By Mark Weyermuller –
Thursday night I attended the 1st televised mayoral forum at the Union League in Chicago. It was hosted by the Lincoln Forum and shown live on Fox 32 TV. Mike Flannery was the moderator with the top five candidates participating based on several recent polls. The room had about 200 people as a live studio audience.
The invited candidates included Bill Daley, Toni Preckwinkle, Susana Mendoza, Gery Chico, and Willie Wilson. Two hours before the forum Bill Daley abruptly cancelled saying that he would attend another function to get a union endorsement. This was on the heels of a front page Chicago Tribune story about some possible fraud in a insurance exam that he has taken back in 1973. Some allege that Daley had somebody else take the test for him. Paul Vallas ended up filling in his spot at the last minute at the forum.
Perhaps the best question (only question taken from audience) of the evening came from an audience member. Rachael Lawrence, a Republican Township Trustee asked, “Which of you would be most amenable to a respectful and productive cooperation with President Trump?"
Mendoza and Preckwinkle indicated no cooperation, while Chico and Vallas said they would welcome any federal money. Wilson said he would work with anybody who would help Chicago. Willie Wilson’s response received a big ovation from the room.
You can watch the whole one hour forum on this link: https://www.facebook.com/Fox32Chicago/videos/540203983128009/
The election for Chicago mayor along with 50 aldermen is Tuesday, February 26, 2019. Early voting is taking place now. If none of the 14 candidates receives 51% of the vote, there will be a runoff of the top two vote getters in April.
Weyermuller and political analyst Mike Flannery
