Michael Bilandic, 78; Succeeded Daley as Chicago Mayor
Michael Bilandic, 78, the mayor who took over after popular Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley’s death in 1976, died Tuesday in Northwestern Memorial Hospital of heart rupture after suffering a heart attack Friday and another on Tuesday.
Bilandic served as mayor from 1976 to 1979, but failed to win even his Democratic primary election to his own full term.
He was defeated by Jane Byrne, whom he had fired, as she delivered a stunning blow to the storied Democratic political machine.
Bilandic, a native of Chicago, was an alderman who moved up to succeed Daley in the traditional machine hierarchy.
Some observers believe Bilandic caused his own defeat with his handling of the Chicago blizzard of January 1979. He authorized more than $300,000 in consulting fees to a former deputy mayor, including a $90,000 contract for snow removal that faltered in the face of a 20-inch snowfall.
Black leaders were angered when train stations serving their neighborhoods were closed during the blizzard, impeding transportation to jobs.
Bilandic served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1990 to 2000 and became its chief justice in 1994.
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