Big girls don't cry, Chicago style

"(Silly boy) told my girl we had to break up
(Silly boy) hoped that she would call my bluff
(Silly boy) then she said to my surprise
Big girls don't cry?"

Right out of the gate Tuesday night, Cook County Board President-elect Toni Preckwinkle, when asked about repealing the Cook County sales tax, said it would be done "by the end of the first term."

Girl, am I loving this.

Think about it: President-elect Preckwinkle (that sure rolls off the tongue mighty nice, doesn't it?) took the most high profile Cook County issue (see Wednesday's only Chicago Sun-Times editorial) and not only laid out a clear process for how she will approach the issue--advisedly, in the face of the County's hundreds of millions of dollars' budget deficit--but she stated, in summing up, that, lest anyone think otherwise, she would be President for a while. I repeat: "by the end of the first term."

While Forrest Claypool, the person many presumed would be President-elect Preckwinkle's main opponent four years hence (if he won the assessor's race), is now history as far as elected office goes, there are still plenty of male others, even in the face of President-elect Preckwinkle's huge victory last night, waiting in the wings, believing they have a shot.

Hey: A 60-plus, progressive African-American woman. Hey: It was just the luck of the draw that she won this race.

I don't think so.

This is one determined woman. This is one big girl who didn't cry, ever.

Read on

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Rebecca Sive began her career as a community organizer in Chicago. Now a nationally recognized expert on issues affecting women and girls, Rebecca combines grassroots knowledge and boardroom expertise. www.rebeccasive.com