Mayor Harold Lee Washington, Chicago



Table of Contents

Introduction1

Statement of the Problem1

Significance of the Problem2

Literature Review4

Summary of Extant Literature6

Linkage of Research to a Theoretical Framework11

Hypotheses to be Tested12

Data and Methodology13

Secondary Data15

Search Strategies15

Data Sources16

Data Analysis16

Analysis17

Demographic Shifts in Population17

Economic Factors18

Public Policies20

Economic Conditions of the City and Governance of the Mayor21

Declining Financial Resources of the City21

Initiatives to Address Crime in the City22

Municipal Resources Allocated to Racial and Ethnic Groups22

Deteriorating Infrastructure of the City23

Relationships with the City's Business Leaders23

Relationships between the Police and the African-American Community23

Housing for Low-Income Residents of the City24

Summary and Conclusions24

End Notes25

Mayor Harold Lee Washington, Chicago

Introduction

The objective of this research paper is to explore the emergence of political power of African-American mayors, particularly, the first African-American mayor of Chicago, Mayor Harold Lee Washington. This paper aims to assess the electoral process of Harold Lee Washington and to what extent he should be considered as the successful mayor of Chicago in serving the constituents, especially the African-American constituents. In addition to this, the paper explores the factors that have influenced the election of Harold Lee Washington considering the racial tensions in the American societies as well as deep delve into the policies and actions he proposed and enacted in his governance during his tenure.

Furthermore, this paper explores the impact of the policies and actions that Mayor Harold Lee Washington proposed and enacted on their constituents, particularly to African-American constituents of Chicago and relative significance of policies and actions from the scholarly point of view. The paper aims to explore the electoral success of Mayor Harold Lee Washington by using the secondary qualitative methodology that takes into books, peer-reviewed journal articles, internet content publications, governmental reports and case studies pertinent to the political career of the mayor.

Statement of the Problem

While Harold Lee Washington had organized his electoral campaigns in almost similar manner in Chicago, his deracialized electoral strategies as well as systematic factors associated with city of Chicago played a significant role in his actions, strategies, and policies to address the problems of the city and lead the city towards development that influence the success of Harold Lee Washington.

Significance of the Problem

The number of African American elected officials is emerging at all levels of the governments as an important base of political power since the inception of Voting Rights Act of 1965. Researchers emphasized that traditionally, African-American political candidates have been successful across all the districts where the majority of population is constituted by African Americans. However, since 1967, there is considerable shift in the electoral process of African American Mayors as these candidates have been successful in majority white districts and in biracial and multiracial cities. By the virtue of these victories, majority of scholars and researchers suggested that factor of political candidate race has been considerably decreased in the American campaigns and elections and the factors that negatively influence the election of these African-American Mayors.

While numerous researchers have put great focus on the role race plays in U.S. campaigns and the way news and media frame racial issues in ...