Jan. 28--Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday said he looked forward to Gov. Bruce Rauner "trying to hit the restart button" after the Republican had "the most unproductive first year of any governor in recent memory."
The mayor's comments came a day after Rauner delivered a State of the State speech in which he called for a new political climate of "mutual respect."
The first-term governor has been deadlocked with Democrats over his pro-business, union-weakening agenda, so the state has been without a budget for seven months. Last week Rauner called Emanuel "a failure" as mayor and also ripped into House Speaker Michael Madigan and union leaders.
On Thursday, Emanuel weighed in on Rauner's apparent rhetorical shift.
"I welcome a more congenial tone of cooperation, because the state has lost a year based on name-calling," Emanuel said at a Near North Side event to promote an education program. "And we can see by the results, I don't think name-calling is a way to get people to cooperate and work together.
"Calling people from the Supreme Court to others names has led to the most unproductive first year of any governor in recent memory," the mayor said.
"And so I welcome the tone of openness. I welcome the tone of trying to hit the restart button, given the last year. Illinois students, schools, teachers, people providing basic social services, investments in our future, have been put on hold in an acrimonious environment because of name-calling," he added.
Over the years, Emanuel and Rauner have vacationed together and done business deals when both were in the private sector. Now there's public tension as Emanuel needs the state's help to shore up Chicago Public Schools and City Hall finances -- help that hasn't materialized, given the impasse in Springfield.
hdardick@tribpub.com
