Chuy Makes a Big Move

Big promise, big advantage, potentially big downfall, too:

• Mayoral challenger Jesus “Chuy” Garcia promised to remove the city's controversial red light cameras on his first day in office, casting the automated ticketing program as a “rip-off” effort from Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
  
  “It’s time to end the red light rip-off,” Garcia told reporters Thursday at his campaign headquarters on the Near West Side. “No more tickets.”
  
  However, Garcia didn't specify how the city might recoup nearly $70 million a year in lost revenue from the camera-generated tickets. Detailed plans for Chicago's finances will come next week, said Garcia, who argued that his stance on the camera program has nothing to do with the city budget.

We would imagine Chewie jumps up three-to-five percentage points on this promise alone.

Rahm tries a counter move:

• Click! Flash! Pop! Sneed has learned that countdown timers and extra transparency will be part of a batch of reforms to the city’s red-light camera program Mayor Rahm Emanuel is green-lighting. • Translation: Expect the installation of countdown timers at every city intersection with a red-light camera to alert drivers — as well as pedestrians – when the light will turn red.
  
  • The stats: There are already countdown timers at 132 red-light camera intersections, and they will be added to the remaining 42 intersections that don’t have them.

If you aren't already timing yourself by the pedestrian countdown clocks that exist on 75% of the camera intersections, what kind of driver are you? Rahm's move is designed to protect the $70 million in fines the cameras supposedly generate, but give him an out as "reforming" something. It's weak, but it's the only sensible thing in this case. Chewbacca beat him to the punch.