Posted by Hal Dardick at 1:38 p.m.; last updated at 2:28 p.m.
Mayor Richard Daley today named longtime trusted aide Gery Chico to lead the board overseeing City Colleges of Chicago.
Chico, 53, is a former Daley chief of staff who is currently Chicago Park District board president. He’ll replace James Tyree, CEO of Mesirow Financial and one of the owners of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Daley said "now is time to bring the same sense of urgency to turning around Chicago City Colleges" that he brought to Chicago Public Schools 15 years ago.
Chico, an attorney, was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2004 Democratic U.S. Senate primary won by then-state Sen. Barack Obama.
Daley also named Cheryl Hyman, a vice president at ComEd, chancellor of City Colleges. Hyman, 40, will replace Wayne Watson, who left City Colleges last year to become president of Chicago State University.
"I believe they will bring fresh eyes to City Colleges," Daley said.