“Danny Solis deserves the thanks and congratulations of our entire city after a lifetime of public service, and I will be the first in line,” the mayor said in the statement. “As a leader in the City Council for more than 20 years and as a leader in his community for even longer, Danny has been a champion for immigrants, for school students and for families. His efforts have paid dividends in our classrooms, in the halls of new libraries and in parks that will delight for generations. Danny has transformed his ward, and along with it Chicago. I will forever look fondly on the eight years Danny and I served this great city together and while the simple view may be that he was an ally on City Council, the reality is much more. Danny is a friend.”