Lori Lightfoot Formally Announces Candidacy For Mayor
Former Chicago Police Board President Lori Lightfoot formally announced her candidacy for Mayor of Chicago Thursday, two days after resigning from her position. Lightfoot joins at least seven other challengers in a crowded field to oust incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “If you live in the Loop, your life expectancy is 85 years,” said Lightfoot. “But if you go a few train rides west, your life expectancy plummets to 69 years, a figure we haven’t seen since the 1960s. We can fix that problem, but the city of Chicago must be a catalyst for change and a convener of folks whose lives are most impacted and need an advocate on their side.” Prior to her tenure as head of the Police Board, Lightfoot was head of the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards under Mayor Richard M. Daley, which would later become IPRA and then COPA, all of which have come under heavy criticism for failing to find any guilt in cases of police misconduct. Lightfoot is also a former federal prosecutor, and current partner at the law firm Mayer Brown (WTTW).