A few weeks back, an issue was made of Rahm Emanuel’s residency. From where I stand, the issue is clear. Rahm is not a resident of Chicago. However, there are two standards—one for the folks and one for the politicians.
In Illinois you don’t have to ever live in the District you represent. This was the case with former US Representative Melissa Bean. When she first ran for the House, she promised to move into her District if she won the election. She won, but she did not move. Apparently, she and her family like their current house and neighborhood. How is this right or good?
When I was a kid, my Dad was a Chicago Fire Fighter. I learned union business from a young age. My parents and their friends were immersed in union politics. My Father ran for union office several times, as did many of his friends. Back in the day, among the hot issues were: manpower, retirement age, hair (including side burns and mustaches), and residency.
The old timers cared about retirement age, the young guys cared about hair, but all firemen cared about residency. It touched everyone.
At the time, some guys lived in the ‘burbs. They lied about their real addresses. Some referred to their suburban home as their summer cottage, they put the title in their wife or parent’s name. Some used a relative’s address as their official address, although they did not live there. But, their mail went there.
I knew one family that kept Dad’s job a secret. They all said the old man was a builder. They never had firemen over for parties. The kids could not tell their schoolmates what their Dad really did.
One of the words I remember thrown about a lot was domicile. “Where do hang your hat?” That was the phrase. Where do you live with your wife? Where do your kids go to school? The rest was cheating.
When my retired parents passed away, my wife and I were cleaning out their house. I showed my wife the house plans my parents had for their dream house—in suburban Addison. They never built it, and we never lived there. My Dad told my Mom that if they were caught living out of the City, my Dad would lose his job or they would have to move. My Mom hated the idea of losing her dream home. So she never had it.
Sorry, Rahm. Your residency is a sham. You lived in Washington D.C. for the past couple of years. Keeping a couple of boxes in a house you rented out does not maintain your residency. It is a ruse. You lied, but you got away with it.
When you become Mayor, will you change the City policy and let cops and firemen to live where they want? I don’t think you will.
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