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The race for the mayor of Chicago already had 12 other candidates, but Rahm Emanuel's surprise departure created a political vacuum that destabilized some of his former competitors, allowing them to recalibrate without an outgoing polarizing candidate coming forward and attacking.
While some of these announced candidates spent much of the day on Wednesday rediscovering their credentials and using the increased attention of the moment to present their biographies to voters, a group of other potential mayoral candidates continued to funders, union bosses and community and religious leaders must evaluate whether they have the courage to embark on an already saturated field.
At least one big name has been dropped from the painting – Lisa Madigan. The four-year-old Attorney General of Illinois released Wednesday a statement in which he stated that she would not show up.
And even though he was leaving a campaign for a third term in order to spend more time with his family, Emanuel could not help but take part in the dozen former challengers and predicted that no they would not become mayors.
For Chicago mayoral candidates still in the race on Wednesday, it was mostly about leaving Emanuel.
The Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, explains the surprise that shook the city and why he will not ask to be re-elected »
"Now that Rahm is out of the race, I think people are going to look at us in a slightly different way," said Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor who announced her mayoral candidacy in May. "It's not only about being up to Rahm, but also about the experience we bring to the job."
One of the measures taken by the candidates to convince voters that they are the right person to lead the country's third largest city will be to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Little had happened so far, as the dozen or so candidates had overwhelmingly opposed Emanuel or had announced plans that contrasted with the mayor's record.
Signing what will happen, Lightfoot wanted Wednesday to distinguish two other high-profile candidates in the race: the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Paul Vallas, and the former police commissioner of Chicago, Garry McCarthy .
In an interview, Lightfoot reported his experience as a former federal prosecutor; Deputy Purchasing Manager for the city; Chief of Staff and General Counsel, Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications; head of the former internal agency of the police department to investigate police misconduct; and her role as president of the police commission was larger than anyone else in the race.
"It's a vast array of knowledge, experience and management of complex departments that no one in the race has included Paul Vallas," Lightfoot said. "I am the only person who has this level of experience."
In another move to Vallas, Lightfoot said it was building a city-wide campaign, not talking about what I had done 20 years ago.
Vallas, who was ready to mingle with Emanuel, was quick to react to Lightfoot. He laughed at how Lightfoot likened Daley's deputy minister positions to his experience as CPS budget director and CEO, not to mention his time spent in the school districts of Philadelphia, New Orleans and Bridgeport, in total. multibillion dollar budgets between his stay at City Hall and various school districts.
"I do not know how to answer someone who was responsible for purchasing assistant. How many budgets has it balanced? Vallas said about Lightfoot. "With the exception of McCarthy, who was Superintendent of the Police, how many budgets did the others balance? How many collective agreements have they negotiated? How many schools have they built? How many rating updates have they made? I've hired sourcing agents – probably about 12 of them. I had law departments that worked for me. I've rebuilt a whole school system after Hurricane Katrina – a complete school system. Come on. "
Lightfoot also sought to differentiate itself from McCarthy the same day that White Police Officer Jason Van Dyke's murder trial began in 2014 during the Laquan McDonald shootout. The controversial shootout eventually raised Lightfoot's public profile, while Emmanuel asked him to lead a police reform task force to recommend changes following McDonald's shooting.
Emanuel's announcement comes on the eve of the police shooting trial that stained his second term "
For nearly a year, Emanuel was beaten by releasing a video of the police on the set, in which Van Dyke shot the black teen 16 times while he was coming down the Southwest Side street holding a folding knife. The mayor's administration also reached a $ 5 million deal with the McDonald family before a lawsuit is filed.
When a judge ordered Emanuel to release the video in November 2015, Cook County State Attorney Anita Alvarez accused Van Dyke of murder on the same day. The release of the video provoked sustained protests, charges of camouflage by the mayor and calls for the resignation of Emanuel. In the midst of the fallout, Emanuel fired McCarthy, claiming that the best policeman had lost public confidence.
McCarthy, who previously served as police commissioner in Newark, New York City Police Department, said he had done everything he could have done in this case, which put Van Dyke in service pending criminal investigations. . He accused former city lawyer Stephen Patton of orchestrating a camouflage operation, but did not accuse Emanuel of involvement. Patton denied these allegations.
On Wednesday, Lightfoot asked about McCarthy's background.
"Garry has a history. People will watch what he did in New York and what happened in Newark. They will look at what he has done here and have he brought people together or divided people? "And Garry is going to have to answer a lot of questions about the Laquan McDonald case, the video, what judgments were made, what statements were made – it all happened under Garry's watch. All this is a fair game. "
McCarthy did not respond to an interview request, but issued a statement defending his three decades of maintaining order.
