Author of Rahm Emanuel Alternate Reality Tweets Outs Himself

The author of a celebrated Twitter account that served for months as an amusing and expletive-filled alternate reality to the campaign of Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel has been outed as a Columbia College assistant journalism professor named Dan Sinker.

Sinker, the founder of now-defunct Punk Planet magazine, came out to The Atlantic on Monday after evading efforts by reporters to identify him as the source of @MayorEmanuel.

The account was so popular that even Emanuel read it -- and offered $5,000 to the charity of the author's choice if he would reveal himself. On Monday, Emanuel's spokesperson confirmed that the incoming mayor would follow through on his promise.

Sinker told The Atlantic that only his wife, a few friends and a Chicago public schools teacher knew he was the man behind the famous tweets, but he became increasingly paranoid that he would be discovered.

"He's a super intelligent person to write," Sinker said of Emanuel or his alter-ego. "He has a really interesting background -- not the one you'd expect -- and he carries himself in a very colorful way."

Over the course of the tweets, @MayorEmanuel went on a "mustache tour" of Chicago (meeting with Italians and Teamsters), floated down the Chicago River on an ice floe, and spent a glorious night on top of City Hall with an imaginary Mayor Daley, checking out a special garden of celery and looking into the Chicago vortex, MyFoxChicago reports.

After Emanuel's election, Sinker told The Atlantic it was time to end the saga, a decision mourned by fans.

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