BACK OF THE YARDS — Mayor Rahm Emanuel kept himself above the fray surrounding Ald. Sandi Jackson's job performance Wednesday, saying that only she knows if she is adequately balancing her personal and professional responsibilities.
“I’m not going to do anything to add pressure to her because she has enough right now,” Emanuel said after he was questioned about her at an unrelated press conference.
Jackson (7th) has come under fire for her work absences. She has the highest absentee rate in the City Council, including missing annual budget meetings and more than 90 percent of her committee meetings, CBS News reports.
Emanuel said its up to Ald. Jackson as to how she balances her work and personal lives.
“She’s a mother, she’s a spouse and she’s a public official,” Emanuel said. “She can best make that judgment.”
Emanuel stopped short of defending her, but praised her as a “valuable person” who has done a “great job” as an alderman.
Jackson’s husband, Jesse Jackson Jr., resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives last week, citing health issues. He is also being investigated by the FBI and the House Ethics Committee over possible financial improprieties.
“Her family is facing a lot of challenges, and she has to deal with that as both a spouse, a parent, and I think lastly, as a public official,” he said. “She hasn’t said that but my guess is, given what I know about her, that’s how the order would be.”
