Mayor Lori Lightfoot not reelected in Chicago
Interesting video on Chicago NBC 4.
Didn't make a lot of friends during her period in office. Underresourced for the campaign. Chose to campaign against former County Commissioner now US Representative Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who ended up not in the top two, but fourth. On the defense from the outset because of crime.
Former School Superintendent Paul Vallas and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson won the top two positions, and now are in a run off ("Former CPS CEO Paul Vallas secures spot in runoff election for Chicago mayor," Chicago Tribune).
This NBC4 video of Rep. Garcia's concession speech is interesting because he ties his campaign to the community organizing tradition of former Mayor Harold Washington, who defeated the Daley political machine (sadly Washington died in office, leaving his mission unfinished) and the building of Latino political power in Chicago, the rise in the number of Hispanic alderpersons, etc.
posted by Richard Layman @ 1:54 PM&Permanent Link
8 Comments:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/opinions/chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoot-political-mistake-axelrod/index.html
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoots-struggle-to-be-reelected.html
Good bye and good riddance.
Bowser came into office with same stance -- uptick in crime began in her first term when she reduced policing and cut the jump teams.
But to her credit was able to pivot successfully. Lightfoot could not.
Great news on Biden posting re: DC Crime bill. Will be interesting to see the vote count. A completely irresponsible billl and one that should be slapped down hard by congress.
I'll note that Biden deliberately chose not to get the "Taxation without Representation" plates on security service cars. Not sure what that means but an important reminder that DC should exist at the sufferance of Congress.
Well I'm for statehood now, if only to counter two Republican Senate seats in Idaho or Utah, but it is amazing how disconnected Council is. Yes, BLM has never liked Bowser. Said she grandstanded on BLM Plaza.
Eg Brooke Pinto was born in 1992, Janese George in 1988. They have zero experience living in the city during the period of peak disorder. DK if they'll learn from this if the law is overturned.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-03-02/chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoot-s-loss-has-one-cause-crime
In Chicago, High Crime Leads to a Mayor’s Downfall
Lori Lightfoot’s unusual defeat in a primary contest is a warning to leaders across the country: Voters have had enough.
2. Who Will Save Chicago?
The April mayoral runoff between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson is a contrast between revival and further decline.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chicago-mayor-election-lori-lightfoot-paul-vallas-brandon-johnson-crime-teachers-unions-schools-6956202c
Paul Vallas, the former schools superintendent, was the big winner on Tuesday with 33.8%, and his success shows how much voter priorities have changed. Chicago is a progressive city, and when things are going well voters have the luxury of picking candidates who massage their values. In 2019 Mr. Vallas was an also-ran in the mayor’s race, while Ms. Lightfoot went over well at Lincoln Park cocktail parties.
This year Mr. Vallas’s vow to stop the city-wide crime wave and fix broken schools resonated with voters. In 2022 Chicago’s homicide rate was five times higher than New York City’s and two and a half times higher than in Los Angeles. Those numbers don’t include the other felonies such as carjacking and theft that now plague the city’s streets.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philly-council-public-safety-position-power-20230228.html
Philly City Council is proposing a new public safety director role. Is it a needed change, or a power grab?
The bill says the director must be a “law enforcement professional” with at least five years’ experience as the head of an agency. City Council would need to approve the mayor's appointee.
A Philadelphia City Council proposal to create a cabinet-level position overseeing public safety would grant lawmakers an unusual level of power over the next mayor, including the ability to dictate the qualifications and responsibilities of the person in the role and to reject the mayor’s choice for the new position.
The chief public safety director — who must be a former head of a law enforcement agency — would coordinate departments including police, fire, prisons, recreation, and emergency services. Council members who support the bill said the intention is to strengthen cooperation among disparate agencies as the city faces a persistent gun violence crisis.
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Lots of cities, like DC, already have such a position.
Crime. Crime. Crime.
And yes, DC Council are tone deaf idiots.
Not just crime. She didn't focus on developing allies. Actually she was a lot like Fenty. People who had been boxed out of city power under Williams voted for the DC bred guy. Who then only helped his friends. So all those disappointed people voted for Gray.
Besides not adequately dealing with crime she didn't expand her base.
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