Republican Kelly urges Mayor Emanuel to stepdown
During a recent appearance on the PBS show, “Chicago Tonight,” William J. Kelly, the only Republican candidate for Chicago mayor, blasted the Chicago media and national Democrats for giving Rahm a pass on the Chicago Public Schools sex abuse and rape scandal – a sharp contrast to their treatment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
“My job isn’t done yet. It isn’t enough that Rahm quit the Mayor’s race, he must resign effective immediately,” Kelly said. “Why hasn’t Rahm fired his appointees to the Chicago Board of Education? An internal investigation is not enough – not after 500 cases of rape and sexual abuse of minors over the last eight years.”
Kelly is calling for a federal probe into the Chicago Public Schools cover-up and criticized the Chicago media for making the scandal a one-day story.
PBS host Phil Ponce protested that Chicago media have covered the scandal. “This scandal should be front page news. It should be the story you cover every single day,” Kelly replied.
Kelly recently penned an op-ed in the Washington Times, “What will Chicago do without Rahm?” criticizing the media and national Democrats.
In the op-ed, Kelly also drew comparisons between Chicago Public Schools and the Catholic Church. Kelly wrote:
But doesn’t Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan have a “moral obligation” to investigate the 500 cases of rape and sexual abuse at Chicago Public Schools too? As the son of Chicago Public School teachers and a graduate of Quigley Preparatory Catholic Seminary, I’m outraged.
In this era of #MeToo, Rahm Emanuel should be driven from Chicago with pitchforks. Why isn’t Emanuel being held accountable for the 500 cases of rape and sexual abuse at CPS? How many cases of rape and sexual abuse at Chicago Public Schools have there been since the 1940s?
The national media should be asking these questions but they aren’t because Chicago is a Democratic town and Rahm Emanuel is their liberal sacred cow.
ABOUT BILL
William J. Kelly is a producer of Emmy award-winning TV, a media strategist, columnist, and entrepreneur. He is host of the Citizen Kelly Show on AM 1590 WCGO.
Kelly was born William Joseph Patrick Kelly on Chicago’s South Side. William’s mother, Barbara Kelly (née Anderson), is a retired public schoolteacher. His father, William Francis Kelly, a Naval veteran, was the principal of Abbott Elementary School in Chicago. Kelly’s family emigrated to the U.S. from Sweden and Ireland. His great-grandparents were from County Mayo, Ireland.
A lifelong Chicagoan, Kelly graduated from Christ the King grammar school and Quigley Preparatory Seminary South. While at Quigley, Kelly was a regular contributor to the “Mass for Shut-Ins” TV program on WGN-TV.
A graduate of Loyola University, he studied at Loyola’s Rome Center and traveled throughout Europe. While in Rome, he had the good fortune of meeting Saint John Paul II. He says meeting Saint John Paul II inspired him to a life of service.
After graduation, Kelly became the Executive Director of Taxpayers United of Illinois, a taxpayer watchdog group. In 1994, he ran for Congress in the First Congressional District against Rep. Bobby Rush, the former Defense Minister of the Black Panther Party. Kelly exposed the fact that the congressman owed $50,000 in back taxes and unpaid child support.
During that time, Kelly also launched RevDigital, an Emmy award-winning production company, The company has produced programs on FOX, Comcast Sportsnet, ION, and Tribune Networks to name a few.
In 2010, Kelly ran for Illinois Comptroller on a platform of “exposing insider deals” and making government “more transparent.” He came in second in a tough three-way primary battle against incumbent Judy Baar Topinka.
Kelly questioned then-candidate Rahm Emanuel about his lack of Chicago residency in a sidewalk interview back in 2010. The incident went viral after a CBS reporter threatened to deck Kelly. Some say that Kelly lost his radio show on AM 560 WIND after he filed a legal challenge to Emanuel’s mayoral petitions based on residency.
In 2014, he busted the campaign finance caps in the Chicago mayoral race, forcing Rahm Emanuel into a first-ever historic run-off election.
In addition to producing award-winning TV, Kelly currently writes for Daily Caller, Huffington Post, Newsmax, and the American Spectator on the news, entertainment, and politics.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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