Mayor Daley At Harvard? Former Chicago Mayor Gets 'Visiting Fellowship'

Mayor Daley At Harvard? Former Chicago Mayor Gets 'Visiting Fellowship'

He may not be the most eloquent man in the world, but he does have decades of experience leading the country's third largest city. Apparently, that can get one into Harvard.

As part of his "visiting fellowship" at Harvard, former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will meet with student groups at the John F. Kennedy School of Government during the week of November 28, the Associated Press reports.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Daley will also participate in Harvard's 19th biennial Seminar on Transition and Leadership for Newly-Elected Mayors, where he will offer "his insights to new mayors from big cities around the country."

“We wanted him to give advice to mayors, based upon his experience as a mayor, and things they ought to look out for and broader issues they’re gonna face,” Trey Grayson, director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics, told the Sun-Times. “We also love bringing former elected officials to campus to expose them to our students. Rather than having him just give a speech to 500 students, the fellowship allows a lot of smaller opportunities to have candid, off-the-record conversations in small groups over meals and coffee about how he got interested in politics, how he got elected, decisions he’s proud of and maybe decisions he’s like to do over.”

Grayson told the paper that the criticism Daley has received from his successor since leaving office is to be expected.

“The next person is always gonna do things differently,” Grayson told the paper. “One of the things we’re looking to talk to him about is: If he were still mayor, what would he be doing? Since it’s off-the-record, he might say, `I’d be doing the same as Emanuel’ or `I might be doing it differently.’ He’ll be able to deliver that kind of candor.”

Read more about Daley's post-mayoral gigs here.

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