Daley quits no. 2 post at SBC

CHICAGO, May 15 (UPI) -- William Daley, the Clinton-era Commerce Secretary and Democrat powerbroker, resigned abruptly Friday from his job as president of SBC Communications.

Daley, the Chicago Tribune said Saturday, will reportedly return to Chicago.

Word of his sudden departure from his $1.2 million job as the telecommunications giants' no. 2 official came in a terse announcement quoting SBC Chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre as saying, "We appreciate Bill's efforts on behalf of SBC and wish him well."

According to unidentified sources, "Daley plans to announce a new position with a Chicago employer" sometime in the near future.

The one-time manager of former Vice Presidential Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, Daley is the brother of current Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and the son of Richard J. Daley, himself a longtime Chicago mayor and a legendary Democrat powerbroker.

His departure comes at what the paper said is a, "a critical time politically for SBC and the telecommunications industry," as the U.S. Congress is considering whether to again rewrite the federal laws governing the telecommunications industry.