CBS 2 Chicago Mayoral Debate Tuesday Feb.10.
Tensions ran high during the latest mayoral forum Tuesday Feb. 10 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel was put on the spot for neglecting city neighborhoods and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia was confronted about free legal work his son received from a top law firm that later was approved to do bond financing work for the county.
A panel of journalists including veteran network news anchor Robin Robinson, Chicago Sun-Times reporter and assistant editor Maudlyne Iherijirika and CBS2 chief correspondent Jay Levine asked questions. Candidates also had two opportunities to ask one of their opponents a question.
Throughout the debate, Mayor Emanuel dodged questions by reiterating that he brought a full-day of kindergarten to children across the city and that he has been working to challenge the status quo since he took office more than four years ago.
He could not explain why he is unpopular in the neighborhoods and why he has struggled to secure the black vote.
Garcia said he has what it takes to lead Chicago based on his record as a progressive public policymaker who “broke the deadlock of the Vrdolyak 29 coalition” in City Council that blocked many of the actions of Harold Washington’s administration. He also pointed to his success in helping Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle turn around county government which was known for “corruption, waste and inefficiency.”
When questioned about recent media reports regarding free legal services provided to Garcia’s son by Mayer Brown, a firm that later received a county contract, Garcia said neither him nor his wife were involved in securing the pro-bono work and that it happened before he was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
“My record of public service speaks for itself-never blemished,” he said. “I have stood up for good government, I have been transparent. I have been endorsed by people with the most integrity.”
The mayor was then asked to respond to a recent Chicago Tribune report that found that he was able to amass $30 million in campaign funds since his first run in 2010 with the help of an elite circle of donors who have received a wide-range of benefits from City Hall including everything from city contracts and board appointments to zoning changes.
CBS 2 Chicago Mayoral Debate Tuesday Feb.10.
Without providing a direct answer, Emanuel pointed to the end of the Shakman consent decree, which mandated federal oversight for city hiring practices enacted in 1972. The mayor said he also expanded the authority of the inspector general to help “root out fraud and abuse.” Citing what he calls the changing the culture of city government, Emanuel also brought up his first six executive orders that he says raised ethical standards and altered city operations.
When prodded by a follow-up asking if he would agree that there is an appearance of pay-to-play, or city hall benefits afforded to big campaign donors, the mayor did not offer a straight answer and instead said:
“I believe there is a fundamental difference from when the city of Chicago had the federal government overseeing its hiring to the day that now, because of removing the Shakman Decree, our entire department and every agency is free of federal oversight that costs the taxpayers $20 million. That suit existed for 20 years, we ended it in three years on my watch.”
But, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier said the city was in “substantial compliance” with a set of regulations, procedures and internal policing requirements to keep politics out of hiring, according to another Tribune report.
The judge cautioned, “Substantial compliance does not mean the city has achieved a state of perfection.”
In the debate, candidates were given two opportunities to pose questions to their challengers. Most of the questions were directed to the incumbent.
Walls asked Wilson about his company and what it brings to the Chicago economy, to which Wilson replied local jobs and large contributions to churches and organizations throughout the area.
When it was the Mayor’s turn to ask a question, he said he would prefer to use his time to talk directly to the voters about their questions. The moderator reminded the mayor that he was to ask a fellow candidate a question in this segment of the debate. Fioretti chimed in, asking the mayor to “at least once follow by the rules,” a comment that resulted in an uproar of laughter and applause from the crowd.
Fioretti then asked the mayor what he would say to the people shown in his TV ads, ads that have been “repudiated by the very people who [he] claims to help.” Without mentioning his first television ad that featured a local environmental activist, which was interpreted by some as taking credit for shuttering the Fisk and Crawford plants in Pilsen and Little Village, the mayor dodged the subject and focused on full-day kindergarten.
When asked what he thinks is the main cause for disparities in the African American community and what he would do about it as mayor, Garcia said the city should develop a more equitable approach to development across city neighborhoods.
The live, televised debate was organized by the Chicago Urban League and held at the DuSable Museum of African American History. The hour-long debate, which aired on CBS2 and was moderated by network anchor Jim Williams, touched on a number of key issues that affect the African-American community and the city as a whole, including economic development, education and public safety.
The forum began with three yes-or-no questions, with the first question asking candidates whether or not they think “minority set-asides” for city contracts should be increased from 25 to 50 percent given the latest census counts that show African Americans and Hispanics combined form a majority. William “Dock” Walls, Ald. Bob Fioretti and Willie Wilson all gave straight “yes” answers. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said the numbers are goals that “we definitely ought to strive for” and Mayor Rahm Emanuel said “We should always increase it, without it being an absolute numeric number.”
When asked if it is time to legalize recreational marijuana in the city, Walls, Fioretti and Wilson said “yes,” Emanuel said “no” and Garcia said “not yet.”
Emanuel, Fioretti and Wilson all said they do not support an income tax hike to fix the fire and police pension crisis in the city. Walls said he was in favor of the hike. Garcia said he would support it as well, but in the form of a graduated state income tax.
During closing statements, each candidate made their pitches to voters, with the exception of Wilson, who ran out of time before finishing a prayer.