Emanuel chooses O’Shea to head Aviation Committee
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday chose Ald. Matt O’Shea ( 19th)— a political workhorse, not a show horse — to chair the City Council’s Aviation Committee and ride herd over an $ 8.7 billion O’Hare Airport expansion project.
O’Shea replaces newly retired Ald. Mike Zalewski ( 23rd), whose decision to step down early touched off a heated competition for the Aviation prize.
Sources said the Aviation sweepstakes came down to a rainbow of three finalists: O’Shea, Ald. Proco Joe Moreno ( 1st) and Ald. Jason Ervin ( 28th).
Having chosen a Hispanic replacement to fill Zalewski’s City Council seat, Emanuel was free to avoid playing racial politics.
The mayor ultimately chose O’Shea because he trusts him to make certain that minorities and women get their fair share of the gravy train of jobs and contracts generated by the O’Hare expansion project, but to do it without grandstanding or delay.
That’s particularly important now that Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans is on her way out and Chief Procurement Officer Jamie Rhee is on her way in.
“I always try to be a team player. I put the time in. I work hard each and every day. I have the ability to bring parties together, and the track record has been just to be steady. Not say a lot. Just try to get things done,” O’Shea said Tuesday.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas ( 36th), chairman of the City Council’s Hispanic Caucus, will serve as vice chairman of the Aviation Committee. He will help O’Shea in ensuring a fair distribution of jobs and contracts.
“I’ve always been fair. I always try to be fair. I know how important this is to the future of our city. That expansion at O’Hare is our future,” O’Shea said.
“I’ve worked well with Jamie Rhee over the last few years on different projects. I’m up to the challenge — and I knowit’s gonna be a challenge.”
Moreno said he likes O’Shea, but not the mayor’s selection.
“For Latino parity, it should have been a Latino — not necessarily me,” Moreno said. “And you’re appointing somebody who voted against the Legal Defense Fund for immigrants. In this day of Trump and what’s going on, it’s kind of a slap in the face.”
O’Shea has established himself as a popular alderman who pays attention to housekeeping details while serving as the Council champion for victims of domestic violence.
The choice of O’Shea can also be viewed as belated political payback for the pivotal role that O’Shea played in helping Emanuel survive the 2015 mayoral runoff. O’Shea acknowledged that the political help he provided to Emanuel then may well have played a role in his selection.
“I’ve enjoyed a good relationship with the mayor. Even when we disagreed on issues, I’ve always quietly disagreed with him. He’s been very helpful to my community. That’s what’s most important to me,” O’Shea said. “We did work hard, particularly in the runoff. I think the mayor has done a good job under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. I look forward to continuing working with him.”
Ald. Nick Sposato ( 38th), vicechairman of the Aviation Committee, campaigned hard and publicly for the Aviation chairmanship.
Sposato had also urged Emanuel to steer clear of racial politics. But the beneficiary is O’Shea.
“Matt O’Shea is a great guy. He’s a hard worker. He’ll do great in that position. I’m fine with it,” Sposato said Tuesday.
In other Council moves, Ald. Derrick Curtis ( 18th) is the new vice chairman of the Transportation committee. Ald. Ray Lopez ( 15th) will serve as vice- chair of the Human Relations Committee. Ervin gets a seat on the slow- starting Chicago Infrastructure Trust. And Ald. Michael Scott ( 24th) will become a member of the Finance Committee.