WHO WILL BE MAYOR?
These are the 14 candidates running for Chicago mayor.
With a month to go before the Chicago mayoral election, the crowded field was finalized only last week. Twenty-one candidates initially filed to get their names on the ballot. But through a timehonored Chicago tradition of candidates trying to knock one another off the ballot by filing challenges with elections officials, the field has been winnowed to 14. If none receives more than 50 percent of the vote Feb. 26, the top two vote-getters will face off in an April 2 runoff.
Gery Chico
Gery Chico ran for mayor eight years ago, finishing a distant second to Rahm Emanuel, collecting 24 percent of the vote. The City Hall veteran and attorney who held a number of key posts under former Mayor Richard M. Daley had no intentions of running again — until Emanuel made the surprise decision to drop his bid for a third term. Chico has been among the top four in fundraising and launched an early attack ad against his top foes: Toni Preckwinkle, Susana Mendoza and Bill Daley.
Age: 62
Born: Chicago
Personal: Married to Sunny Chico with five adult children
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Illinois-Chicago; Juris Doctor degree, Loyola University Chicago
Neighborhood: Loop
Current job: Partner, Chico & Nunes, where he has a number of City Hall clients and was a registered lobbyist until running for mayor.
Government experience: City Hall chief of staff to Daley (1992-95); president, Chicago Board of Education (19952001); board president, Chicago Park District (2007-10); board chairman, City Colleges of Chicago (2010); chair, Illinois State Board of Education (2011-15).
Political experience: Chico has never held elected office. In addition to finishing second in the 2015 mayor’s race, he ran unsuccessfully in the 2004 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Chico, who was the only candidate in the race to support same-sex marriage, finished fourth with 4 percent of the vote in the race, which was won by Barack Obama.
Three top policy proposals: 1) Appoint a Cabinet-level director of public safety and create a Mayor’s Office of Violence Prevention and Reduction; 2) Repurpose 50 closed schools into community centers, affordable housing, retail, mental health centers and job training sites; 3) Sue Wisconsin and Indiana for failure to enforce their gun laws.
Three key positions: 1) Supports firing Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson; 2) Supports opening a temporary casino as soon as possible at McCormick Place to fund pensions; 3) Favors a hybrid school board where seven members are elected and eight are appointed by the mayor.
Campaign slogan: “Safer. Stronger. Together.”
Campaign website: www.chicoformayor.com
Bill Daley
Bill Daley, the son of former Mayor Richard J. Daley and the brother of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, announced his candidacy after Mayor Rahm Emanuel made the surprise decision in September to drop his bid for a third term. Daley has topped the field in fundraising, allowing him to be among the first on television with significant advertising buys.
Age: 70
Born: Chicago
Personal: Married to Bernadette Keller. Three adult children from previous marriage.
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Loyola University Chicago; Juris Doctor degree, John Marshall Law School
Neighborhood: Gold Coast
Current job: Stepped down as managing partner at Swiss hedge fund Argentiere Capital to run for mayor
Government experience: Senior counsel and U.S. commerce secretary (19972000) under President Bill Clinton and White House chief of staff (2011-12) under President Barack Obama.
Political experience: Daley managed his brother Richard’s mayoral campaigns and was the chairman of Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. Daley flirted with running for Illinois governor three different times, including running for four months in 2014, before pulling the plug.
Three top policy proposals: 1) Putting $50 million into violence prevention while pushing for stronger gun laws and better community policing; 2) A freeze on property taxes; 3) Reducing the City Council from 50 to 15 aldermen and banning outside income for aldermen.
Three key positions: 1) Favors a twoterm limit for the mayor and three terms for aldermen; 2) Thinks Chicago should consider a commuter tax on suburbanites working in the city; 3) He would ban Daley family members from lobbying or doing business with the city.
Campaign slogan: “No More Excuses”
Campaign website: www.daleyfor mayor.com
Amara Enyia
Amara Enyia is in her second race for mayor, entering the contest this time before Mayor Rahm Emanuel dropped out. After departing the 2015 campaign upon failing to get enough signatures to appear on the ballot, Enyia threw her support to then-Ald. Bob Fioretti. Enyia has seen her profile and war chest get a big boost this time around thanks to financial backing from star rappers Kanye West and Chancelor Bennett, aka Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper. Enyia hopes to parlay their support into a strong showing with young voters, if she can persuade them to go to the polls.
Age: 35
Born: Baltimore
Personal: Single
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, master’s in education, Ph.D. in educational policy studies and Juris Doctor degree, all at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Neighborhood: Garfield Park
Current job: Director, Austin Chamber of Commerce; policy consultant for governments and nonprofits
Government experience: Public policy analyst, Chicago mayor’s office (2008-11)
Political experience: Ran for mayor in 2015, did not make the ballot
Three top policy proposals: 1) Wants a public bank, arguing it would slash costs of interest and fees city now pays to private banks; 2) Would change city ticketing and fine policies she says hit lowincome minorities hardest, including banning the boot; 3) Improve public transit to make it easier for people living on South and West sides to get to areas with high concentrations of jobs.
Three key positions: 1) Opposes construction of new West Side police academy; 2) Backs elected school board; 3) Wants to reopen shuttered city mental health clinics.
Campaign slogan: “All People. All Voices. One City.”
