Lori Lightfoot, the first black and openly lesbian mayor of Chicago, failed to be re-elected on Tuesday February 28, a situation unheard of for 40 years in the metropolis of the Midwest in the United States, reported the American media. Current Mayor Lightfoot (sworn in May 2019) is the city's first African American woman and first LGBT mayor. [61], Lightfoot finished first in the February election, in what was considered to be an upset. [225], In June 2019, Lightfoot was selected as one of several grand marshals of the Chicago Pride Parade. At the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, you will find a palate-dazzling smorgasbord of cuisines and cocktails in which to indulge. Fardon. Mayor Emanuel's proposal has passed the City Council and the academy will be located on the West Side", "Chicago 2019 Mayor and Alderman Election Results - Chicago Sun-Times", "Preckwinkle staffer on why 'everyone' voted for Lightfootincluding the staffer", "Could Another Daley Become Mayor of Chicago? [26], In 2002, Lightfoot was appointed chief administrator of the Chicago Police Department Office of Professional Standards, a now-defunct governmental police oversight group, by Police Superintendent Terry Hillard. 1 Answer ANSWER Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter guitarist. Joyce Ross, 64, a resident of the citys predominantly black West Side who is a certified nursing assistant, cast her ballot Tuesday for Lightfoot. The Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners found Lightfoot had enough valid petitions to remain on the ballot, and Preckwinkle's campaign withdrew its challenge. But is it ready for reform? "[121], On June 3, 2019, Lightfoot announced her selections for the Chicago Board of Education (the school board of Chicago Public Schools), appointing former City Clerk of Chicago Miguel del Valle as its president. Andersonville Social Justice March and Riot afterward? She was confirmed to the position by the Chicago City Council on June 23. In the wake of the controversy over the murder of Laquan McDonald, Emanuel also appointed Lightfoot as chair of a special Police Accountability Task Force. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces 8 challengers in Tuesday's election said a recent opinion poll changed his mind about "helping Black Americans." [170][171][172], On November 12, 2020, to be effective on November 16, Lightfoot issued new restrictions, including a stay-at-home advisory. rcds.appendChild(rcel); [150][151] In response to the pandemic, she created the Racial Equity Rapid Response Team[clarification needed] as well as the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force. On October 14, 2019, Lightfoot announced the creation of an affordable housing task force set to consist of 20 members and study solutions to housing affordability over a 4- to 6-month period. Loris paternal grandfather was Raleigh Lightfoot (the son of A. Lightfoot and Minnie Jackson). The ordinance would also move the task of hearing appeals from rejected Chicago police applicants whose names have been removed from the department's eligibility list from the Human Resources Board to the purview of the Chicago Police Board. [164] This was to cut down on congregating outside of liquor stores. Preckwinkle countered that her opponent lacks the necessary experience for the job. [4][5][6] Lightfoot ran for mayor of Chicago in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, advancing to a runoff election against Toni Preckwinkle, which Lightfoot won on April 2, 2019. [13] Lightfoot also served as a clerk for Justice Charles Levin of the Michigan Supreme Court. Tyson foods joins Caterpillar and Boeing in ditching Chicago amid huge crime wave under woke Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Politics and Other Controversies, 28 replies ; Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Chicago: Over 4,000 shot and 735 killed so far in Chicago, Politics and Other Controversies, 83 replies ; Lori Lightfoot elected Chicago mayor, Politics and Learn how your comment data is processed. [15] Her high school alumni association named her a "Distinguished Citizen" in 2013. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, DeWine to update East Palestine on waste removal, Will Fridays snow miss us? Lightfoot says her recommendations for disciplinary action were often rejected by the police department. [129], On November 23, 2019, a plan by Lightfoot to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021 was approved by the Chicago City Council. [61] Hispanic candidates Gery Chico and Susana Mendoza were seen as vying for the Hispanic vote. After Four Turbulent Years, Lori Lightfoot Seeks a Second Term as Chicagos Mayor. [12][13] There, she and her boss, Mary Dempsey, investigated Chicago corruption, drawing Mayor Daley's ire in the process. Lightfoot said, "Chicago maintained the lowest unemployment rate through most of 2021 of any large American city." [102] The following month, it was announced that the task force would also come up with a proposal to rewrite the city's affordable housing ordinance. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered a concession speech to reporters on Tuesday after voters denied her a second term. var rcds = document.getElementById("rcjsload_b42b6d"); This victory is historic, and it is also an undeniably proud moment for the LGBTQ community, Johnson said. [125] Nevertheless, in July 2021, governor J. [156], On March 31, 2020, Lightfoot announced that she had secured 300 hotel rooms in the city's downtown to house first responders, which they could use so that they would not need to go to their homes and risk spreading COVID-19 to their families. At the time, there was already speculation that Lightfoot was planning a run for mayor of Chicago in 2019, though she denied the rumors. [21] She also held factory jobs at home during summers to help pay for her education. [116][117], On June 5, 2019, Lightfoot outlined further ethics reform proposals[vague] for the city council. [223], Lightfoot made an appearance on a TV mini-series called The Second City Presents: The Last Show Left on Earth. In response to the third mass shooting in four days, Lightfoot said: "We are part of a club of cities to which no one wants to belong: cities with mass shootings. As such, many of the candidates were seen as targeting different groups with their campaigns. The order allowed sick residents to seek essential services, such as necessary clinical care/evaluation, and life sustaining needs, such as medicine and food. var referer="";try{if(referer=document.referrer,"undefined"==typeof referer||""==referer)throw"undefined"}catch(exception){referer=document.location.href,(""==referer||"undefined"==typeof referer)&&(referer=document.URL)}referer=referer.substr(0,700); [86] Voter turnout was 32.89%, almost a record low. [135], On November 26, 2019, the city council approved ordinances Lightfoot had put forth placing restrictions on vehicle impoundment and lowering fines for illegal possession of cannabis. