Add Ald. Tunney to pool of pols who'd like to be mayor

Add Ald. Tunney to pool of pols who'd like to be mayor
BY LAURA WASHINGTON
Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times
April 26, 2010
http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/2199936,CST-EDT-laura26.article


I'm not sure what kind of hat he wears (how about a Cubs cap?), but 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney is tossing his into the ring.
Speculation about who might run for mayor in 2011 -- and beyond -- is at full tilt in Chicago. When White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel finally owned up to his mayoral aspirations last week, the prognosticators and political junkies went wild, unleashing a flurry of names in print and on the airwaves. I noted one fascinating omission.

I called Tunney and found him sounding a bit bereft that his name is not being bandied about.

Of course, should Richard M. Daley choose to run for a record seventh term, who would be foolish enough even to entertain the idea of challenging him? Tom Tunney is no Don Quixote. Right now, the north lakefront alderman is gearing up for a re-election campaign, he says, and taking nothing for granted.

But if Daley decides to retire after 22 years on City Hall's Fifth Floor, Tunney says he will take a "serious" look at the job.

"There's no question that a lot of us on the City Council would like to be in that chair," he said.

Tunney hastens to add that he will support the mayor if he opts to go for another term. Tunney has backed Daley since his first successful mayoral bid in 1989. Daley returned the favor in 2002 when he appointed Tunney as the city's first openly gay alderman.

Still, Tunney, 54, has long coveted the mayor's office. While hordes are salivating over the prospect, Tunney argues that he would bring a singular and pragmatic, street-level sensibility to the job. The Chicago native and longtime owner of Ann Sather's restaurant has cultivated a diverse base.

"As a small-business person who is openly gay, I think I represent some strong constituencies," he said.

And, like Daley, he is a Southwest Side native.

"I'm a South Sider living on the North Side," he said.

Tunney was once best known as the man who delivered gooey cinnamon buns to yuppie brunchers who lined up outside his homespun eatery on West Belmont Avenue. He has since carved out a record as a human- and gay-rights advocate and ally to senior citizens and small-business owners. His relatively prosperous ward includes Wrigley Field, assuring him a big media profile.

Ironically, while Tunney has been out front on gay rights activism for decades, he has tussled with some in the city's LGBT leadership behind the scenes. For some, he's too mainstream, for others, he's not gay enough. And there are those who are jealous.

If he mounted a serious citywide campaign, the grumblers would have to line up. Like African-American leaders who were forced to accept Barack Obama's presidential run, LGBTs would have to offer their ostensible support.

Tunney is not so tight with Daley these days. That could be a good thing. He has disagreed with the mayor on a few issues, particularly Daley's deployment of the city's long-term reserves to fill budget gaps.

Tunney says he has "a lot of respect for the mayor," but "with him, it's all or nothing. . . . I have chosen to be at odds with him because it's critical to my personal integrity."

Like Emanuel, Tunney must expand his base. He may be popular with the liberal lakefronters, but he is off the radar in the city's black and Latino territories. That's a glaring political deficiency in this majority minority city.

Is Chicago ready to elect a gay mayor? How about an Emanuel/ Tunney matchup? That's one I sure would like to cover.