"Go ahead and look at my file. I am very proud of that, "McCarthy said. "I am proud of over 30 years of public service, providing leadership to diverse and racially diverse organizations and wherever I have served, we have been successful in reducing violent crime by using a holistic strategy that encourages more services." social and interaction. with communities. "
What does Rahm Emanuel's decision mean for the Chicago Mayor's race? Who is to date and who is out? "
Vallas said that with the exit of Emanuel, a new control will be exerted on the concrete ideas of the candidates for the future of the city.
"What are you going to do?" "Where is the ox?" He asked, "I did not run against Rahm, I tried to express exactly what I'm going to do." about the problems the city is facing.Rahm went out.Now you have to set up or shut up.What did you really do in your past to prepare yourself to run a multi-billion dollar government enterprise that Is not only in financial crisis, but in a situation of inability to provide the essential supports that communities need to remain viable?
Lightfoot, however, said that Emanuel's record will still matter and that it will be an important part of the race, in part because she is waiting for at least one of her allies to race.
"The mayor's record is still very relevant, especially because I think it will be shocking if someone who is, in fact, a representative of Rahm Emanuel does not get into the race," he said. she said. "I still think his record remains relevant for a host of reasons."
Activist and candidate Ja'Mal Green is looking for the same thing.
"Beware of those Rahm puts in the race! We do not need machine politicians anymore, "tweeted Green. "Educate your community and your family. If we want this city to work for the United States, it has to be a candidate who works for people!
"Pony a ride"
In the wake of the sudden fall of his offer for a third term, Emanuel predicted that anyone who would succeed him as mayor has not yet declared his candidacy.
Emanuel told Steve Cochran, the host of WGN-AM 720, that he thought none of the 12 candidates announced for the fifth floor office at City Hall had the skills to do the job .
"No," Emanuel said when Cochran asked him if the next mayor was in the running. "I do not think so. And here's the thing: the public knows that it's a very big job and the mayor can not be a pony at a turn. You can not talk about a single subject. You have to do economic development, you have to do education policy, you need to be able to get money in Springfield and Washington. You must be able to really invest in our neighborhoods, our transportation, our libraries, our schools and our network of parks. "
Mayor Rahm Emanuel says next Chicago leader is not in the race yet
Behind the scenes, many big names were dipping their feet in the pond of the town hall, assessing the potential for support. Among them: Cook County President, Toni Preckwinkle, the 2011 mayoral candidate, Gery Chico, the Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, the former White House Chief of Staff, the treasurer of the town, Kurt Summers, who is close friend of Emanuel, confidant and great campaign donor.
Arne Duncan, the former Secretary of Education of President Barack Obama and former CEO of CPS, as well as former senior adviser to Obama, Valerie Jarrett, have long been viewed as possible candidates for mayor.
Madigan, the Attorney General, put an end to any speculation about a possible race.
"I have been a Chicago resident forever. I care a lot about the city, "Madigan said in a statement. "Chicago faces many challenges and I plan to continue to help as a resident and not as mayor."
In addition to Lightfoot, Vallas, McCarthy and Green, the field of current candidates includes millionaire businessman Willie Wilson, Clerk Court Court of Cook County, President Troy LaRaviere, technology entrepreneur Neal Sales-Griffin , attorney John Kozlar and DePaul 's student, Matthew Roney, policy advisor Amara Enyia and Southwest Side' s lawyer, Jerry Joyce.
"My point of view is that … the list is not over," Emanuel said Wednesday. "It will take about a month, and then voters will make an informed decision about who can hold the position. And what I mean by that is that you will not reduce the town hall, and there must be a mayor who actually does this work. "
McCarthy dismissed Emanuel's shots with a statement that also drew attention to issues other than policing.
"We do not care about Rahm anymore," McCarthy said. "He does not run primarily because of his disastrous record of education in our poorest neighborhoods and his lack of social services for members of our struggling communities who need them most."
Lightfoot said she was not surprised that Emanuel could not help but criticize those who had mobilized to challenge him, because "he had taken the temperature, read the polls and he could see that he there was no way for him.
"Of course, he says that he does not think anyone in the current race will be the next mayor. To admit something less than it would be to reinvigorate the reality, that is, he came out because he could not win, "said Lightfoot. "If he thought he could win and that he thought there was a clear path, there is no doubt that this guy – as competitive and as ruthless as him – could have stayed. It's a guy who loves power, who likes to maximize and flex his power. He came out because he could not win. "
John Byrne and Mike Riopell of Chicago Tribune contributed.
Twitter @BillRuthhart
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