Moments after being sworn in Tuesday evening as the newest member of the 111th Congress, Mike Quigley stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and thanked "everyone here who got me down here."
In remarks that lasted just over two minutes, Quigley acknowledged his wife, Barb, his daughters, Alyson and Meghan, and evoked the memory of President Barack Obama's Election Night party in Grant Park.
"Meghan and Alyson already have their puppy." the former Cook County Commissioner joked, adding "I will tell you, that dog is not hypo-allergenic, either."
Quigley's quip about the bullish nature of his predecessor, Rahm Emanuel, caused the House Chamber to erupt in applause and laughter.
"Madame Speaker (Nancy Pelosi), ladies and gentleman, you may find that the Congressman and I have different styles," he began, "but we share much in common, and that is, Rahm and I share the same committment to the working families of our country and the 5th District."
Emanuel left the post to become President Obama's Chief of Staff.
"You all know trust is a hard thing to come by these days in this business," Quigley said, speaking to constituents who are seemingly tired of Chicago's politics-as-usual. "The people of my district gave me their trust. I can't tell you, out there, what that means to me. It's a humbling experience to take a job, when people are losing theirs, and to become a member of this House when people are losing theirs."
The reform-minded politician trounced GOP nominee Rosanna Pulido and Green Party candidate Matt Reichel in an April 7 special election for the seat that Emanuel first won in 2002.
