Lightfoot to deliver televised address on coronavirus response
For the second time in her 10-month tenure, Mayor Lori Lightfoot will use a televised address to confront a crisis threatening Chicago. Only this time, the threat is to public health as well as city finances.
At 5 p.m. Thursday, Lightfoot will address Chicagoans from her City Hall office to outline steps she has already taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Chicago and to preview what she plans to do in the weeks ahead.
“This is a make-or-break moment, as COVID-19 is one of the greatest public health threats of our lifetime,” Lightfoot was quoted as saying in a statement.
“In the midst of unprecedented uncertainty, residents turn to their public officials and expect us to take swift and decisive action grounded in the data to ensure the well-being of their personal health and financial security.”
With only three aldermen in attendance, Lightfoot gaveled Wednesday’s City Council meeting to order and recessed it until April 15, when aldermen will, it is hoped, gather again in person, or via tele-conferencing.
Lightfoot also reiterated she is working with the Illinois Restaurant Association on an aid package to support restaurants, other small businesses and hourly and tipped workers severely affected by the pandemic.
“We know that there’s a significant amount of economic pressure all over, but particularly service employees, hourly workers in the hospitality area in particular. That’s why we’re looking at ways to give them relief to put money in their pocket rather than collecting it in fines and fees, or worse, driving people into bankruptcy,” the mayor said.
Last year, Lightfoot delivered a prime time address on the city’s financial crisis caused, in large part, by skyrocketing pension payments. But the only real news to come out of that speech was her claim that the deficit she inherited from former Mayor Rahm Emanuel was $838 million — far more than her predecessor claimed.
Ultimately, Lightfoot’s $11.6 billion budget was precariously balanced with one-time revenues.
With conventions and concerts cancelling, professional sports leagues on hiatus and more and more employees working from home, city revenues are now dropping.
A budget based on a bunch of shaky assumptions even before the crisis will now hemorrhage revenue.
It’s not clear whether the mayor’s address will confront the financial impact of the pandemic or whether she will confine her remarks to public health.
On Wednesday, the mayor played down the financial impact.
“We’ve not seen any significant adverse impact yet on city revenues. We have a substantial amount of cash in the event that we need it,” she said. “So we feel like we’re well situated, for the short term at least, to weather the storm.”