Mayor Leon Rockingham, North Chicago
Years ago, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham worked on Barack Obama's senatorial campaign and later sat across the table from Obama once he became U.S. senator talking about community issues such as education. He has no illusions about how close the experience made him to the future president, but it did leave a lasting impression on his own memory.
"I'm sure he doesn't know me from Adam," said Rockingham, who will be among the throngs of supporters when Obama is sworn-in as the first black president of the United States. "But from my side, knowing him and knowing that I have had the opportunity to see him now raise to the level of president of our great country, it's just, to me, somewhat overwhelming. I guess I've gotten into politics to try to better my community, and I know that what this gentleman is doing also is try to better the U.S. and all the people that he represents here in our country."
Previously, Rockingham expected it would be his children's generation that would eventually see an African American rise to the rank of president.
"My parents and my generation, we just never would have thought that this would be coming about," said the 54-year-old mayor. "(Obama's) views and his thoughts, they are so profound that I think he's going to make a great leader. With the challenges that we face right now, you need someone who is going to look at things in somewhat of a different way in order to bring about change. Even though his work is going to be cut out for him, we still see that he is going to have an opportunity to make that change and try to turn the economy around."
It's Rockingham first presidential inauguration, coming on the heels of the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors this past weekend, where officials discussed ideas for public infrastructure projects to suggest to the new president.
"In the city of North Chicago, we have some $13 million worth of projects that we are ready to present to the conference and to the president," Rockingham said.
Rockingham and his wife, Gwen, will be among the ticketed inauguration audience, while his daughter will perform in the inauguration parade with the North Chicago Angel Drill Team.