Mayoral Runoff Election Dilemma (Chicago: attorney, taxes, living)

[Nearwest]

I'm a city resident and voter and am in a quandary. Don't know who should be next mayor. Don't like Lightfoot or Preckwinkle and didn't vote for either one in Feb.


I see TV ads (propaganda) for both of them. Also, it seems as if Lightfoot is on an upward trajectory with the number of endorsements.


The case can be made both for and against each candidate. Preckwinkle is now an elected official and has budget planning experience. But, she seems to be too willing to tax her way out of fiscal problems.


Lightfoot has never held public office. She is experienced in the corporate world, but her public career ties her with King Richard Daley II and Rahmbo.


What is the take from fellow Chicago posters? Which one is the lesser of two evils? Or, can anyone give me positive reasons to vote for either one?

[dtcbnd03]

I'm voting Lightfoot. Toni Taxwinkle proved she wants to tax-tax-tax with the soda tax. Then when people cried out she literally said "...well we won't be able to hire county workers if we don't have those proceeds". I thought the tax was for health benefits???? Nope...it was always about money. She showed her stripes then so I'll never vote for her...

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/pr...unty-needs-it/

I watched a couple of debates and Lightfoot seems to truly care about the city. If her public career is tied to Rahm then I'm even more for her cause Rahm did so much good for this city and it's why downtown is booming.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by dtcbnd03

I'm voting Lightfoot. Toni Taxwinkle proved she wants to tax-tax-tax with the soda tax. Then when people cried out she literally said "...well we won't be able to hire county workers if we don't have those proceeds". I thought the tax was for health benefits???? Nope...it was always about money. She showed her stripes then so I'll never vote for her...

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/pr...unty-needs-it/

I watched a couple of debates and Lightfoot seems to truly care about the city. If her public career is tied to Rahm then I'm even more for her cause Rahm did so much good for this city and it's why downtown is booming.

Yeah, Preckwinkle was kind of a joke during the first one-on-one debate. She spent about half the time trying to attack Lightfoot for being an attorney for a big law firm.

[emathias]

Personally, I think Lightfoot's "ties with Daley and Rahm" would be like saying that McCain had ties with Trump. Sure, same party and they had to deal with each other, but very different style and ethos.

Lightfoot's experience in government is in fighting corruption, and she's definitely not part of the Machine. She will have to work with some parts of the Machine, at least at the beginning, but the hope (and it's not an unfounded hope) is that she'll also work to dismantle or at least cripple it. She has done as more to hold CPD accountable for rogue cops than just about any other living person (not saying a lot, but it's a start), and she was a Federal Prosecutor, so she has the connections to go outside of the City, County and State to start enforcing some real ethics. And not being from inside, she can avoid the sabotaging effect of a "nobody leaves" mentality of some entrenched corrupt individuals and centers of power.

Sure, Lightfoot doesn't have executive experience at the scale of the mayor of the third largest city in the U.S., and given the track record of some people entering executive office without direct experience, that is definitely worth thinking about. But I think if you look at her track record she has a good record of hiring good people around her, which can solve almost all of the problems born by lack of direct experience.

Preckwinkel has enormous ties to the corruption of the machine, to the point that she and Burke are now in some same sentences, which isn't a good look. There have also been instances of her using county employees in unethical, even possibly illegal ways, of making political hires, of relying too much on tax increases, and, when raising taxes, trying to implement ham-fisted taxes that the population successfully resists. She is a consumate insider, and for that reason alone should not be elected, IMHO. It's funny, because 5-10 years ago she was making a good case that despite her insider status she had the chops to be the real reformer that Chicago needs. Unfortunately in the time since, she's proven multiple times that when push comes to shove she's not a reformer, she's first and foremost a machine operative.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by fusillirob1983

Yeah, Preckwinkle was kind of a joke during the first one-on-one debate. She spent about half the time trying to attack Lightfoot for being an attorney for a big law firm.

She thinks achieving personal success is something to criticize and has a proven track record of failed governance (how is Cook County doing anyway?). I can't believe someone would think there is a choice here.

[flamadiddle]

Lightfoot is the lesser of two evils, which means Preckwinkle will win.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

Lightfoot is the lesser of two evils, which means Preckwinkle will win.

She's also ahead in our poll, which, as Bruce Rauner and Gerry McCarthy will tell you, it's kind of like being placed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Still though, I cannot believe voters are this stupid, even here, and all logic tells me Lightfoot should win this one running away given how people voted in the primary.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by BRU67

She's also ahead in our poll, which, as Bruce Rauner and Gerry McCarthy will tell you, it's kind of like being placed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Still though, I cannot believe voters are this stupid, even here, and all logic tells me Lightfoot should win this one running away given how people voted in the primary.

The difference is, she won the first election, so there's precedent. McCarthy and Rauner were both polling horribly in representative polls.

[Nodpete]

Originally Posted by fusillirob1983

Yeah, Preckwinkle was kind of a joke during the first one-on-one debate. She spent about half the time trying to attack Lightfoot for being an attorney for a big law firm.

And if you heard that debate, Ms. Lightfoot reminded taxwinkle that she took a $2500 campaign check from one of the partners of that firm ! It was a thumbs up moment !

[ChicagoMeO]

preck's ads are off tv, could it be that she has run outta money? that the unions are now giving money to Lightfoot?