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It wasn’t a smooth road. The court stripped his name off the ballot for failing to meet the residency requirements but a quick appeal put him back at the head of the pack. He was a large favorite going into today’s balloting, but even then it was far from certain that he could take the over 50% of the vote required to avoid a runoff election. In the end, Governor-Elect Emanuel carried 55% of the vote while his closest rival, Gery Chico, brought in 24%.
Emanuel will take office at a time when Chicago’s budget is stretched precariously thin and will have to make deep across the board cuts. He’s also going to have to deal with a city council and other city bureaucracies eager for more power after 20+ years of heavy handed leadership from former mayor Richard M Daley.
This is Emanuel’s first stint in an executive position, after serving in both the Clinton and Obama White Houses and as a congressman representing Chicago. He’s known as a savy dealmaker, skills that he will draw heavily on while Mayor.
