Snowpocalypse Sparks Chico-Emanuel Shoveling Match

Seeing as the weather has turned and the snow has stopped with the skies clear and some sunshine out it's time to look at our political situation during the recent blizzard.

I've noted on this blog once that the 1979 blizzard cost a past mayor and election thanks to his activity during that blizzard. Chicago didn't work that year during the blizzard and Mayor Bilandic gave way to Mayor Jane Byrne.

What's different in 2011 is that now Chicago's Mayoralty is an open seat now. We may well want a mayor who will be able to respond decisively when the weather turned the way that it had over the last 24+ hours. Well here's an answer via NBC Chicago's Ward Room:

Gery Chico and Rahm Emanuel competed in a snow clearing competition of sorts.

Chico has been out on the streets of Chicago clearing snow drifts and helping folks in need by pushing stalled cars and offering warmth.

Chico released of video of himself helping push a car out a snowbank, and will be leading a team of shovelers at 2201 N. Maplewood in Logan Square, starting at noon.

Not to be outdone, Rahm Emanuel hit the streets of Logan Square to clear snow as well.

Every Northern mayor wants to emulate the heroics of Newark’s Cory Booker, who was out until 3 a.m. clearing snow after a December blizzard.

Chico criticized the city’s handling of the crisis on Lake Shore Drive, which was shut down at 8 p.m. Tuesday night, after commuters endured hours-long trips, and even abandoned their cars.

“You can’t predict everything, you can only plan for things that are forseeable,” Chico said, according the Tribune. “The question is, what plan was in place and should we have closed (LSD) earlier? I don't think the response plan was good.”
...
Emanuel sent out an e-mail to supporters advising them to call 311 if they became trapped indoors, not to shovel snow onto fire hydrants, and to “wear several layers of warm, dry clothing. Keep your extremities covered. Wear hats, gloves, winter boots, and warm socks.”

Before the storm hit, on Tuesday, del Valle toured A Safe Haven, a West Side social service agency, to raise awareness of homeless caught in the blizzard.

“On this cold, harsh day in the city of Chicago, we must think of the thousands of individuals that are out there--some numbers indicate that there are as many as 89,000 or 90,000 individuals are homeless in the City of Chicago,” del Valle said.

Del Valle tweeted this morning that his phone bankers are calling “thousands of Chicagoans” -- and probably finding most at home.

I posted a link so this would be my fourth video of the day so here's former CPS Chairman and I believe he's the Chairman of Chicago's City Colleges, Gery Chico running for Mayor of Chicago helping a motorist

I think I will hand it more to Chico and Emanuel to get dirty with the people as they dig out of the snow today. Del Valle has the right idea as well to consider the homeless and where are they going to be when it snows like this. They have to have somewhere to go and it can't be staying outdoors. Maybe we'll see who will win this race amongst this group. Besides where was Carol Moseley Braun, Patricia Van-Pelt Watkins or even Bill "Dock" Walls? :P They should've been out here helping too and we shouldn't have to rely on the major news channels to tell us either.