Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends against ‘mean’ label in outgoing speech
Rachel Schilke
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Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended against the “mean” label plastered on her by opponents in her farewell speech. It was her final message marking the end of a tumultuous four-year term plagued by rising crime and declining education.
Lightfoot, a Democrat, dismissed criticism of her leadership, a major topic that contributed to her loss in the February general election after messages surfaced between her and other elected officials, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and District Attorney Kim Foxx, showcasing a “combative nature.” She was the first incumbent in 40 years to lose a reelection bid.
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“Lots of time and energy and ink has been spilled by the pundits and the media obsessing about what four letter-word the ‘mean, can’t get along with anyone’ mayor allegedly said,” Lightfoot said on Monday, per the Chicago Tribune.
“Let me tell you, my friends, the four-letter word that propelled me forward every single day of this incredible journey, one that I am told every time that I needed to rise above the noise and despair. That four-letter word was spelled H-O-P-E,” she continued.
Lightfoot has just days left as the city’s first black female and openly gay mayor — Brandon Johnson will be sworn in as Chicago’s fourth black mayor on May 15. Lightfoot’s historic loss was framed by a rise in economic turbulence following the rise and slow decline of the COVID-19 pandemic. High crime rates and a crumbling education sector also presented headaches for the embattled governor.
During her address on Monday, Lightfoot did not specifically address common mudslinging topics during mayoral debates. Several policy areas, which she promised to tackle during her four-year tenure, were left unfulfilled. Lightfoot declined to mention her terse conversations and relationships with the Chicago Teachers Union and police unions.
Instead, she focused on unity and her dedication to raising Chicago up from the brink after COVID-19 closed businesses and contributed to a rise in crime. She defended her strategy of “holistically addressing” safety — an approach Republicans and even some Democrats have blasted as a contributor to the rise in crime and earned former mayoral runoff candidate Paul Vallas an endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police.
“You can’t talk about public safety without creating a pathway for those who are coming home to have fulfilled, legitimate lives in our society,” Lightfoot said. “We can’t continue to perpetuate the permanent punishment cycle.”
Lightfoot has maintained a low profile since she lost the general election and Johnson won the runoff in April. However, she has given interviews blasting “right-wing forces” for their attacks against her.
“Unfortunately, the people who are jumping on the bandwagon of a Republican posing like a Democrat now got a Democratic socialist as the mayor,” Lightfoot said in a segment on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that aired this week. “So, careful what you wish for.”
Johnson does not identify as a Democratic socialist, although the policies he campaigned on during both elections focused on comprehensive criminal justice reform that focused on affordable housing and mental health, as well as needs-based funds for Chicago Public Schools and free transit services for homeless students.
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For now, Lightfoot said, she is done with electoral politics.
“I will be here as private citizen Lightfoot, continually rooting for you and every resident of our city,” Lightfoot said. “My work is not done. I will roll up my sleeves in another form and fashion but continue on.”