For Immediate Release
Jay Stone to Run for Mayor
‘Daley Unfit and Unworthy to Hold Public Office’
Jay Stone says, “Richard M. Daley’s record in office deems him unfit and unworthy to serve another term as mayor. As Chicago’s CEO, one of Daley’s most important duties is to manage city employees. Because Daley administration employees deliberately violated criminal and civil laws for their own personal and political gain for 15 years, Daley can’t perform the duties that he was elected to do.” Daley has already spent $153 million of taxpayers’ money trying to correct the hiring abuses his administration perpetrated. Now Daley wants to spend more money on personnel contracts because his previous contracts were not enough to convince the court to remove the Shakman monitor. In June, 2010, Daley said, “I am determined that we get our hiring procedures right.” Stone’s reply, “Daley has been mayor for 21 years. If Daley can’t get the city’s hiring procedures right in 21 years, he is never going to them right.”
Stone’s March 5, 2009 Illinois Reform Commission testimony led to the passage of two reforms that the Illinois General Assembly passed and Governor Pat Quinn signed into law. Thanks in part to Stone’s idea of statewide campaign contribution limits, starting Jan. 1, 2011 candidates for Chicago political offices can only accept contributions of $5,000.00 or less from individuals and $10,000.00 or less from companies. Now Stone is calling on Governor Quinn to help with “ballot access.” Stone says the number of signatures required to run for mayor is 10 to 25 times higher than the nine other largest U.S. cities. Stone is asking Quinn to reduce the number of signatures to run for mayor to 500 signatures if candidates pay a $300 filing fee or 1,000 signatures if candidates choose not to pay a filing fee. If Los Angeles, a city that has a million more people than Chicago, requires 350 or 700 signatures to get on the ballot for mayor, then Chicago should adopt a smaller number of required signatures.
Press Conference Information:
Date: Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Location: 2940 N. Lincoln, Chicago, IL
Time: 11:00 AM
