Who wants to be mayor?

First Charles Thomas at ABC7 takes issue with the listing of aspiring mayoral candidate's race:

The Trib and Sun-Times reporters listed possible candidates including White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, Cook County Assessor James Houlihan and Sheriff Tom Dart. From the ranks of Aldermen they mentioned Scott Waguespack (32nd), Robert Fioretti (2nd), Tom Allen (38th), Tom Tunney (44th) and Sandi Jackson (7th).

Sandi Jackson?

Mrs. Jackson, the wife of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and the only female or minority possibility mentioned, is nearing the end of her first term and according to sources in her ward is no cinch for re-election. She's considered a "back bencher" on the city council and during the winter campaign, can expect a serious controversy over whether she lives in South Shore or Washington, D.C.. And to make matters worse, her husband (once considered a mayoral hopeful) is embroiled in the Rod Blagojevich corruption case.

So howizzit that my colleagues at the city's two largest daily newspapers listed all those white males in their stories when considering who might run for mayor in 2011? If you believe the most generous count of the city's white population (40%), then the "pool" from which the reporters chose includes only 20% of the people living in Chicago.

Are the Trib/Sun-Times scribes saying they don't consider any blacks or latinos or females (besides Alderman Jackson) as viable possible candidates in a city where people of those ethnicities comprise an overwhelming majority?

For the record: There are many people of color and women qualified to run Chicago and capable of winning a citywide election for mayor.

Yes! Surely there are other candidates who are either black, latin, or a woman who are capable of running for mayor.

Perhaps other than a bias in the Chicago media, there isn't anyone else out there who is willing to step forward who are latin, women, or black to run for Mayor if not against Mayor Daley. In the past one of those candidates could've been Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. sadly he may have blown his chance in 2007 when he chose not to run. And by the end of the next year after that he became part of the Blagojevich scandal.

Reputedly, he was Candidate no. 5 who was very willing to raise some funds for Blagojevich during his scheme to milk Obama's old Senate seat for his own personal gain. Because of this connection although I'm not entirely sure Jackson didn't do anything wrong the association with Blagojevich has hurt him enough where he may never advance beyond his Congressional seat. Not sure what it says for his wife, however.

You know it also isn't often that there are Aldermanic aspirants for Mayor at least in my memory. I'm sure there were in the past, but at least not since Daley has been mayor. Well at least since I paid some attention to municipal contests starting in 1995.

Freshman Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) said Friday he’s seriously considering running for mayor — whether or not Mayor Daley seeks a seventh term — because he’s fed up with the corruption, waste and mismanagement that have dogged the Daley era.
...
Waguespack was one of five aldermen who dared to oppose that sale of Chicago parking meters, which turned into a political albatross for Daley after meter rates soared and meters broke down.

Waguespack said themeter deal “epitomizes” the management style he’s determined to stop. “It bases our whole budget on the leasing of public assets. It doesn’t have a long-term vision. We need a fresh, new vision that works for future generations.”

Pointing to the Hired Truck, city hiring and minority contracting scandals and the steady drumbeat of contract cronyism, Waguespack said, “People are fed up. They’re tired of the old way. Their pocketbooks are tired of the corruption and waste. The bad economy has exposed the weakness of his style of business.”

Waguespack entered the city council the same year as Sandi Jackson and Scott Robert Fioretti who is also listed as being interested in running for Mayor. Wauguespack however is the first to announce his intention. Let's see how serious he is when time marches forward.

BTW, I do have to note that Waguespack did pay a visit to the South Side as documented by Syron Smith back in late April!

Perhaps an indication of his strategy if he was to make his move!