The Daley Show: Inside the Transformative Reign of Chicago's Richard M. Daley

By Forrest Claypool

Book Overview

American cities once had mayors who actually governed.

For twenty-two years, Richard M. Daley ran Chicago with the type of authority that is unthinkable today. He reshaped downtown, triggered a jobs boom, delivered the iconic Millennium Park, and slashed violent crime to 40-year lows. He outfoxed Republican legislators to retain control of O'Hare Airport and expand it into the nation's premier international aviation hub. Leveraging carefully built national political ties, he sidelined a powerful nemesis to tear down Chicago's infamous public housing projects.

Rebuilding parts of his father's legendary political machine through brazen (and illegal) patronage deals, he centralized power to a remarkable degree, cut deals behind closed doors, racked up piles of debt, and made long-term bets whose consequences are still unfolding.

This is not simply a biography. It is a challenge to contemporary urban orthodoxy:

Do cities thrive because of strong, decisive leaders--or despite them?

Through vivid storytelling, this book exposes how Daley consolidated power, aligned business and labor, navigated crises, survived damaging scandals, and imposed discipline on a sprawling city. It dares readers to reconsider what kind of leadership modern American cities truly need.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252046196
• ISBN13: 9780252046193
• Release Date: September 2024
• Publisher: 3 Fields Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.4" x 9.3"