Daley To Host Open House At City Hall
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Richard M. Daley's 22 years in office end in just one week, and on Monday, he is thanking Chicagoans for their support with an open house at City Hall.
As CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports, the Mayor's office is predicting thousands of people might show up for what is being compared to the ultimate greeting line at a wedding.
The event is on between 1 and 4 p.m. in the Mayor's Office, on the fifth floor of City Hall. Visitors will have to pass through metal detectors before entering the office.
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After snaking through the line, visitors will have their chance to thank Daley for years of service at City Hall, as he begins a new chapter in his life, and so does the city.
All sorts of Chicagoans have been saying goodbye to Mayor Daley at numerous events around town, and his message about his longevity in office has always been the same.
"You have to have passion, and you have to have honesty in the office, and you have to love the people,: Mayor Daley said at his final City Council meeting Wednesday.
The event Monday, however, may have the most interesting mix of people, as the city's movers and shakers stand in line beside ordinary Chicagoans outside the Mayor's Office.
It will be a chance to personally thank the mayor for his 22 years of service.
Daley has hosted similar events after each of his six inaugurations, but this will likely be his final big scale "meet and greet" as mayor.
Recently, on what has been dubbed his farewell "Neighborhood Appreciation Tour," the mayor has traveled to all 50 wards for a final goodbye. At each, he has seemed upbeat and jovial.
City Hall is expecting thousands will pass through Daley's office Monday, and in his own words, Daley has indicated he will most likely enjoy every minute of it.
"If you don't enjoy people, then you can't be mayor," Daley said recently. "You have to enjoy people. That's the whole belief in being mayor of the city. You have to enjoy people, whether you're going to be positive or negative about it. You have to enjoy it."
Next week, Chicagoans will have an opportunity to return to the Mayor's Office, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel holds a similar open house after his swearing-in.
