Eugene Sawyer

People forget, we think about Daley and we think about his last three terms, and that's really when he animated neoliberalism, sold the parking meter, sold the Skyway, created it with the affidavit requirement.

But those first two and a half terms were in many ways an extension of Harold Washington and Eugene Sawyer because the machine was suffering from PTSD.

from those losses in 83 and 87.

And we forget that actually housing resources were increased, healthcare resources were increased.

And we know what the follow-up show is this.

No ducking and dodging desks.

So when Harold died in 1987, there was a city council meeting, and the city council, in its infinite wisdom, chose Eugene Sawyer as its successor over Tim Evans.

And the fallout of that shaped Chicago politics for the next, well, we're still shaped Chicago politics, but definitely the next 30 years.

Yeah.

Do you believe the Sun-Times, and the Tribune, and the other, Crain's, and all the rest of them were, quote-unquote, "fair and balanced" to the following mayors: Harold Washington, Eugene Sawyer, Lori Lightfoot, Brandon Johnson?

No, no.

They weren't.

And the dad was one of the big aldermen in our city, Alderman Verdoliac.

And guess who's sitting at his table? Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer's son, Rod Sawyer, who's a help and a supporter of mine.

How about a Verdoliak and a Sawyer sitting together listening to John Kelly running for mayor? Probably never thought that would happen.

I

And, um, and then I was like, "Well, mem- memory's a funny thing.

Was Eugene Sawyer ever on the stage?" I was like, "Hmm, that was a long time ago.

Uh, distant memories." I know one thing's for certain.

I never saw Mayor Rahm, Mayor Daley, or Mayor Lightfoot on the stage at the Chicago Jazz Festival.