Prior to being elected mayor in 2011, Rahm Emanuel served as a congressman in Illinois and as President Barack Obama’s chief of staff.
By JTAUpdated: SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 07:16Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel(photo credit: REUTERS)
Rahm Emanuel, Chicago's first Jewish mayor, unexpectedly announced on Tuesday that he will not seek a third term.“As much as I love this job and will always love this city and its residents, I’ve decided not to seek re-election,” the 58-year-old Democrat said. “This has been the job of a lifetime, but it is not a job for a lifetime.”Prior to being elected mayor in 2011, Emanuel served as a congressman in Illinois and as former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff. Obama praised Emanuel’s accomplishments as mayor in a statement released after his announcement.“With record job growth and record employment over his terms in office, Chicago is better and stronger for his leadership, and I was a better President for his wise counsel at a particularly perilous time for our country,” Obama said.Emanuel, the son of an Israeli father and Jewish-American mother, is active in the Jewish community. He and his wife, Amy, are members of Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel, a Modern Orthodox congregation in Chicago.His announcement comes the same week as the murder trial of a white Chicago police officer, Jason Van Dyke, in the shooting of a 17-year-old African-American male, Laquan McDonald, is set to begin. Emanuel initially fought not to release police footage of the 2014 incident, leading activists and opponents to call for his resignation.Chicago will hold elections for mayor in February.