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• 1 2021-02-01T13:46:12-06:00 Governing the City 31 plain 2021-02-04T13:49:13-06:00
  img: [Newly elected Mayor Richard J. Daley presides over his first City Council meeting, April 20, 1955. RJD_04_01_0000_0000_098. Richard J. Daley collection, University of Illinois Chicago. .]

  He saw government and public service as the way to accomplish something. It wasn’t a means to make wealth as the private sector is. It was the means to do something for somebody else. Sure, there’s an ego in it. Yes, there is success. You move up. You’re a county clerk, then you become the mayor. That’s fine. But he taught us by both example and in word that you can do things in government that you can’t do in the private sector, and people in the private sector don’t do. They don’t look out for the little guy. They don’t look out for the greater good.
  
  William Daley, son of Richard J. Daley, interview excerpt, December 5, 2008

  
  img: [Richard J. Daley is interviewed on camera for Chicago’s 120 Anniversary celebration, circa. 1957. Photo: Pics Chicago. RJD_04_01_0014_0010_006. Richard J. Daley collection, University of Illinois Chicago ]

  I think he brought, Mayor Daley, the original Mayor Daley, brought to the city a sense of pride and leadership when it came to the infrastructure and building the city, and the vision of the city that we’re still profiting from. This is a great American city. I happen to think it’s the greatest, and not just because I represent it. But managing to balance all of the different elements within the city—ethnic elements, religious elements and the like—I thought that really took a special skill.
  
  Richard J. Durbin, United States Senator, interview excerpt, September 8, 2014

  Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young discusses what he calls Mayor Richard J. Daley's "political courage":
  Richard J. Daley's official photographer, Laszlo Kondor, explains that Daley sometimes varied his word choices depending on the audience:
  Ken Sain, former Deputy Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer of Chicago, recalls the mayor's willingness to listen to and help those who came to his office:
  
  According to some interviewees, Daley worked more closely with city council than his predecessors had:
  img: [Mayor Richard J. Daley presides over City Council meeting, circa 1972-1976. Photo: László Kondor. MSLASZ13_0001_0011_001. Laszlo Kondor photograph collection, University of Illinois Chicago.]

  The city council in Chicago was always a “strong city council, weak mayor.” It was not that Ed Kelly [Chicago mayor, 1933-1947] or Martin Kennelly [Chicago mayor, 1947-1955] were weak. But the city council had its say. And you didn’t get much done unless the city council said it should be done. [Daley] changed all of that by saying, “I say that it should be done. And this is what’s going to happen.”
  
  Richard Elrod, Chief Prosecutor for City of Chicago, interview excerpt, April 10, 2009

  Alderman Ed Burke discusses Mayor Daley’s “strong presence” on the city council:
  Mayor Richard J. Daley calls for a vote in city council: