Cover Story
Who Do We Need as Mayor? Chicago Defender Staff Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel held a press conference to announce that he will not seek re-election in the 2019 Mayoral Race. The two-term mayor shocked residents, who had been bracing for a long political season as more than nine candidates had already announced their campaigns. No clear front runner had been determined before the mayor made the surprising announcement, but now, the race is clearly wide open. Early polls ironically list Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as front runner (25 percent polled)—and she is still “deciding” if she will run. Following Preckwinkle, the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) poll conducted by Public Policy Polling shows more voters undecided (at 19 percent) and Paul Vallas in third (at 16 percent). Former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy comes in fourth at 13 percent while businessman Willie Wilson ranks fifth at 10 percent. The poll doesn’t rank several other formidable candidates, in our opinion, including Lori Lightfoot, former president of Chicago Police Board, and Dorothy Brown, the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk. The poll also doesn’t take into consideration other possible candidates like Congressmen Luis Gutierrez and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who forced Emanuel into a runoff during the last election in 2015, or Kurt Summers, City Treasurer, who has recently set up a portal (www.ourchicago.net) to find out what Chicagoans think they need to solve the City’s problems. In a statement, Summers summed up what many are saying: “The future of this city should be determined by the many, not the few. The future should be determined by the people, not just the powerful. In order to make that a reality, you have to truly engage in a different way and genuinely seek people’s opinions and aspirations for our city.” If anything, the broad pool of candidates will hopefully gather ideas from every day people who are directly impacted by the challenges in Chicago. Brown has been conducting listening tours and Candidate Amara Enyia literally runs through different neighTHE CHICAGO DEFENDER
Renita Dixon
Kianda Lee
“We need someone who knows and understands Chicago and its diversity; we need someone who has taken the time to get to know the different areas of the city and its needs.” Renita Dixon
Keyonda Pyles borhoods each Wednesday and then has coffee with residents to discuss their concerns. Like Enyia,Brown and Summers, the Chicago Defender wanted to know what is on the mind of the people of Chicago, especially those in our community. This week we held our own informal poll and asked: what do we need in a mayor? The People Speak Renita Dixon, 44, of Auburn-Gresham said: “We need someone who knows and understands Chicago and its diversity; we need someone who has taken
the time to get to know the different areas of the city and its needs.” Dixon said the ideal candidate will “have an inclusive approach to running the city, entice businesses to develop in all parts of the city, and improve the schools and infrastructure throughout the entire city.” In addition to those qualifications, for Dixon, the mayor must be a person of integrity, strength and one who strives to do what is best for the city, regardless of the pressures he or she is facing. She said the mayor should be financially savvy. “If you can’t manwww.chicagodefender.com
age your personal finances, you have no business handling city finances.” And she said the mayor should be able to represent us on the global stage. Kianda Lee of Washington Heights said she wanted a mayor who would put an elected school board in place. “We need a school board with people from education.” She also said we needed a mayor who would hold parents more responsible. “People know their kids are out here [doing crime],” Lee said. The parent of two said we need a system that makes parents accountable if their underage children are caught outside past curfew. Education was also a concern of Keyonda Pyles, 33 of Lawndale. Pyles said, “We need a mayor who has a history of doing positive things in the community. Someone who understands the value of education from all students. They would have to be willing to get their hands dirty to fight the violence in Chicago while helping clean out the corruption in the Po-
lice Department.” Brenda Ogden, 65, of Pullman wants education reform also. “I would like the next mayor to show economic parity in the communities and the schools,” Ogden told the Defender. “They need to get rid of the two-tiered education system where they have magnet schools for some. All the schools should be able to provide a good education. I would also like the next mayor to focus on reforming the police department in the way they operate and in the way they recruit police officers. I would also like the next mayor to get rid of the garbage tax where property owners have to pay $10 per unit.” Crime In addition to education, crime is of course a hot button issue in this race. Ronald Holt, 57, a retired Chicago Police Commander who lost his son Blair Holt to gun violence in 2007, said “Crime is also a huge issue. I retired April 16 as a police continued on page 4
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