Campaign website: www.amaraenyia.com
Bob Fioretti
Bob Fioretti was the last candidate to announce he was going to run for mayor, just days before candidates turned in their petition signatures to get on the ballot in November. He is no stranger to running for office since his 2nd Ward got moved from the near South Side to near North side after a City Council remap. Since then, Fioretti has run unsuccessfully for mayor in 2015, state Senate in 2016 and Cook County Board president in 2018. Fioretti endorsed Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the 2015 runoff election after finishing a distant fourth in the first round.
Age: 65
Born: Chicago
Personal: Married to Nicki Pecori Fioretti
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Juris Doctor, Northern Illinois University
Neighborhood: West Loop
Current job: Law partner, Roth Fioretti LLC
Government experience: 2nd Ward alderman (2007-15)
Political experience: 2nd Ward committeeman (2008-16). Ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2015, state Senate in 2016 and Cook County Board president in 2018
Three top policy proposals: 1) Would institute a 1 percent commuter tax on suburbanites working in the city; 2) Legalize video gambling in the city; 3) Would push for a hybrid school board, with some positions elected and some appointed.
Three key positions: 1) Would oppose any property tax increases; 2) Favors a Chicago casino; 3) Opposes any increase in the real estate transfer tax.
Campaign slogan: “Ready for Fioretti”
Campaign website: www.bobforchicago.com
La Shawn Ford
La Shawn Ford was one of the last candidates to enter the race for mayor after Mayor Rahm Emanuel dropped his bid for a third term. The 12-year West Side state representative is a former teacher and real estate investor. He is second-tolast among the 14 candidates in fundraising, making it difficult to get his message out in a crowded field.
Age: 46
Born: Chicago
Personal: Single, one daughter
Education: Bachelor’s in education, Loyola University Chicago
Neighborhood: Austin
Current job: State representative, real estate broker
Government experience: Illinois state representative, 8th District (2007-present)
Political experience: Lost races for state representative in 1998 and 2000 before winning election in 2006
Three top policy proposals: 1) Turn 50 shuttered Chicago schools into community centers; 2) Eliminate current fee structures on red light cameras and boots; 3) Enact a moratorium on new tax increment finance districts.
Three key positions: 1) Reopen closed mental health clinics; 2) Provide free CTA rides for youths and seniors; 3) Favors elimination of police gang database.
Campaign slogan: “Proven Leadership”
Campaign website: www.fordforchicago.com
Jerry Joyce
Jerry Joyce is a first-time candidate, but his pedigree is impressive. His father, former 19th Ward alderman and state Sen. Jeremiah Joyce, was a key architect of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s political strategy and a longtime Daley ally. A Southwest Side attorney who works and lives in the political crucible of Beverly, Joyce is basing his campaign around the need to improve public safety.
Age: 49
Born: Chicago
Personal: Married to Jannine Joyce with four children
Neighborhood: Beverly Current job: Attorney
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Yale University; Juris Doctor degree, Loyola University Chicago
Government experience: Assistant state’s attorney on the executive staff for Cook County state’s attorney
Political experience: This is Joyce’s first run for public office.
Three top policy proposals: 1) To improve community policing, wants to create teams of sergeants and patrol officers who would remain on the same beat for 30 months; 2) Wants to look at building a long-discussed south suburban airport; 3) Says Chicago should be at the forefront of legalized sports betting.
Three key positions: 1) To deal with pension crisis, wants to earmark any money city gets from legalized marijuana to filling that funding hole; 2) Wants to review city’s tax increment financing program to make sure needy communities are getting the money for development and taxing bodies aren’t getting bled in order to help wealthy developers; 3) To fix lead water pipes, wants a longterm public health plan relying on state and federal money, starting with putting filters in drinking fountains in schools, parks and community centers.
Campaign slogan: “Jerry Joyce for Mayor”
Campaign website: www.jerryjoyce2019.com
John Kozlar
After twice trying to beat sitting aldermen in the Daley family’s Bridgeport seat of power — and taking Patrick Daley Thompson, the grandson of former Mayor Richard J. Daley and nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, to a runoff in 2015 — John Kozlar jumped up a weight class this election cycle to run for mayor. Kozlar, a lawyer who made a name for himself by rejuvenating the Canaryville Little League, says he’s running in part to dismantle the political machine. He is last in the field in fundraising, pulling in just $2,000.
Age: 30
Born: Chicago
Personal: Single
Neighborhood: Bridgeport
Current job: Attorney at Aon
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Chicago; Juris Doctor degree, John Marshall Law School
Government experience: None
Political experience: Ran unsuccessfully for 11th Ward alderman in 2011 and 2015
Three top policy proposals: 1) Says he would get Chicago Public Schools out of its rut by challenging Chicago Teachers Union; 2) Wants a full audit of city finances; 3) Says 60 percent of police officers in a given district should live in that district.
Three key positions: 1) Says he will oppose property tax increase to fill pension hole, instead focusing on government efficiency and other ways to raise revenue; 2) Wants a city-owned and -operated casino; 3) Calls for a hybrid school board, with five members elected, four appointed by the mayor.
Campaign slogan: “It’s time to take Chicago back”
Campaign website: www.johnkozlar.com
Lori Lightfoot
Lori Lightfoot was an appointee of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration before she decided to try to end it. She announced a run against Emanuel in May 2018, after the mayor had appointed