Author of Rahm Emanuel Alternate Reality Tweets Outs Himself
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Emanuel's election, Sinker told The Atlantic it was time to end the saga, a decision mourned by fans.