Daley, Stroger Feud Intensifies

By Kevin Robinson in News on May 12, 2009 3:40PM

Perhaps signaling that he’s jumping ship on the Toddler, Mayor Daley said on Friday that he wouldn’t be drawn into a battle with the Toddler over who has raised taxes more. "Remember. I said there was gonna be a gig -- a headline. You would try to get Todd and I kind of fighting. And I said, 'I don't know why you're doing that. ... Don't do that gig. I did not fight Todd Stroger,'" the mayor told the Sun-Times last week. "I just said the members of the County Board had to deal with that issue. ... They have to make some difficult decisions, and they made it. I'm the mayor of the city of Chicago. I'm making difficult decisions on my budget. So, no more gigs. Don't write any more headlines like that. ... The gig's up."

County Commissioner (and Daley’s brother) John also took on the Toddler over the tax repeal, telling Stroger that "...you better listen, for once..." Though it looks like the Toddler didn't, it should be pointed out that John Daley initially supported increasing the county sales tax.

Daley supported the Stroger clan in the last election for county board president, even getting former President Bill Clinton to do radio ads and robocalls for the Toddler. But as public sentiment turns against Stroger, and Toni Preckwinkle is poised to split the black vote in the primaries next year, Daley is hedging his bets. Both Daleys have said publicly that they don’t know whom they’ll vote for in the 2010 County Board president election.