[133][134] In an attempt to eschew this pattern, Lightfoot initiated Our City. [129], On November 23, 2019, a plan by Lightfoot to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021 was approved by the Chicago City Council. 0. [47], Lightfoot picked up several endorsements, including nods from LGBTQ groups and local politicians. Candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will meet in a runoff to succeed her. During her mayoral campaign, Lightfoot cited several reasons for entering public service, including a desire to represent the African-American community, a sense of injustice based on the murder of a family member by a Ku Klux Klan member in the 1920s, and struggles with the law encountered by her older brother, who was charged with possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. [140] Lightfoot nominated David Brown to be superintendent of police on April 2, 2020. I dont hold the title of committeeman, central committeeman, boss of the party.. [187][188] Judicial Watch sued Lightfoot on behalf of The Daily Caller, alleging Lightfoot violated journalist Thomas Catenaccis First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.[189]. [31], Lightfoot returned to the public sector in 2015, when Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed her to replace 19-year incumbent Demetrius Carney as president of the Chicago Police Board. rcel.async = true; However, initial affordable housing goals were set back by budget shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our ruling. Most notably, she served as president of the Chicago Police Board and chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force. [40], By summer 2018, Lightfoot had the highest-funded campaign of any individual challenging the two-term incumbent Emanuel. [41][42] However, in the fall, Emanuel dropped out of the race, and high-profile candidates like Gery Chico, Bill Daley, Susana Mendoza and Toni Preckwinkle subsequently entered. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [28], Lightfoot was briefly hired by the city of Chicago to defend the city against charges brought by the family of a mentally ill woman, Christina Eilman, who was brought into custody by Chicago police after suffering a mental breakdown at Midway Airport. [61][62] Bill Daley was seen as targeting the white vote. Alert: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who made history as 1st Black woman and 1st gay person to lead city, loses reelection bid Feb. 28, 2023 Comments CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who made history as 1st Black woman and 1st gay person to lead city, loses reelection bid. Lori Elaine Lightfoot, professionally known as Lori Lightfoot is an American politician. Click, read, like & share!pic.twitter.com/9CfzbfCoho", "5-Person Dash to Finish of Chicago Mayoral Race, Poll Shows", "Mary Ann Ahern on Twitter: "One More Snapshot, Independent #ChiMayor19 Poll: Daley 15% Chico & Lightfoot 14% Preckwinkle 12% Mendoza 10% (Conducted Feb 12th - Feb 14th) (Reminder: snapshot, moment in time)", "Three-Way Tie on the Eve of Chicago's Mayoral Election", "Lightfoot, Martwick Get Heated at News Conference", "Preckwinkle fires campaign manager over controversial Facebook post", "DALEY leads money race CHANCE THE RAPPER and the black vote Restaurateur counters TRUMP's fast-food act", "Spurred on By Upset Win, Lightfoot Gains Momentum Ahead of Runoff", "SHOCKER: It's LORI v. TONI in runoff WINNERS & LOSERS 3 aldermen are OUT", "Tribune Editorial Board endorsement for mayor of Chicago: Lori Lightfoot", "EDITORIAL: Finish the job, Chicago, and elect Lori Lightfoot for mayor", "Wilson endorsement caps good week for Lightfoot's mayoral campaign", "Who are losing mayoral candidates backing in the runoff election? Let me be clear: I am not proposing creating any additional police training facilities. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Lightfoot declared that anyone who violated this order may be issued a citation. [84], Lightfoot won the runoff election on April 2, 2019, becoming mayor-elect of Chicago. Loris paternal grandmother was named Elizabeth Pierce. CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Wednesday that she will grant one-on-one interviews to mark the two-year anniversary of her inauguration solely to journalists of color, saying she has been struck by the overwhelmingly" white press corps in Chicago. CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Wednesday that she will grant one-on-one interviews to mark the two-year anniversary of her [24] At Mayer Brown, she also defended Chicago police officer Paul Powers against charges of physical assault. [226], In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named her among the fifty heroes leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people. [142], On November 13, 2019, Lightfoot proposed an ordinance that would create a new Office of Public Safety Administration, which would combine administrative functions of Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Fire Department and the Office of Public Safety Administration. ", "Before She Was Mayor: An In-Depth Profile of Lori Lightfoot", "Lori Lightfoot: From small-town girl to big-city mayor", "Lightfoot Says Trump Called After Her Election", "UM alum Lightfoot to be Chicago's 1st black female mayor", "Lori Lightfoot looks to tackle obstacles to become mayor", "Preckwinkle, Lightfoot Reveal Differing Strategies Ahead of Election", "The woman at the center of Rahm Emanuel's efforts to reform the police", "The Progressive Black Lesbian Who Could Be Chicago's Mayor", "Why the Sun-Times endorses Lori Lightfoot to be Chicago's next mayor", "IN RE: Attorney Lori E. LIGHTFOOT. Weems was not fired by the Chicago Police Department, but the city was eventually forced to pay a settlement to the Pleasance family. [222] She is also a season ticket holder for the WNBA's Chicago Sky. Not only is she the first black female mayor, but shes also the first openly gay mayor in the citys history. Weems later committed suicide. Lightfoot worked at the Department of Procurement Services for a few months, subsequently returning to Mayer Brown. [155], On March 27, Lightfoot placed a ban on contact sport and closed the city's parks, beaches, and trails due to instances over the previous days of people violating the state's stay-at-home order and gathering in public places. [105][106], On March 6, 2020, Lightfoot named Tracey Scott as CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority. [46] Lightfoot ran a television advertisement criticizing Chico, Daley, Mendoza and Preckwinkle as the "Burke Four" for their connections to the disgraced alderman. "[34], In 2017, Emanuel re-appointed Lightfoot to a second term as president of the Police Board. rcds.appendChild(rcel); [15], Lightfoot received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Michigan in 1984, graduating with honors. [95] After the developers of the two projects agreed to increase commitments to hiring minority-owned and women-owned contractors, Lightfoot announced that she now supported the deals, which were approved one day subsequent to her declaration of support. [110] This plan would allow the city to capture more money from large real estate transfers, while also providing a tax break for the 85% of real estate transfers valued under $500,000. [59], Shortly before the election, Preckwinkle's campaign manager, Scott Cisek, came under fire after comparing Lightfoot to a Nazi in a Facebook post. Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 19, 2021 Chicago is 33% white, 29% Hispanic or Latino, 30% Black and 7% Asian, according to Census Bureau [110][needs update], On November 26, 2019, the Chicago City Council approved Lightfoot's budget for the 2020 fiscal year. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, DeWine to update East Palestine on waste removal, Will Fridays snow miss us? At the time, there was already speculation that Lightfoot was planning a run for mayor of Chicago in 2019, though she denied the rumors. [61] Lightfoot was seen as breaking the rules of traditional Chicago politics by not basing her candidacy on seeking the support of particular ethnic/racial groups. Loaded 0%. Dancing Lori Lightfoot 'would make Nero jealous,' alderman says amid Chicago crime crisis Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. [107] On March 30, the CHA Board of Commissioners approved Tracey Scott's appointment. [130], Among proposals Lightfoot floated in the fall of 2019 included a graduated transfer tax for commercial real estate sales. 2 min ago. [61] Toni Preckwinkle and Willie Wilson were seen as targeting the black vote. [112], On May 28, 2019, Lightfoot unveiled proposals to revise the operating rules of the Chicago City Council. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. Both candidates expressed support for a casino in Chicago and changing the states income tax system to a graduated tax, in which higher earners are taxed at a higher rate two measures lawmakers have tried for unsuccessfully for years to pass. But now a Native American advocacy group that was given the rights to the long-parodied public service announcement is retiring it, saying it has always been inappropriate. [118][119][120], As of June 17, 2021, Chicago leads the nation in mass shootings, average approximately one per week. Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot on Twitter: "I ran to break up the status quo that was failing so many. Her mother, Ann Lightfoot, was a nighttime healthcare aide and school board member, and her father, Elijah Lightfoot, a local factory worker and janitor. [61], Lightfoot finished first in the February election, in what was considered to be an upset. Lightfoot said, "Chicago maintained the lowest unemployment rate through most of 2021 of any large American city." [35] Lightfoot resigned from the Police Board in May 2018, just before announcing her mayoral campaign. Loaded 0%. rcel.src = "//trends.revcontent.com/serve.js.php?w=76341&t="+rcel.id+"&c="+(new Date()).getTime()+"&width="+(window.outerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth)+"&referer="+encodeURIComponent(referer); March 24, 2020. ", Lightfoot further stated that police violence and brutality "demean the badge" and asked the public to report police misconduct. Among other things she proposed live streaming video of committee meetings, changes to strengthen the rule on conflicts of interest and the transfer of control over TIF subsidies to the council's Committee on Economic and Capital Development. Lori Lightfoot is an American politician and lawyer. [165], Also on April 8, Lightfoot was criticised for suspending Freedom of Information Act request deadlines, saying "I want to ask the average Chicagoan: Would you like them to do their job or would you like them to be pulled off to do FOIA requests? And thats been my experience being a change maker, a change agent, transforming institutions and communities.. [20] In 2013, Lightfoot was a finalist for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, but the job went to Zachary T. [126], On June 14, 2021, Lightfoot named Jos Torres to serve as interim CEO of the Chicago Public Schools after Janice K. Jackson steps down. [13][17] While in high school, Lightfoot helped organize a boycott of her school's lunch program over the quality of its pizza. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered a concession speech to reporters on Tuesday after voters denied her a second term. Lightfoot also responded by scolding her opponent for being negative while also airing ads pointing out Preckwinkles connection to powerful local Democrats, including one under federal indictment. [12] Lightfoot has suggested that she left the Department of Procurement Services because of dismay at corruption in City Hall. The two swore at one another after Lopez criticized the mayor's response to looting and rioting during the George Floyd protests. [43], Animosity between the Preckwinkle and Lightfoot campaigns was reported as early as October 2018, when Preckwinkle denied rumors that she had pressured Lightfoot to drop out of the race. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid; Alaska has the country's largest proportion of its population which identifies as American Indian and Alaska Native at 19.6 percent. [103] These efforts directly implicated systemic racism as the primary issue in housing affordability, recommending an entirely new framework for housing ordinances prioritizing racial equity. In response to the third mass shooting in four days, Lightfoot said: "We are part of a club of cities to which no one wants to belong: cities with mass shootings. [166] Due to this, Lightfoot was subsequently awarded the tongue-in-cheek "Pharaoh Prize for Deadline Extensions" by digital-rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 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