Daley fires spitball at Vallas May 30, 2001 BY FRAN SPIELMAN CITY HALL REPORTER On the eve of a State of the Schools address that could be his last, Schools CEO Paul Vallas got a less than ringing endorsement Tuesday from Mayor Daley who left little doubt he would prefer a clean break with the past. Vallas "can stay if he wants to," but no one is "irreplaceable," Daley said. "Don't ever believe that one person is the key to everything and is irreplaceable--[that] you're the only one and, if I leave, the city will fall apart. I disagree with that. "There are a lot of people out there who are just as committed as anyone else to give their time and effort to improve education here in our city. ... I could be replaced tomorrow, so don't think you're invincible." School Board President Gery Chico abruptly resigned last week. Vallas, who came in with Chico and battled him behind the scenes, has yet to reveal his plans. Asked whether he would like to see Vallas stay, Daley said, "It's up to him. ... He can stay if he wants to. ... You never ask someone to stay if they want to leave. I've found that out in government. When someone wants to leave, they want to leave. When you keep them there, it's counter to what you want to do or what they want to do." Vallas refused to tip his hand, nor would he comment on the mayor's remarks at an unrelated news conference at the 911 emergency center. "Sorry, I'm not going to take the bait. I'm not going to comment on what the mayor said or didn't say, the look on his face or the tone in his voice," said Vallas, who will deliver his address at noon today before the City Club of Chicago. "It's my future. I can comment on it when I'm ready. The timetable is to get through the school year. The school year is not over yet. I've got to go down to Springfield later this week. I've still got school funding issues." The Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday that Chicago Park District Board President Michael Scott, Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey and two-time mayoral chief of staff Forrest Claypool are on the short list to replace Chico. School Board member Gene Saffold and CTA Board Chairwoman Valerie Jarrett are also rumored to be among those under consideration. On Tuesday, Daley said he has "five or six" candidates for the job and has two more to interview. The mayor said he still plans to name a replacement for Chico this week and does not intend to wait until Vallas shows his hand. "It's not dependent on anyone," the mayor said. "The person I'm going to select is going to be a very well-qualified individual who puts education first and foremost." The Rev. Martini Shaw, pastor of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, who serves as chairman of the Chicago Board of Education's Desegregation Monitoring Commission, was among those interviewed by Daley on Tuesday. Asked what qualities and expertise he brings to the table, Shaw said, "I'm very much in touch with the community and also the issues of education as it relates to bilingual education, faculty integration and magnet schools." Before Tuesday's meeting, Shaw supporters put out a press release that speculated on the pastor's chances of replacing Chico. That kind of self-promotion before an official announcement is usually an irreparable mistake when dealing with Daley, who prides himself on trust and--above all--secrecy. Shaw said he was unaware of the press release. -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
