March 30--Mayoral challenger Jesus "Chuy" Garcia on Monday kept up his criticism of Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a friend to wealthy Chicagoans, telling a City Club audience the mayor's policies amount to trickle-down economics that exacerbate the city's financial problems by driving middle-class families to the suburbs.
Garcia also reiterated his pledge to hire 1,000 new police officers by using a combination of the city's police overtime budget and money from special property tax districts, but said he would "phase in the hiring over four years."
"We can't hire a thousand police officers, train them in community policing and put them out to patrol, so we have some time," Garcia told reporters after his speech when asked if he was seeking wiggle room by saying he would phase in the new hires.
Emanuel has hit Garcia for not offering a plan to deal with the city's financial difficulties. Garcia talked again Monday about a graduated income tax and a sales tax on services, plus government efficiencies to close the budget gap and pension funding shortfall. Those moves would require state lawmakers to go along, something that's politically difficult.
Garcia said the mayor's policies squeeze middle-class residents through additional fees and fines, making it tough for them to live in the city. When they leave, he said it hurts the city's tax base and worsens the financial crunch. And a lack of working-class jobs in the neighborhoods is increasing the number of poor people living in Chicago, Garcia said.
"Chicago's growing inequality puts increasing pressure on our city's resources, and a declining middle class puts increasing pressure on our ability to pay our bills," he said.
Garcia also defended his time as leader of the Southwest Side community development group Enlace Chicago, which the Emanuel campaign has criticized. Emanuel campaign ads highlight funding problems at Enlace as the mayor tries to make the case Garcia isn't prepared to lead the city. Garcia told reporters he "grew the organization, and when I left it was in sound financial health."
For his part, Emanuel spent the morning at Navy Pier, giving a speech at a Chicago police recruit graduation ceremony, sticking to his usual points on public safety.
"If we work all those 'Ps' together -- policing, prevention, penalties and parenting -- we will bring the type of safety and security we want to see throughout the city of Chicago," Emanuel said.
He stressed that a comprehensive public safety agenda includes not only police officers, but the community, parent involvement, after-school programs and employment opportunities for youth.
Several hours later at a Hyde Park Sprint store, Emanuel discussed the company's decision to add jobs through an anticipated expansion of the telecommunications giant that will include the installation of new cell sites and stores in the Chicagoland area.
"The idea of a digital economy is not reserved to downtown or a central business district." Emanuel said. "It will be throughout the entire city of Chicago."
The mayor's announcement comes as Garcia has spent weeks criticizing Emanuel for what the challenger has said is a lack of attention on economic development in Chicago's neighborhoods.
