A woman who had never been elected to office has busted Chicago’s long-time Democratic political machine.
Chicago’s mayor-elect, Lori Lightfoot, a former assistant US attorney, made fighting crime and the political corruption that has plagued Chicago politics for decades bedrocks of her campaign.
As she celebrated her dominating election night win on Tuesday, Lightfoot told supporters: “We can and we will break this city’s endless cycle of corruption. And never again – never, ever again – allow politicians to profit from elected positions.”
Lightfoot describes herself as “an out and proud black lesbian.” When she is sworn in, she will not only be the first African-American woman to be mayor of Chicago, she will also be the first mayor in the Windy City who identifies as a lesbian. She and her spouse, Amy Eshleman, have a 10-year-old daughter.
Lightfoot, 56, was born and grew up in Ohio. Her mother worked as a health care aide. Her father worked in a factory and as a janitor.
Lightfoot went to college at the University of Michigan. Then after two years as a legislative aide in Washington she went to law school at the University of Chicago. She has lived in the city for all but one year since 1986.
She often brings up her own background while promising to improve the city’s school system and bridge the economic gap between city neighborhoods.
“I want to make sure that kids who look like me and are growing up in families like mine have the opportunity at their fingertips,” she said.
Lightfoot also made holding abusive officers accountable for their actions an important issue of her campaign.
In the wake of the Laquan McDonald scandal, Lightfoot was appointed by outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel to head the newly created police accountability task force.
Many of the panel’s recommendations were similar to the findings in the US Justice Department report that found serious problems with the police department’s handling of racism within its ranks. Under Lightfoot, the city replaced its widely criticized police oversight agency with a civilian body designed to have much more oversight over officers and their supervisors.
With many of the mayoral candidates promising they would fire current Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson after taking office, Lightfoot claims such a move might do more harm than good as the city approaches the summer months, when hotter weather traditionally brings spikes in violence. In the month of January, the city recorded the fewest number of murders in nine years, with 20 people killed, according to Anthony Guglielmi, chief communications officer for the Chicago Police Department.
Lightfoot also was a senior equity partner at a private law firm, was interim first deputy of the city’s procurement department, was chief of staff and general counsel for the emergency management office and was chief administrator of the office of professional standards.
This will be her first time to hold an elected office.