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); (function() { Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, said the civil rights organization for lesbian and gay people was thrilled with the outcome. Im not a person who decided I would climb the ladder of a corrupt political party, Lightfoot said during a debate last month. [13] Lightfoot first entered the public sector as Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Her mother, Ann Lightfoot, was a nighttime healthcare aide and school board member, and her father, Elijah Lightfoot, a local factory worker and janitor. Let me be clear: I am not proposing creating any additional police training facilities. My momma always said birds of a feather flock together, Ross said. [186], On May 19, 2021, Lightfoot stated she would only choose reporters of color for interviews on the occasion of her two-year anniversary in office. Date of Birth: August 4, 1962 Ethnicity: African-American Lori Lightfoot is an American abcnews.go. [155], On March 27, Lightfoot placed a ban on contact sport and closed the city's parks, beaches, and trails due to instances over the previous days of people violating the state's stay-at-home order and gathering in public places. [127] On September 15, 2021, Mayor Lightfoot announced that Pedro Martinez would be succeeding Torres as the new permanent CEO. In 1958, he relocated to Los Angeles where he found work writing jingles for TV commercials but returned to Toronto in 1962 where he rapidly became a fixture in the city's bugeoning folk music scene. We have much more work to do. ", "Lori Lightfoot: From 'kickass trial lawyer' to Chicago's next mayor", "Does Lori Lightfoot have a path to victory in crowded race for mayor? [98], Three days before taking office, Lightfoot named Alderman Scott Waguespack to serve as finance committee chairman, Alderman Pat Dowell to serve as budget chairman, Alderman Tom Tunney to serve as zoning chairman and Alderman Gilbert Villegas to serve as floor leader and economic development chair. [128] On September 22, the Chicago Board of Education unanimously voted to approve his appointment as CEO, scheduling him to take office on September 29. [26], In another controversial case where officer Phyllis Clinkscales shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Robert Washington, the Chicago Tribune reported that Lightfoot determined that the shooting was justified. [13], She is a graduate of Washington High School in Massillon, where she was a trumpet player in the school band, sang alto in choir, point guard on the basketball team, volleyball player, softball player, yearbook editor, and Pep Club member. Weems later committed suicide. Alert: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who made history as 1st Black woman and 1st gay person to lead city, loses reelection bid Feb. 28, 2023 Comments CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who made history as 1st Black woman and 1st gay person to lead city, loses reelection bid. Lightfoot is running for re-election for Mayor of Chicago in Illinois. [22] She graduated from the University of Chicago with her Juris Doctor degree in 1989. She was the first black woman elected to that office. But now a Native American advocacy group that was given the rights to the long-parodied public service announcement is retiring it, saying it has always been inappropriate. The Columbus statue, the liquor sales curfew, whether dispensaries should be downtown, etc. Representatives of a Native American veterans group enter the stage for the inauguration of Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on May 20. Its hard to actually do it. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered a concession speech to reporters on Tuesday after voters denied her a second term. But now a Native American advocacy group that was given the rights to the long-parodied public service announcement is retiring it, saying it has always been inappropriate. [224], Lightfoot is a Founding Trustee at Christ the King Jesuit High School in Chicago. Lori Lightfoot, Massillon native, will be Chicagos 1st black, Weems was not fired by the Chicago Police Department, but the city was eventually forced to pay a settlement to the Pleasance family. Lightfoot worked at the Department of Procurement Services for a few months, subsequently returning to Mayer Brown. [185], In late February 2020, Lightfoot hosted a summit at University of Illinois at Chicago addressing the issue of poverty. Hint: not Toni Preckwinkle", "New Poll Suggests Lightfoot Poised to Clinch Mayor's Race", "A new mayoral poll reveals a big Lightfoot leadand a warning", "Poll shows Lightfoot trouncing Preckwinkle; CTU dismisses it as 'trash', "FIRST POLL: Lori trouncing Toni CHUY's campaign chief heads Lori's team BERNIE hits Chi", "Stand for Children IL PAC Poll: Lightfoot 58%, Preckwinkle 30%", "Poll: Lightfoot Stretches Lead Over Preckwinkle", "Lightfoot goes negative to defend reformer image; lands firefighter endorsement", "Lori Lightfoot and the police academy kerfuffle: Bold ideas aren't necessarily bad ideas", "Chance the Rapper made a second mayoral endorsement, and this time it's Toni Preckwinkle", "Rush Doubles Down on Controversial Lightfoot Remarks", "U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush endorses Bill Daley for Chicago mayor", "Lori Lightfoot counters Chance the Rapper's criticism during Chicago mayor debate", "A comment I made last week has been misinterpreted. When news broke last month that Mayor Lori Lightfoots reelection campaign had solicited help from Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago educators to recruit student volunteers, the incumbent candidate apologized, calling the effort a bad mistake by one young staffer. This sparked considerable backlash, with many calling for her resignation, including Tulsi Gabbard. [105][106], On March 6, 2020, Lightfoot named Tracey Scott as CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. [12], In one notable case, Lightfoot went against Police Department orthodoxy by recommending the firing of officer Alvin Weems, who shot and killed an unarmed man, Michael Pleasance. [124], While Lightfoot has advocated for an elected Chicago school board, as mayor-elect she opposed state legislation that would create a 21-member board, calling it "unwieldy". [10] She won more than 73% of the overall vote in the runoff, winning in all 50 wards of the city. 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