Who is Chicago’s Next Mayor?

On February 28, 2023, Chicago will elect a new mayor. Is it time for new leadership? Will the voters decide? The political pundits have begun the game of speculation of who will run, what their chances are, and who will win. The premise is trying to pull some in and ignore others. Who will raise the most money is not necessarily the best candidate. The incumbent is not assured. People will vote, and new faces will pop up for the third-largest city in the nation. Billionaires have become governors. I predict J.B. Pritzker will retain the seat. The race for the first congressional seat is up for grabs; anybody can win. None of the candidates have served at the national level. The winner is a wild card. The political map is subject to change, which will change the landscape of Chicago politics. But the prize job is the Fifth Floor.

It is unknown at this writing whether Mayor Lori Lightfoot will run for the second term. She has had a go of it. The pandemic has taken its toll, and the May 2021 riots on downtown State Street and the Magnificent Mile challenged her governance. The city’s crime rate is absolutely out of control, and all Chicagoans’ regular activities are threatened. Riding the subway, driving the expressways, grocery shopping, and carjacking are real problems. People live in fear. No mayor has been so challenged. The Mayor has not served herself well as she uses foul language not befitting her position. The “big dick” statement took her down, being labeled vulgar or wishful.

The good news about the Mayor is that she has brought contracting opportunities to the city. The casinos will be her legacy and might be enough to determine her position in the election. Bally’s remains the only pure casino project. Two casino projects, One Central and Community 78, reach way beyond a casino. Both are mega projects with a 10 to 15-year horizon that will bring massive employment, housing, and entertainment to the city in a big way. Both will change the dynamics of the town with a new industry and tourism. Casinos in Chicago will be a game-changer and maybe the Mayor’s savior for re-election. The Mayor is not popular in all of the communities she won and is held responsible for Chicago’s crime and business downturns. To date, she has not declared second-term intentions. Fundraising is a challenge, and the Mayor’s forgetfulness and overlooking of those who assisted in the first campaign challenged her candidacy. As a result, she rates low in the polls.

The candidate to watch is State Representative LaShawn Ford. Ford represents the 8th District on the West Side and the suburbs of Oak Park., Berwyn, Forest Park, and Brookfield and has served since 2006 and has been re-elected in subsequent elections.

His resume reads – a political thought leader, former teacher, former basketball coach, real estate broker, seminary student, and a lifelong Chicagoan attending Catholic schools. His legislative record is strong as he listens to his constituency and passes bills to assist real-life matters. His platform includes education, small business, health, and crime issues.

Ford is popular, well-liked, and is being urged by civic, corporate leaders, the business community, educators, and politicians to run for the mayor’s seat. He was a candidate for mayor in 2019. He is recognized for his leadership as a consensus builder. He is forming an exploratory committee to visit his mayoral opportunity. He is a bright, new shinning face with real-life experiences, posing as the second coming of Mayor Harold Washington.

Businessman Willie Wilson is sure to be a candidate. We await his announcement on April 11. His recent gas giveaway campaigns has been effective and quite generous. Wilson’s message is to serve the working man and woman who struggle with the high prices.

Wilson has revenge for Lightfoot as he has been treated poorly as he was by her side in the initial campaign that stopped clergy from questioning her sexual preference. Since the campaign he as many, has been ignored, forgotten from Lightfoot’s fifth floor. Wilson was a vice-chair of the mayor’s transition team.

Representative Mike Quigley is a possible candidate. However, he will be referred to as the “white candidate.” He serves the residents of the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois (North Side). After Rahm Emanuel resigned to become the White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama, Quigley won the seat after a special election. However, as a mayoral candidate, his chances are slim. He is not known in the Black and Hispanic communities. His outreach is too limited for real mayoral consideration.

Paul Vallis is the candidate that keeps on coming. Vallis has run several times before and cannot win the popular vote. His ideas are progressive, and he has been one of the best school superintendents. Paul is well known and liked but misses the popular vote. His knowledge about city government would be a terrific asset to a mayor, but he is not the one to win the Fifth floor.

State Representative Kam Buckner is considering a run. He is serving his second term as a legislator. Buckner points out that the mayor has difficulty getting along with others and suggests that the mayor is one-termer because of personality issues. He serves the 26th District, which encompasses South Chicago, South Shore, Woodlawn, Greater Grand Crossing, Bronzeville, Hyde Park, and all the way up to Streeterville and the Gold Coast.

Buckner is a former college football player who doesn’t have enough experience to be the mayor of Chicago. The Chair of the Black Caucus, he recently pled guilty to a March 2019 DUI case and will decide whether he will run after April 8th.

Stacey Davis Gates of the Chicago Teachers Union is a likely candidate. She has a firm base with the CTU and has proved to be in ongoing conflict with Mayor Lightfoot as they constantly battle over educational issues.