Mayor Rahm Emanuel is one of the stars of CNN’s “Chicagoland” — so much so that he’s featured on billboards, and some have suggested that the eight-part reality series is tailor-made to boost Emanuel’s nationwide image for a 2016 presidential run.
But hours before the second installment hit the airwaves Thursday, Emanuel insisted that he hasn’t watched “Chicagoland” because he’s too busy.
“I don’t watch a lot of TV. And if I’m going to watch TV, I’m probably gonna watch with my kids, ‘Modern Family,’ which is what we like to do,” he said.
“Second, if I have any time, I’m gonna have dinner with them and work on homework, so they can tell me how stupid I am.”
Emanuel said the “only thing” he’s heard about the CNN series is precisely what he wants people to know about Chicago.
“We have a world-class city because we have world-class people. And one of those individuals is Liz Dozier, who’s the principal of Fenger [High] School, who against great odds is doing great things for great children,” the mayor said.
“That’s what I want people to see in Chicago: A principal at Fenger who, years ago because of what happened [to Derrion Albert, who was beaten to death in 2009], went in with a model we call `restorative justice.’ I’ve taught a class down there on civics. And you have a principal — and you have `em all throughout the city — you have teachers, you have residents who are doing great things against great odds giving children a great future. That’s what I care about.”
