.[2]

Chico first pursued a pre-medical degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, but after his sophomore year he transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago.[5] A political science major, he volunteered in the 11th Ward. He later secured an externship in the city's Department of Planning during his senior year,[2] and worked there from 1977 to 1980. He received his bachelor's degree in 1978. From 1980 to 1987 he worked for the City Council Finance Committee,[6] gradually moving up from research manager to senior research assistant for the Department of Planning and Economic Development.[7] In that time period he took night classes at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.[2] He earned his law degree in 1985 and was a member of the Loyola Law Review.[6]

Chico has been married twice. His first wife was Jeryl Minow, with whom he had three daughters. He is currently married to Sunny Pineda Chico, who has a son and daughter from a previous marriage.[2][3] A former US Department of Education employee, Sunny runs a consulting firm that focuses on, among others, tutoring services and curriculum advice.[8]

Chico began working as an associate of the law firm Sidley Austin in 1987, and during that time period he was also General Counsel to the Chicago Development Council, the city's largest real estate development association.[6] He left the firm in 1991 to become the Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley,[2] but he later returned as partner in 1995 and 1996, leading the firm's practice related to state and local government.

From 1996 to 2003 he was a senior partner of Altheimer & Gray,[6] when it became insolvent and dissolved. Some attribute responsibility for the bankruptcy to poor management, namely Chico, while others blame an economic downturn.[2] He also served as Special Counsel to Arnstein & Lehr in 2003 and 2004.[6] In 2004 he, along with Planning Department colleague Marcus Nunes, formed the law firm Chico & Nunes,[2] which lobbies for clients seeking government business.[8]

Mayoral Chief of Staff

Chico was appointed in 1991 as a Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley.[6] He coordinated efforts to drain freight tunnels that were flooded with water from the Chicago River.[9] Chico was later promoted to Chief of Staff, a position he held from 1992 to 1995.[6] As part of his duties, he oversaw the completion of the International Terminal of O'Hare International Airport, preparations for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the construction of new schools.[10] Along with Budget Director Paul Vallas, Chico helped add 1,000 officers to the police force and improve neighborhoods through a program called Neighborhoods Alive.[2]

Chicago Public Schools board

File:CPS mural.jpg
Murals like these were preserved and restored during Chico's tenure at Chicago Public Schools.

In 1995, the Illinois state legislature passed the Chicago School Reform Act, which gave the Mayor of Chicago unprecedented new control over Chicago Public Schools (CPS).[11] At first Daley asked Chico to become the CEO, but Chico refused as he was resuming his law career. Chico instead recommended that Daley appoint colleague Paul Vallas as CEO, and Chico was named chairman of the School Reform Board of Trustees. City Hall insiders did not expect them to succeed however, since Chico had made many enemies as the mayoral chief of staff. Furthermore, Chico had already subtly suggested his intentions to succeed Mayor Daley, and Vallas was expected to eventually seek statewide office. But under their leadership, test scores improved, the budget was balanced, and graduation rates rose. Within a decade, what William Bennett, then US Secretary of Education, had criticized as the worst public school system in the nation became hailed by then-President Bill Clinton as a national model.[12]

Tensions between Chico and Vallas began in 1998 during a dispute over an insurance contract. Vallas revoked the contract amid complaints of unfair treatment, but Chico had strong ties to the insurance broker. The tensions grew even more as a private poll conducted in 1999 indicated that the public identified Vallas with school reform much more than Chico. Chico resented this, even though his part-time role of presiding over monthly board meetings was dwarfed by the CEO's full-time employment.[12]

Chico was also partly responsible for efforts to preserve and restore hundreds of murals in the public schools, which had been commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Progressive and New Deal eras. They had since been hidden under layers of dirt and paint,[13] and Chico highlighted the educational value of students' being able to watch conservators as they did their work[14] Under his administration, CPS established the arts as a vital component of a well-rounded education, appointing an Arts Education Task Force and a Bureau of Cultural Arts.[15]

Many clients of Altheimer & Gray contracted with the school board, forcing Chico to abstain on hundreds of votes. The firm's clients received contracts totaling $577 million during Chico's tenure, but Chico claims that those clients had received contracts before he arrived and still did afterwards.[3]

In 1997 Chico was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education for his nationally recognized reforms in education and fiscal policies.[16] While the schools saw a rise in test scores, they were criticized for becoming "test-prep mills". In 2001 a dip in test scores prompted Daley to consider appointing new management, and Chico resigned.[2]

