Emil Jones Latest Maybe, Maybe Not Mayoral Candidates

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 19, 2010 8:20PM

Yet another candidate has announced implied he may or may not enter the race for mayor. Fox Chicago is reporting that former State Senate President Emil Jones has been talking about maybe giving it a go against Mayor Daley come the February 2011 civic elections. Well, that's if you believe political insiders because when actually asked about the run, Jones was, like Ald. Leslie Hairston, less than enthusiastic:

"I wasn't thinking about it, it comes up,” Jones said. “I enjoy what I’m doing now. ...[People] have come to me several times you know but again, I enjoy what I’m doing presently."

When asked how he responds to those who ask him to run, Jones said, “It sounds good, but my wife won't let me do that, I don't think."

So it's the same line of "Yeah, you know, my friends keep telling me I'd be an awesome mayor but..." we've heard a lot this summer. As for the two aldermanic would-be candidates everyone keeps waiting to hear from - Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) and Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) - both have been quiet on the candidacy front though Fioretti went after Mayor Daley over this week's Revenue Dept. memo to the Chicago Police Dept. Said Fioretti: “Are you planning on balancing the budget on the backs of the police department, thereby endangering our citizens? That’s what it looks like." And Waguespack has made the news as far east as Pittsburgh as he spoke about our city's controversial parking meter deal in relation to a proposed privatization being bandied about in the Steel City. Of course, to be fair, not even the Mayor has officially announced if he's going to run for reelection, but anyone who thinks he won't run at this point probably also thinks the CTA is about to replace old trains with unicorns.