Union Boss to have Rahm Emanuel removed

Jessey Sharkey, union boss, interview on Rahm:

How important is it that Chuy has forced Rahm into a runoff?

Extremely important. Remember, Chuy got in late [he entered the race in late October]. He announced his candidacy with only three weeks to go before nominating petitions were due. We brought a lot of very committed people to this contest, especially in parts of the south and west sides. We had 100-percent-committed volunteers working outdoors in brutally cold weather. We had phone banks going around the clock. The CTU played an important role in getting Chuy to run. Chuy had been advising Karen Lewis on her run. We thought he was viable as soon as it was clear Karen couldn’t run.

Were the conditions of CPS schools, and the decision to close so many in Chicago, what brought people out?

Schools were the marquee issue of this campaign and Rahm suffered losses because of his high-handedness in relation to school issues.

Union bosses run the election in Chicago.