2004 campaign for U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004

In 2004, Chico ran for the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Republican US Senator Peter Fitzgerald. He was the first Democrat to declare his candidacy, doing so on July 30, 2002 during a rally with Hispanic leaders.[17] Despite being well funded, the campaign ran out of money when it couldn't gain enough support and momentum.[18] Reports suggest that while donations to organizations such as the Springfield YWCA may have helped, the fall of Altheimer & Gray kept his support low.[19] Chico also may have overestimated Hispanic support.[18]

His Senate committee preferences included education, transportation, and foreign relations. He also criticized the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and the No Child Left Behind Act but supported gay marriage,[3] abortion rights, stem cell research, the death penalty,[20] and universal healthcare.[21] Chico was the only candidate who supported gay marriage out of all seven Democrats and eight Republicans.[22] During the election season Chico seemed to overshadow fellow candidate and then-State Senator Barack Obama with his brevity and detailed knowledge of education policy.[23] Obama, however, ultimately won the nomination over six other candidates including Chico, who won only five percent of the vote.[24]

Chicago Park District board

In October 2007, Mayor Daley appointed Chico has president of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners.[6] The city was planning a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and many of the proposed venues were on park land, so Chico faced the task of improving investments, planning parks, and upgrading facilities.[25][26] During his tenure he supported the construction of a new soccer field in Lincoln Park despite opposition from local residents.[27] He stepped down in 2010 and was replaced by Bryan Traubert.[28]

City Colleges of Chicago board

In March 2010, Mayor Daley appointed Chico to the board of trustees of the City Colleges of Chicago and recommended that the board elect Chico president.[6] Along with Chancellor Cheryl Hyman, Chico reformed the City Colleges budget by laying off 225 employees, removing unfilled jobs, and reducing executive spending to increase spending on technology and training for students. Furthermore, Chico and Hyman reduced taxation on property for two straight years, repealed the system's "open-door" admissions policy, and cancelled nursing programs. He resigned 8 months later to run for Mayor of Chicago.[29]

2011 campaign for Mayor of Chicago

A pre-election rally at Roberto Clemente High School.
See also: Chicago mayoral election, 2011

On September 27, 2010, Chico announced that he would run for mayor of Chicago in 2011.[30] He was one of six candidates on the ballot.

By January 31, 2011, Chico had raised $2.5 million in campaign funds. Despite the fact that other candidates aspired to become mayor, he claimed that the race had become "a fight between two candidates"; Rahm Emanuel was considered to be his primary rival. If no candidate won a majority in the February 22 election, the top two candidates would face each other during an April 5 runoff.[31] A February 10 poll showed that Emanuel held 49-percent support, putting him within reach of an outright victory without a runoff election. Chico, who had 19-percent support, was considered "the rival with the best chance of forcing him into a runoff".[32]

Chico pledged to hire 2,000 police officers, but did not offer specifics on how he would raise the funds.[33] He opposed making the school board an elected body, and he favored extending the school day and school year.[34] He became the favorite candidate of organized labor, picking up endorsements from unions representing, among others, police officers, firefighters, laborers, painters, operating engineers, iron workers, roofers, and sheet metal workers.[35] He was also endorsed by the Chicago Tea Party, despite his progressive stance on gay rights, abortion, immigration, and clean energy. [36] If elected, Chico pledged to sever ties with his law firm, but he would not prohibit it from lobbying for clients seeking city contracts. His wife's consulting firm on education would not have been allowed to do business with city government.[8]

During the election on February 22, Chico and Emanuel's other rivals could not gain enough votes to force a runoff election; Emanuel's 55% support dwarfed Chico's 24% support.[37] Chico won in ten of Chicago's 50 wards, while Emanuel won 40.[38] The campaign's communications director attributed the loss in part to Chico's focus on fundraising and resulting lack of time for media interviews. Furthermore, she claims that controversy over Emanuel's eligibility to run for mayor may have diverted the focus of the press away from the other candidates.[39]

