2013 Year in Review: Top 10 Political Quotes, Part 2

10 of the most remarkable, overlooked or important quotes from state and city politics in 2013

Here at the Ward Room, we listen to politicians. All.The.Time.

And occasionally, a politician says something that’s, well, memorable. Interesting. Enlightening. And maybe even inappropriate.

That was certainly the case in 2013. Wednesday, the Ward Room staff offered the first five of the best quotes of the year. Now, here’s the rest of 10 of the most remarkable, overlooked or important quotes from state and city politics in 2013:

“Anyone who knows anything about Illinois politics knows that Speaker Mike Madigan owns the House – if he had insisted on a positive vote from his caucus, it would have passed.”

Andy Thayer, LGBT rights activist and co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network, May 31st, on word a vote the gay marriage bill would be delayed until the fall.

“There’s some suspicion – and I don’t want to spread this, but I’m just going to tell you what I’ve been hearing – they suspect maybe the police are killing some of these kids.”

State Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago), July 19th, speakign about violence in Chicago to a Detroit radio station. A Chicago Police Department spokesperson called the comments “so outrageous and baseless, that they do not merit any comment.”

"Ventra is an absolutely worthless system, and I do not want it in my city anymore."

Georgette Kirkendall, Nov. 13th, at a CTA budget hearing. Kirkendall, 25, described herself as a lifelong Chicago resident and CTA customer.

“When I die, I want Elvie to be able to say, ‘I lost my wife.’ I don’t want her to have to say, ‘I lost my civil union partner.’”

Challis Gibbs, Dec. 17th. Gibbs is one half of a gay couple who were allowed to wed immediately in Illinois because her partner, Elvie Jordan, suffered from a life-threatening illness.

"If we don't make these changes, we haven't lived up to our responsibility as adults to the children of the city of Chicago. And I did not run for office to shirk my responsibility."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, March 23rd, on why he closed 50 Chicago public schools, the largest number of CPS schools to be shuttered in a single year. The closings affected some 30,000 students in the nation's third-largest school district.

Honorable mention:

“I'm truly sorry to the city of Dixon and my family and my friends.”

Disgraced former Dixon comptroller Rita Crundwell, Feb. 14th, as she was sentenced to 19 years in prison for what authorities have called the largest municipal fraud in the country’s history. Crundwell pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $54 million from the small northwest Illinois town.
 

Contact Us