Great to see some states not as ass backwards as trumplandia
First black female Gay mayor of Chicago takes office
Lori Lightfoot was sworn in as Chicago’s 56th mayor Monday at an inauguration ceremony rich with both the political history that it makes, the expectations it creates and the uncertainty that lies ahead.
“For years, they’ve said Chicago ain’t ready for reform,” Lightfoot declared.
“Well, get ready … because reform is here,” she added. “I campaigned on change, you voted for change, and I plan to deliver change to our government.”
In remarks that brought the crowd to its feet — but were, perhaps, received less enthusiastically by aldermen on the stage, Lightfoot addressed her signature campaign pledge: stripping aldermen of their unbridled control over zoning and permitting in their wards.
“When public officials cut shady backroom deals, they get rich … and the rest of us get the bill,” Lightfoot said.
“These practices have gone on here for decades. This practice breeds corruption. Stopping it isn’t just in the city’s interest. It’s in the City Council’s own interest,” she declared, bringing the crowd to its feet.
“No official in the City of Chicago — elected or appointed — should ever profit from his or her office. Never. Ever,” she added.
“This requirement that people must give more to get access to basic city services must end. And it will end, starting today.”
Wintrust Arena was reconfigured to fit 8,000 people, and every seat was filled as Lightfoot officially became Chicago’s first openly gay mayor and the first African American woman to serve as chief executive.
Change, Lightfoot said, “means restoring trust in our city’s government and finally bringing some real integrity to the way this city works. It means making sure we have a government that actually works for people, not a powerful few.”
“In this moment, I cannot help but look at all of you and think about what lies ahead and what we can be together. I’m looking ahead to a city of safe streets and strong schools for every child regardless of neighborhood or zip code,” Lightfoot said.
“A city where people want to grow old and not flee. A city of sanctuary against fear where no one must hide in the shadows. A city that is affordable for families and seniors and where every job pays a living wage. A city of fairness and hope and prosperity for the many, not just for the few, a city that holds equity and inclusion as our guiding principles.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox, a longtime friend of the former federal prosecutor, administered the oath; Lightfoot’s hand was on a Bible that was a gift for her 1980 graduation from high school in Massillon, Ohio.
It’s been 40 years since Jane Byrne was inaugurated as Chicago’s first and — until now — only female mayor. It’s been 36 years since Harold Washington claimed the mantle as the city’s first African American mayor.
Lightfoot, 56, recognized that political history, just as she did on April 2, the night she claimed her 74 percent mandate by carrying all 50 wards against County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
“We stand today at a time of great hope and possibility. And I can’t help but feel the spirit of the great Mayor Harold Washington here with us this morning.”
Lightfoot also acknowledged her 90-year-old mother, sitting in the audience — but introduced her at first not as her mom, but as “a one-time school board member” from her Ohio hometown.
“She’s my role model, my champion. The woman whose dreams and high expectations for me propelled me through life — my mother, Ann Lightfoot.”