Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot vowed Wednesday to put aside the bitter campaign and work together with Toni Preckwinkle to push the progressive agenda they share.
The campaign got ugly fast. Preckwinkle portrayed Lightfoot as a “wealthy corporate lawyer” who represented the nation’s “elites.”
Preckwinkle’s supporters used racially incendiary rhetoric to portray Lightfoot as a protector of police officers who use excessive force; that effort fell flat. So did the homophobic fliers plastered on car windshields outside black churches.
Lightfoot was even forced to blow the whistle when Preckwinkle used their first debate to compliment Lightfoot for being openly gay; Lightfoot wondered aloud whether it was a not-so-subtle reminder to those who may not already know.
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The day after her lopsided victory — which prompted a congratulatory phone call from former President Barack Obama — Lightfoot promised to put hard feelings aside and forge a better working relationship with Preckwinkle than retiring Mayor Rahm Emanuel had with the Cook County Board president.
“We have to. We both have overlapping jurisdictions and the citizen of the city of Chicago that are obviously also citizens of Cook [County] are gonna look to us be leaders and put the campaign behind us. And I’m determined to do that,” she told reporters at the Clark/Lake CTA station in the Loop Wednesday morning, where she greeted commuters.
Speaking of Emanuel, Lightfoot said she didn’t hear from — not on election night, at least.
That’s somewhat surprising for a mayor who has vowed to do whatever he can to make the shorter-than-normal transition a smooth one. He’s even had his staff prepare a 250-to-350-page book to make it happen.
Emanuel insisted Wednesday it has nothing to do with past tensions. It’s because congratulations are best delivered in person, he said.
“In person is a better way to communicate directly the passion I have,” Emanuel said Wednesday.
“This is one of, if not the greatest jobs in public life. And it’s a real treasure and it’s an honor to get the confidence of the public to do it. I’m gonna tell her that in person. I think it’s really important to do it in person.”
Lightfoot’s 73.7 percent makes Emanuel’s 56 percent victory in 2011 look paltry by comparison.
Emanuel, who fashions himself a “part-time pundit,” congratulated Lightfoot on “running a great campaign.”
“She won a big election, a big margin. And the more important thing than the margin to me is she won every ward,” the mayor said.
“People have an obligation to work with her and help define not only the agenda but see it through.”
Lightfoot has only 47 days to put together a government. That’s why Emanuel said he has delivered a clear message to his cabinet.
“We all serve the people of Chicago and its future. And I am responsible as mayor to make sure this is a seamless transition,” Emanuel said.
“Everything that Lori wants and her team wants, there’ll be no bottleneck. We’re gonna make sure that she can on Day One, hit the ground running and see her agenda that she ran on all the way through.”
After thanking morning commuters, Lightfoot reaffirmed her commitment to deliver public safety to every corner of Chicago.
“Our kids’ lives depend upon keeping them safe. That has to be a fundamental duty and responsibility for me as mayor. That means we have to continue hard but necessary work of bridging the divide between police and communities they serve,” she said.
“Our children … deserve to grow up in an environment where fear is not their constant companion. And I’m determined to do everything I can to make sure every kid — in every neighborhood regardless of zip code, economic status and race or ethnicity — is able to live a life of safety. Without that, nothing else is possible. That is a sacred obligation that I take on willingly.”
“I’ve said this over and over again: Nobody is well-served by a rubber-stamp City Council,” Lightfoot said.
“We have a lot of new faces. … I’m looking forward to meeting with them and working with them. But we need them to stand up and represent their constituents and do the work they’ve been elected to do. It’s not 50 little fiefdoms. … They should be united in serving all Chicago and I’m gonna press them to stand up and accept that responsibility.”
Lightfoot has promised to end aldermanic prerogative, the unwritten rule that gives a local alderman iron-fisted control over zoning and licensing in his or her ward. She also wants to give the City Council its own attorney, televise committee meetings, impose term limits for committee chairmen and limit the outside jobs aldermen can hold.
But there’s a reason why Emanuel’s fifth and final stab at ethics reform stalled, even as the City Council braces for more indictments. It’s because ethics reforms always encounter aldermanic resistance.
That is not expected to change — even in a City Council that has taken a sharp turn to the left.
