The in box. Peter Kuttner’s Richard Mell moment.

Fred,

In my Richard Mell moment, no one calls him an “asshole politician”, he just acts like one.

I also lived in his 33rd Ward and was working for Washington at Lathrop Homes, the low-rise public housing project down the street from my house. We knew there were lots of votes for Harold there. So did Mell. I was in the polling place when he was making his rounds, checking in with his precinct workers. I was old enough to remember the mayor before the first Daley, and was used to the well-oiled Machine delivering impressive vote totals for their guy. But when Mell was told that the turnout was low, he smiled and told them to keep up the good work.

My Richard Mell moment was a teaching moment, a lesson in how the City That Works works. Harold’s sadly brief moment as mayor taught us even more, though, with the city services in Mell’s 33rd Ward improving markedly under a Washington administration. Harold was our guy.

– Peter Kuttner