The Latest Breaking News from Willie Wilson

CHICAGO — Monday morning, the Chicago Board of Elections Loop Super Site filled up with a motley collection of political power players, good government enthusiasts, wannabes, optimists, has-beens, never-wases and other characters looking to stamp their ticket to City Hall for the next four years.

Beyond the bragging rights, candidates try to file more than the minimum number of signatures required to withstand challenges by rival candidates. The weeklong filing period also begins the winnowing of the mayoral field.

U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is joining a crowded field of candidates hoping to unseat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot

The poll of 616 likely Chicago voters was conducted last week by Public Policy Polling, a Raleigh, N.C. firm that works only for Democrats. Half were contacted on landlines, the rest on cell phones via text message.

With four months to go before she faces Chicago voters, Mayor Lori Lightfoot still hasn’t secured an overwhelming financial advantage over rival candidates seeking to make her a one-termer at City Hall.

The mayor spent $607,449 of the $1 million she raised during the three-month period ending Sept. 30. Insiders call that a “burn rate,” and it could cause problems for her when the race shifts into high gear.

Mayoral challenger Willie Wilson wants a federal judge to block a plan he said “reminds me of the Jim Crow days down South where I’m from.” But the Board of Elections was required to consolidate city precincts after new ward and district lines were drawn based on the 2020 census.

Ald. Andre Vasquez is not one of 17 council members who have declined the latest pay raise. But he’s not oblivious to the pre-election dilemma. In fact, he’s proposing a cap of 5% or the inflation rate, whichever is yes.

The poll was commissioned by the Nuestro PAC, a national political action committee that’s urging U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia to run against Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other contenders.

CHICAGO — At a South Side diner one recent morning, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot served up a cautionary tale about what might happen if Black voters don’t unite behind her reelection bid.

On the first day Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her challengers could circulate nominating petitions, Wilson told the Sun-Times he is prepared to devote another $3 million to the race — for a grand total of $9 million.