Daley speaks on his veto of the "big box living wage" ordinance

Earlier today a rally was held on Chicago's South Side where Mayor Daley, in an uncharacteristic emotional fashion, explained his veto of the so called "big box" living wage ordinance.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

"Not one person objected to any type of store in the suburban area. No one said, 'Mayor, you're wrong.' No one said aldermen are wrong. No one said community or church leaders [are wrong]. Only on the West Side. Only on the South Side," Daley told cheering supporters at 119th and Marshfield, the vacant site of a Target store placed on hold after the City Council's 35-to-14 vote in favor of the minimum wage ordinance.

"It was alright for the North and Southwest Side to get the big boxes before this. No one said anything. All the sudden, when we talk about economic development in the black community, there's something wrong there..It's alright for people to say development belongs in the suburban area. You have to go to get a job there. You have to drive to shop there. That's alright. This is what we're talking about."

One day after vetoing the big box ordinance and finding the crossover votes he needs to sustain it, Daley got a hero's welcome from business, religious and community leaders crowded under a tent in the middle of a muddy, 32-acre site, he said would "stand empty" if the minimum wage is allowed to stand.

"I'm gonna put lipstick on him and then [the mayor's wife] Maggie is gonna want to know where it come from and then, I'm gonna be in a mess," said a euphoric Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), whose ward includes the 119th and Marshfield site.

I wonder how "Wake Up Wal-Mart" and "Wal-Mart Watch" will spin this news?

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