Gery Chico's Pay Cut Gambit Smacks of Desperation

Mayoral candidate Gery Chico is suiting himself up as the superhero to save Chicago.

Chico revealed the strategy he thinks will get him into the office on the 5th floor of City Hall. He proposed taking a 20-percent pay cut and cutting the salaries of management employees at city, school, CTA, parks and City Colleges.

The mayor earns $216,210 annually, but that double-digit cut slashes it to $172,968.

Mayor Daley's final budget seems to bet that unions will concede to demands of taking unpaid furlough days and comp time instead of overtime generating $32 million in savings.

That deal has an expiration date of June 30 -- just in time for the new mayor to handle it if it falls apart.

Chico's proposal is bold, but dangerous.

The Democrat will likely need the votes from the very workers whose incomes would plunge under his plan. Chico has apparently given up on getting support from the Democratic Machine, so he's seeking out voters who want a Daley alternative.

A hint of desperation is filling the air as political heavyweights pull their names from the race giving former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel an advantage.

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