Ocasio Bids Adieu to City Council

By Marcus Gilmer in News on May 13, 2009 4:00PM

Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th), one of the resident raconteurs of the City Council, is finally freeing himself of that particular yolk. Yesterday, Ocasio announced he was leaving his post to, according to the Sun-Times, "become a $125,000-a-year senior adviser to Gov. Quinn working on social justice issues across the state." And as he jumps ship, Ocasio is asking Mayor Daley to appoint Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus in his stead. Said Ocasio yesterday on the prospect of working for an elected official who could be out of a job after 2010:

“I know it’s a reasonable risk. But I also think the governor wants to do right by people, and I want to be part of it. This is an opportunity to be a voice for working-class people across the state,” he said.

“I’ve been frustrated because we’re asking people to do more than they should be doing. But me being frustrated doesn’t have a whole lot to do with this. I didn’t go seeking this position. We were talking about ward issues and it just sort of happened.”

He added, “I wasn’t gonna throw away a position I spent 16 and a half years trying to build unless I had a real voice. I wanted to make sure I was part of that inner circle and reporting directly to the governor.”