This page is referenced by:

• 1 media/EXHRMD_RJD_04_01_0038_0004_001.jpg media/EXHRMD_RJD_04_01_0038_0004_001.jpg 2019-12-20T01:50:56-06:00 A New Beginning in Chicago 106 Richard M. Daley became Chicago's mayor in the wake of the racial divisions, loss of faith, and transformations in the global economy that had become so evident in the 1980s. plain 2021-01-26T11:54:37-06:00 Richard M. Daley announced his decision to run for Chicago's mayor on December 5, 1988. In the speech in which he announced his candidacy, he said, "It's time for a new beginning in Chicago":

  The name-calling and politics at City Hall are keeping us from tackling the real issues. It’s time we stop fighting each other, and start working together.

  John Schmidt, who worked on Daley's 1989 campaign, remembers that the campaign focused on transcending racial divisions:
  Read the speech in which Richard M. Daley announced his candidacy for mayor on December 5, 1988:

  
  While the focus of Daley's campaign was on bringing Chicagoans together, it also touched on broader trends, such as the city's need to adapt to new economic challenges.
  
  From the Daley Agenda for Chicago's Future:

  Chicago can make up for the shift in business trends by taking the forefront in the fight for new jobs in growing fields like finance and health care. Chicago cannot afford to focus on only one economic sector, ignoring the growth industries of the 1990s.

  Daley won the election, becoming Chicago's 54th mayor, and took the oath of office on April 24, 1989.