Dear Editor,
While I actively supported Carol Moseley Braun for mayor of the City of Chicago, it was with the greatest hopes for this city and all its residents that I extended my sincerest aspiration of congratulations and success to the Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel.
However the current selection of the mayor-elect's transition team having few LGBT people is of concern. It is difficult to believe that there are few persons in the LGBT community who are equipped with the credentials to qualify for his team.
We are told to trust that this action does not reflect his feelings about LGBT people in his administration. While Emanuel attended every forum and opportunity presented in the LGBT community, at no time did he address his past role in the Clinton administration or in Congress (or associated policies)namely, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Defense Of Marriage Act.
Even former President Bill Clinton has remarked that these were two policies that were not his administration's proudest moments; however, to date the mayor-elect has not issued a clear declaration of attrition. Of equal concern are adverse effects of welfare reform and the displacement of poor people under his reign with the Chicago Housing Authority.
The campaign is over and the time to govern is now. It is to that end, along with faith in democracy and the quest for sound public policy, that I hope Emanuel shows he will not forget when selecting his cabinet and administration.
Marc Loveless
Chicago