A reporter laid out how Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) has failed the city during her tenure and asked her a very pointed question based on what he says he has been hearing from residents.
"Mayor Lightfoot, every time you have a press conference you say crime is down, the economy is booming..." the reporter began to ask.
"Well that’s not, that’s not true but get your question sir," Lightfoot interjected.
"Across the street we had a police officer on duty the victim of a hit and run. We have Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, now referred to as the Mile of Fear. The Water Tower place has thrown the keys back to the lender, they say they don’t want to be in Chicago anymore. Real chicagoans are asking me how could you possibly even consider running for re-election as mayor of the city of Chicago after all the harm you’ve caused," the reporter probed.
"Well I disagree with you fundamentally and I don’t think I need to address and dignify your comments one second further next question," Lightfoot replied.
In what appears to be Lightfoot laying the groundwork for a reelection bid, she recently said at a luncheon that Chicago is on track for "the best economic recovery of any big city in the nation, bar none," in spite of "what the naysayers" claim, according the Chicago Sun Times. While she touts the economic gains, the crime wave is what Chicagoans worry about the most.
In 2019, when Lightfoot became mayor, the city recorded 498 homicides. That increased to 772 in 2020 and increased to 797 in 2021. So far this year, Chicago has recorded 156 homicides, according to the Chicago Tribune.