The calendar quickly is approaching the second anniversary of the February 2019 municipal election that set Lori Lightfoot’s trajectory toward the mayor’s office. Just over a month later, she won the job with nearly 75% of the vote.
What a difference a couple of years — and a COVID-19 crisis — makes. Today, if 75% of Chicagoans agree on anything about Lightfoot, it’s that the adjustment to the job has been tougher than hoped and the results short of what is needed.
The standoff with the Chicago Teachers Union over safely reopening the city’s schools is just the latest flashpoint in this critical reappraisal of the mayor. The resignation of her communications chief, loss of her City Council floor leader and dismissal of her corporation counsel — among others — have fed the notion that Lightfoot is an abrasive boss and, possibly, an ineffective leader.
Over the last few days, I’ve checked with some of Lightfoot’s earliest supporters, and though they’re disappointed, most still have hope. They believe Lightfoot has a shot at rebooting in time for a reelection run. And they are eyeing that age-old calculation of Chicago mayors: Is there anyone who could beat her?
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