How might life be after Mayor Richard M. Daley???

 

So how would it be? Would you have imagined at this time four years ago that Mayor Daley would have poll numbers such as what you would see in this story?

More than half of Chicago voters say they don't want to see Mayor Richard Daley re-elected next year should he decide to run for a record seventh term, a new Tribune/WGN poll shows.

The mayor has been buffeted by a spate of summer violence, a weak economy and a high-profile failure to land the 2016 Olympics. Dissatisfaction abounds, the survey found, over Daley's handling of the crime problem, his efforts to rein in government corruption and his backing of a controversial long-term parking meter system lease.

As a result, the poll found only 37 percent of city voters approve of the job Daley is doing as mayor, compared with 47 percent who disapprove. Moreover, a record-low 31 percent said they want to see Daley re-elected, compared with 53 percent who don't want him to win another term.

Still, city voters like the mayor's pushes for more Wal-Mart stores and banning handguns, and Daley remains popular in the suburbs.

On Saturday, Daley said he didn't know why his poll numbers have fallen.

"Everybody's worried about polls in the United States, and all politicians worry about polls," Daley said at an anti-violence rally on the South Side. "They should worry about their actions...You have to be passionate about your job. There's ups and downs."

Daley's long tenure in office — he was first elected in 1989 — also may have led to a fatigue factor among many city voters looking for change. Despite Daley's unpopularity, no credible challenger has surfaced for a primary election that's seven months away.

And you know, if there are challengers to Mayor Daley next year, let's bet money that the ones who could be mayor won't run against him. Yeah this is a challenging environment for him, however, it's hard for me to say he can't win a seventh term. 2011 might be a huge surprise to me if Daley runs again and he finds himself turned out of office.

BTW, the video above was attached to this Tribune article. When I played it I got an ad for California's gubernatorial race. I know the Tribune Company owns a paper or two out there, but they may want to target that ad towards California voters not just anyone who clicks a piece of media anywhere.