Yesterday beckoned a new day in the City of Chicago, the nation’s third most populous city. In a Mayoral Election in which the outcome, no matter which way it went, was certain to usher in a change of historic proportion, voters in the Windy City doubled down on change in the City’s historic runoff Tuesday. Both Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot are African American women. Lightfoot, 56, who won, is a former US attorney who describes herself as “an out and proud black lesbian.” When sworn in, she will own the distinction of being both the first black woman, and the first lesbian to be Chicago’s Mayor. She will be the second woman to hold the position. Jane Byrne served one term in the capacity from 1979 to 1983.
In February's general election, which featured 14 candidates, Lightfoot and Preckwinkle were the top two vote-getters, which led to Tuesday's runoff. On the heels of the election, both women issued statements indicating intent to work harmoniously to build a better Chi-town. For her part, Mayor-elect Lightfoot said, “Now that it’s over I know we will work together for the city that we both love.”
Ms. Preckwinkle, 72, and a longtime political insider, heads the Cook County Board and chairs the County’s Democratic Party. She vowed to continue working on issues important to her. After calling Lightfoot to congratulate her on being victorious, she said, "This may not be the outcome we wanted but while I may be disappointed, I'm not disheartened. During the mayoral race she made education and a $15 minimum wage the major planks of her campaign.
By contrast, Lightfoot rose to prominence in the wake of the Laquan McDonald scandal -- in which a white police officer, Jason Van Dyke, shot the black teenager 16 times as he walked away from police -- Lightfoot was appointed by then Mayor Rahm Emanuelto head the newly created police accountability task force. Emanuel did not seek a third term. Congratulations Mayor Lightfoot. “Chicago Has Spoken: Lori Lightfoot Wins Historic Runoff!”
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Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/02/708833184/history-to-be-made-as-chicago-votes-for-mayor
https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2019/04/chicago-has-spoken-lori-lightfoot-wins.html
https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2019/04/chicago-has-spoken-lori-lightfoot-wins.html
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