CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel Monday painted Chicago in rosy hues, depicting the city as a haven for immigrants determined to solve the problems facing it, including a surge of violence and a budget mired in red ink.
Dubbed the Chicago Radio Town Hall Meeting, the 30-minute program — which aired without commercials on more than 40 Chicago radio stations — was moderated by former CBS2 anchor Bill Kurtis.
Questioned about how he would put an end to more than 3,500 shootings and nearly 700 homicides in 2016, Emanuel stuck to oft-repeated talking points, noting that the 2017 spending plan set to be approved Wednesday includes $60 million to hire 250 new officers, 92 new field-training officers, 100 new detectives, 37 new sergeants and 50 new lieutenants.
The mayor also touted his plan to spend $36 million spread over three years on mentoring for 7,200 junior high school and high school boys enrolled in city schools. Much of the money is earmarked for Becoming A Man, a group that has been lauded by President Barack Obama.
"We need to replace despair with hope," Emanuel said.
Emanuel also renewed his call for state lawmakers to pass a bill pending in Springfield that would toughen the penalties for those convicted of gun crimes.
Emanuel's voice grew thick with emotion when he recounted meeting with Felicia Parker, whose 17-year-old son, Jeremiah, was shot to death during an apparent carjacking outside his home in Austin.
As the mayor recounted their meeting, he praised Parker for so quickly vowing to use her grief to help others in Chicago.
"I don't know if I would have the composure to do the same," said Emanuel, who has three children.
In addition, Emanuel, who has yet to announce whether he will run for a third term in 2019, touted the progress he has made with the city's finances.
"We have righted the ship," Emanuel said, adding that there is more work to be done to eliminate the city's structural deficit, which has dropped 80 percent since he took office in 2011.
Emanuel also reiterated his promise that Chicago will remain a sanctuary city despite President-elect Donald Trump's promise to withhold federal funds from municipalities that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.
Emanuel again grew emotional recounting his grandfather's journey from Israel to America as an immigrant.
Despite his differences with the president-elect on immigration policy, Emanuel vowed to work with Trump on an effort to fix the nation's roads, railroad tracks, airports and other infrastructure.
"But if he goes after cities, if he attacks immigrants, I'll fight that," Emanuel said.
Although he was accompanied by Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp, Chicago Public Schools Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson and Chicago's Chief Financial Officer Carole Brown — all African-American women — Emanuel did all of the talking, and barely let Kurtis get a word in edgewise.
As Kurtis acknowledged that only Emanuel spoke during the event, Emanuel quipped that Kurtis "knew what meetings at City Hall were like."
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