As you make your final decision about who to support in the mayor’s race, we encourage you to vote for Toni Preckwinkle. Here’s why:
- Toni Preckwinkle has the combination of progressive values and 28 years of public service that we need in the mayor’s office. Here are a few examples of her accomplishments:
- Passed ordinances to increase the minimum wage and mandate paid sick leave in Cook County.
- Expanded County Care health insurance coverage to over 400,000 Cook County residents and expanded access to care for people who are uninsured and undocumented.
- Championed the first ordinance in Chicago that required affordable housing in large developments.
- Reduced the Cook County jail population by over 30% and reduced the juvenile detainee population by 45%.
- Eliminated the County’s gang database, which allows police to list people as “suspect” without any accountability or oversight, and stopped the County from coordinating with ICE.
- President Preckwinkle has committed to support our campaigns, and has the track record to back up those commitments.
- Rent Control: Preckwinkle has repeatedly said we should lift the ban on rent control at the state level, whereas Lightfoot has said she does not support rent control as a solution to the affordable housing crisis. Lightfoot has taken $815,000 in campaign contributions (28% of her total fundraising) from real estate developers and builders since the February election.
- Policing & Criminal Justice: Preckwinkle has committed to stopping the $95 million cop academy and dismantling the city’s gang database, whereas Lightfoot wants to use shuttered public schools as police training sites. They do both support the GAPA ordinance for civilian oversight of the police that we helped create.
- Public Education: Preckwinkle supports an elected school board, a ban on new charter schools, and a moratorium on school closings.
- We believe we have the best chance at co-governing with President Preckwinkle, whereas Lori Lightfoot’s electoral coalition gives us cause for concern. Our goal as ONE People’s Campaign is to elect people with whom we can co-govern, meaning work with them to enact a shared progressive legislative agenda.
- Preckwinkle’s coalition includes progressive unions, like Chicago Teacher’s Union and SEIU-Health Care, and other community organizations, with whom we work closely. Throughout her public career, she has worked with community groups and been responsive to community organizing pressure.
- Lightfoot’s coalition comprises Daley and Mendoza supporters — people in the finance, business and real estate industries — and northwest and southwest side political operatives who oppose police accountability. It also matters to us that young people of color are actively organizing to stop Lightfoot.
No matter who our next mayor is, we will need to organize to win more affordable housing, fully funded schools and mental health clinics, and the ability for everyone to feel truly safe, including safe from police violence. We wanted to dispel some myths and share more background on why we voted to endorse Toni Preckwinkle for Mayor of Chicago.
In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for a shift for our endorsed aldermanic candidates: Marianne Lalonde (46), Matt Martin (47), Andre Vasquez (40). We need these new voices in city council to champion our issues regardless of who wins the mayoral race and we need all hands on deck in these final days.