On April 2nd, Lori Lightfoot won a historic election for mayor of Chicago. Lightfoot will become the city's first black woman and first openly gay person to win the mayor's office. She defeated Toni Preckwinkle, another black woman competing for the position. Lightfoot faces a daunting challenge, however: she will inherit many issues that Rahm Emanuel, the current mayor, is struggling to deal with, including police brutality, gun violence, and financial issues. Lightfoot's campaign centered around change, with Lightfoot promising to "break the back" of Chicago's political machine and repair Chicago citizens' relationship with the police.
Questions:
1) Lightfoot brings new perspectives to her position as mayor, some of which haven't been seen in the office before. How will Lightfoot's backgrounds and identities influence her method of tackling the problems Chicago faces, if at all? How will she differ from the current mayor, Rahm Emanuel?
2) Chicago's problems are deeply rooted, with issues such as police brutality and the political machine stretching for decades. How do you think Lightfoot will begin to take down the status quo in Chicago? Where will she even start?
Other sources:
According to the Washington Post, Lightfoot is relatively new in terms of politics. Her opponent Toni Preckwinkle had much more political experience. However, it seems that Lightfoot's supporters saw her as someone who will push for reforms and change. That is something Chicago sorely needs, as corruption is a major issue in the municipal government. Lightfoot's promise to bring an end to the corruption in the government made her very popular among the voters. However, the issue of curbing gun violence is tricky to solve, and as a relative newcomer to politics, it is unclear how successful she will be in delivering on that promise.
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