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Lori Lightfoot

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Lori Lightfoot
Lightfoot in 2021
56th Mayor of Chicago
In office
May 20, 2019 – May 15, 2023
DeputyTom Tunney
Preceded byRahm Emanuel
Succeeded byBrandon Johnson
Personal details
Born (1962-08-04) August 4, 1962 (age 62)
Massillon, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic[1][2]
Spouse(s)Amy Eshleman
Children1
EducationUniversity of Michigan (BA)
University of Chicago (JD)
Signature

Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician. Lightfoot was the 56th Mayor of Chicago from 2019 to 2023. On April 2, 2019, Lightfoot was elected mayor. She is the first African-American woman and first LGBT individual elected to the position of Mayor of Chicago.[3] She lost her re-election campaign in 2023, becoming the first Chicago mayor to lose re-election in 40 years.

Early life

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Lightfoot was born in Massillon, Ohio. She studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and University of Chicago. Lightfoot took jobs working for Congress members Ralph Regula and Barbara Mikulski.

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Lightfoot had several different jobs working for the government in Chicago. She used to be Chief of Staff and General Counsel of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC). She also used to be First Deputy of the Chicago Department of Procurement Services. Lightfoot was President of the Chicago Police Board and Chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force.

A lawyer, she worked for the Senior Equity Partner in the Litigation & Conflict Resolution Group at Mayer Brown LLP.[4]

Mayor of Chicago

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Campaign

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On May 10, 2018, Lori Lightfoot announced her candidacy for Mayor of Chicago in the 2019 Mayoral Election.[5] Lightfoot is the first openly-lesbian candidate in the history of Chicago.[6] She, along with Toni Preckwinkle, advanced to the runoff election on April 2.[7] Some activists were against her becoming mayor because she worked with the police.[8]

On April 2, 2019, Lori Lightfoot won the election, becoming the first African-American woman and openly lesbian individual to be mayor of Chicago.[9] She got 77% of the vote while Preckwinkle got 23%.

Tenure

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Lightfoot took office on May 20, 2019.[10] A few days later, Lightfoot picked Tom Tunney as Vice Mayor.[11] People continued to protest against her, especially when the Black Lives Matter movement became even bigger after George Floyd was killed.[12] She had also ordered a stay-at-home order and closed many restaurants and people gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois.

Lightfoot ran for re-election in 2023, however came in third place in the first round of voting, becoming the city's first mayor to lose re-election in 40 years.[13]

Personal life

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Lightfoot lives in the Logan Square neighborhood on Chicago's North Side[14] and is married to Amy Eshleman. They have an adopted daughter named Vivian who was eleven when Lightfoot was elected.[15]

References

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  1. ↑ "The Latest: Lightfoot says election is a movement for change". Associated Press. April 2, 2019. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019 – via The Washington Post.
  2. ↑ "New Face and Longtime Politician Vying for Chicago Mayor". Associated Press. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019 – via WTTW.
  3. ↑ "Chicago elects Lori Lightfoot as first gay and first black female mayor in city's history". USA Today. April 4, 2019.
  4. ↑ Dardick, Hal. "Lightfoot on Emanuel challenge: She'll be progressive candidate who makes City Hall serve everyone". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  5. ↑ "Lori Lightfoot running for Chicago mayor". ABC7 Chicago. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  6. ↑ Staff, GoPride com News. "Lightfoot to become first openly lesbian candidate for Chicago mayor". ChicagoPride.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  7. ↑ "Live updates: Bill Daley concedes in Chicago mayoral race, as Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle emerge from crowded field". The Chicago Tribune. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  8. ↑ Donovan, Lisa. "The Spin: Activists against Lightfoot | Four years after Rahm vs. Chuy | Police plan Foxx protest". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  9. ↑ CNN, Madison Park and Steve Almasy. "The first African-American female mayor in Chicago history will be Lori Lightfoot". CNN. Retrieved 2019-04-03. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ↑ Silets, Alexandra (September 17, 2018). "Could Another Daley Become Mayor of Chicago?". WTTW News. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  11. ↑ Spielman, Fran (17 May 2019). "Lightfoot shakes up the City Council". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  12. ↑ CNN, Madeline Holcombe, Brad Parks and Ryan Young. "Chicago protesters rally at mayor's house a day after clashes with police". CNN. Retrieved 2020-10-27. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, setting stage for Chicago's mayoral race to be between Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  14. ↑ "Lori Lightfoot: A Potential Mayor Out of a Logan Square Resident". LoganSquarist. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  15. ↑ Lori Lightfoot plans to tap LGBT voting bloc to make history and reach City Hall - Chicago Sun-Times

Other websites

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Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lori_Lightfoot&oldid=9829601"