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Rahm Emanuel was elected the 46th Mayor of Chicago on February 22nd, 2011.

Mayor Emanuel ran on a pledge to strengthen Chicago’s schools, improve the safety of its streets, and stabilize the City’s finances. During the campaign, he visited over 300 community locations including grocery stores, schools, fire stations, police stations, and bowling alleys to listen to voters. Emanuel also visited more than a hundred El stops throughout Chicago to greet commuters. He has continued to do so since taking office.

Rahm Emanuel took the mayoral Oath of Office on May 16, 2011. In his first week in office, Mayor Emanuel signed Executive Orders strengthening ethics rules for City employees; laid out a plan to realize $75 million in savings from the 2011 fiscal year budget; launched a panel tasked with making the city’s community investment program more transparent and accountable; and redeployed 500 police officers to the neighborhoods.

Previously, Mayor Emanuel served as the White House Chief of Staff in the administration of President Barack Obama, where he helped orchestrate the passage of key legislation including the economic Recovery Act, Wall Street reform, and health care reform – increasing access and decreasing costs for millions of Americans.

Prior to working in the administration, Mayor Emanuel served three terms in the House of Representatives representing Chicago’s 5th District. Emanuel was a fierce advocate for Chicago families, serving on the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes, trade, Social Security, and Medicare. He also served on the Subcommittees on Health and Select Revenue.

In addition to his legislative efforts, Emanuel worked hard to directly serve Chicagoans through “Congress on Your Corner," in which he and his staff set up shop in local grocery stores to talk with residents about their needs. During tax season, he provided free tax preparation and college financial aid clinics.

Before becoming a member of Congress, Mayor Emanuel served in the Clinton White House where he helped pass the COPS initiative, which added 100,000 police officers to neighborhoods around the country. He began his career at Illinois Public Action, the state’s largest public interest organization.

Emanuel graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1981 and received a Master's Degree in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985.

Rahm is married to Amy Rule, and they have three children, Zach, Ilana, and Leah.