Chicago’s mayor Lori Lightfoot has officially started her term. Her Monday inauguration as the 56th mayor of Chicago marked her as the city’s first African-American and openly gay female mayor.
Lightfoot’s inauguration was joined by city officials of past and present. During her speech, she stated the work the city needed to do to stop the various issues that plague the city had only just begun.
“For years, they’ve said Chicago ain’t ready for reform. Well, get ready, because reform is here.”
“We have an outsize structural deficit, a persistent and growing pension debt, and other costs that that threatens our financial stability,” she said. “We are spending a significant percentage of every dollar just to service our pension debt alone and too much of that money is being sent to banks and Wall Street bond firms instead of going to our rebuild our neighborhoods, reduce our property taxes and revitalize our transportation system.”
The Wintrust Arena in Chicago’s South Loop area was the host location for Lightfoot as she spoke against what many who know the political history of the Midwest hub.
No official in the city of Chicago, elected or appointed, should ever profit from his or her office. Never. Ever,” she said.
Acting on what she spoke, Lightfoot returned to City Hall and signed an executive order that would strip aldermen of their power of licenses and permits in their wards.