References

  1. ^ "About Gery..." Gery Chico for Mayor. 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rossi, Rosalind (February 3, 2011). "Chico known as hard worker, solid negotiator". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Mendell, David (March 7, 2004). "Proud of `battle scars,' Chico still in the fight". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  4. ^ Felsenthal, Carol (October 1, 2010). "A Chat with Mayoral Candidate Gery Chico". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  5. ^ Jackson, Brian (October 24, 1993). "Making the City That Works Work; Daley Aide a Stickler for Detail". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 1.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Gery J. Chico". Chico & Nunes. 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  7. ^ Crimmins, Jerry (April 15, 1992). Chicago Sun-Times. p. 18. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "title-Daley aide Chico moves up after flood ouster" ignored (help)
  8. ^ a b c Heinzmann, David (December 21, 2010). "Gery Chico made millions from law firm that lobbies City Hall". Chicago Breaking News. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  9. ^ Oclander, Jorge (July 2, 1995). "Board President Chico's Duties Just Beginning". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 11.
  10. ^ Oclander, Jorge (June 1, 1995). "City School Chief On the Way Out; Daley Staff Chief To Head Board". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 1.
  11. ^ Blake, Matthew (May 30, 2009). "The Educator's New Clothes: Everybody Loves Arne Duncan. But Do His Reforms Work?". Understanding Government. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Neal, Steve (May 7, 1999). "Chico needs a lesson on sharing spotlight". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 7.
  13. ^ Becker, Heather (2002). Art for the People: The Rediscovery and Preservation of Progressive- and WPA-Era Murals in the Chicago Public Schools, 1904–1943. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. pp. 1, 20. ISBN 0811835790.
  14. ^ Becker 2002, p. 33.
  15. ^ Becker 2002, p. 110.
  16. ^ Talapian, Kathlyn (November 4, 2010). "Gery Chico, potential mayoral candidate". The Wright Times. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  17. ^ Fusco, Chris; Mendieta, Ana (July 31, 2002). "Chico running for U.S. Senate". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 9.
  18. ^ a b Mendell, David (2008). Obama: From Promise to Power. HarperCollins. p. 224. ISBN 0060858214. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  19. ^ "Time to cast primary vote -- and make predictions". State Journal Register. Springfield, Illinois. March 14, 2004. p. 21.
  20. ^ Kapos, Shia (March 10, 2004). "Some help with narrowing the choices". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  21. ^ Beckless, Ferman Mentrell (March 6, 2004). "Chico: Healthcare should be a fundamental right". Chicago Defender. Vol. XCVIII, no. 214. p. 9.
  22. ^ Krol, Eric (February 15, 2004). "Only one candidate backs gay marriage". Daily Herald. p. 1.
  23. ^ Mendell 2008, pp. 224-225.
  24. ^ Finke, Doug (March 17, 2004). "Two emerge from pack of Senate candidates". State Journal Register. Springfield, Illinois. p. 1.
  25. ^ Dumke, Mick (September 28, 2007). "Gery Chico, can-do guy". Chicago Reader. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  26. ^ "Mayor Taps Chico to Take Reins at City Colleges". Fox Chicago News. March 3, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  27. ^ Ahmed-Ullah, Noreen S. (May 15, 2008). "Chicago Park District votes to settle Lincoln Park soccer field fight". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  28. ^ Uribarri, Adrian G. (April 8, 2010). "Daley recommends new Chicago Park District president". Chicago Current. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  29. ^ Spielman, Fran (November 4, 2010). "City Colleges Chairman Gery Chico resigns to concentrate on his mayoral campaign". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  30. ^ "Gery Chico To Run For Mayor". Progress Illinois. September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  31. ^ "Mexican-American lawyer wants to be Chicago's next mayor". EFE News Service. Madrid. January 31, 2011.
  32. ^ Chase, John (February 10, 2011). "Emanuel at 49%, Chico at 19% in Tribune/WGN poll". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  33. ^ "Chico says he'll hire more police officers". Chicago Tribune. January 27, 2011. p. 10.
  34. ^ "Hispanic candidates disagree on public education in Chicago". Fox News Latino. February 9, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  35. ^ Spielmanand, Fran; Pallasch, Abdon M. (February 8, 2011). "More unions endorse Chico, bash Emanuel". Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  36. ^ Sabella, Jen (February 13, 2011). "Chicago Tea Party Endorses Gery Chico For Mayor, Slams Rahm Emanuel". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  37. ^ "February 2011 Municipal General Election -- Mayor". Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  38. ^ Schulte, Sarah. "Is Chicago past racial elections?". ABC 7 Chicago. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  39. ^ McClelland, Edward (March 25, 2011). "Running Against Rahm". NBC Chicago. Retrieved March 28, 2011.

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