Challenging the Daley Machine: A Chicago Alderman's Memoir Book

Contents Foreword....................ix
Preface....................xi
Acknowledgments....................xv
1 The Precinct Captains Celebrate Richard J. Daley's Election....................3
2 An Accidental Alderman Is Elected....................6
3 My Beloved Hyde Park: Home for Ninety-three Years....................15
4 Urban Nature at My Doorstep....................28
5 I Am Told What to Expect in the City Council....................31
6 Ending the Sale of Driveway Permits: My First Victory....................34
7 Richard J. Daley: An Overrated Powerhouse....................38
8 Saving the City's Outdoor Museum....................47
9 The Rot of Political Patronage....................58
10 Getting Reelected: An Even Tougher Battle....................65
11 Sparring with Daley....................75
12 I Get Shot....................78
13 Our City's Basic Problem....................81
14 An Endless Fight for Equality....................90
15 Chicago Children Die from Lead Poisoning....................99
16 Council Colleagues Go to Prison....................104
17 Daley's Police Spy on Me....................110
18 Seeking Equal Treatment for Women....................113
19 My Secret Weapon....................117
20 Twenty Years Come to an End....................121
21 Parliamentarian and Member of the Chicago Plan Commission....................126
Appendix 1: City Watchdog Calling It Quits: Leon Despres to End Ten Years on Plan Commission....................133
Appendix 2: The Most Segregated City in the North-Chicago....................136
Appendix 3: The Lone "Negro"Spokesman in Chicago's City Council....................144
Appendix 4: Excerpts from "A Report on City of Chicago Employment Discrimination against Women"....................150
Appendix 5: The Despres Papers....................153
Index....................159