Susana Mendoza
Just eight days after winning election to her first full term as state comptroller, Susana Mendoza announced she would run for Chicago mayor. Mendoza did not enter the race until after Mayor Rahm Emanuel dropped his bid for a third term. She has been among the top fundraisers in the mayoral contest, and the laborers union is her biggest financial backer to date.
Age: 46
Born: Chicago
Personal: Married to David Szostak, with a 6-year-old son
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Truman State University
Neighborhood: Portage Park
Current job: Illinois comptroller
Government experience: State representative (2001-11); Chicago city clerk (2011-16); Illinois comptroller (2016present).
Political experience: Mendoza lost her first bid for state representative in 1998 before winning election six times to the state House, twice for clerk and twice for comptroller, including a special election in 2016. She was a co-chair of Mayor Emanuel’s re-election campaign in 2015.
Three top policy proposals: 1) Take the city’s 50 most under-enrolled and underutilized schools, and turn them into community hubs with wraparound services; 2) Continue Emanuel’s expansion of universal pre-K; 3) Use tax increment finance money to provide child care for low-income families.
Three key positions: 1) Supports Emanuel’s $95 million new police and fire training academy; 2) Backs an elected school board; 3) Believes city should consider Emanuel’s plan to issue up to $10 billion in pension obligation bonds.
Campaign slogan: “Let’s shape Chicago’s future together.”
Campaign website: www.susana mendoza.com Chicago Department of Economic Development.
Political experience: Chair of Cook County Democratic Party (2018-present); ran twice unsuccessfully for alderman in 1983 and 1987 against then-Ald. Tim Evans before winning in 1991; 4th Ward Democratic committeeman (1992-2018).
Three top policy proposals: 1) Increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021; 2) Create a Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice to improve policing; 3) Overhaul the city’s $100 million workers’ compensation program and reform the city’s tax increment financing districts to free up money for city pensions.
Three key positions: 1) Backs a moratorium on school closings and charter school openings; 2) Favors civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department; 3) Wants to ban outside income for aldermen.
Campaign slogan: “Toni for Chicago”
Campaign website: www.tonifor chicago.com Personal: Married to Sharon Vallas, two adult children
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science, both at Western Illinois University.
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Current job: Resigned as chief administrative officer at Chicago State University to run for mayor.
Government experience: Executive director of Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission (1985-90); Chicago city revenue director (1990-93); Chicago city budget director (1993-95); CEO of Chicago Public Schools (1995-2001); superintendent of Philadelphia Public Schools (2002-07); superintendent the state-run Recovery School District in New Orleans (2007-11); worked in post-earthquake school districts in Haiti and Chile (201012); superintendent of schools in Bridgeport, Conn. (2012-14).
Political experience: Lost narrowly to Rod Blagojevich in the 2002 Democratic primary for governor, coming in second in a field that also included Roland Burris.
Three top policy proposals: 1) Raise money to help solve pension problems by leveraging funds from expiring property tax increment financing districts to pay for pension obligation bonds; 2) Improve high schools by providing students full access to advanced placement courses, expanding International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment in college classes; 3) Create a fund to use state and federal money to help property owners pay to replace lead water pipes.
Three key positions: 1) Add 20 more ambulances to the Chicago Fire Department; 2) Hire back retired police detectives to help investigations and improve the city’s low homicide clearance rate; 3) Cap property taxes to help homeowners living in gentrifying neighborhoods.
Campaign slogan: “Solves problems. Gets results.”
Campaign website: www.vallasforall chicago.com