(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Mayor Lightfoot was peppered with questions Monday after Chicago businessman Willie Wilson formally announced he’ll try to unseat her in the next election.
Wilson criticized the first-term incumbent for problems with crime on the CTA and for her administration’s mandate that employees be vaccinated against COVID, which some unions have challenged.
“It’s that season,” Lightfoot said at an unrelated appearance. “People are going to jump in, people are going to try to distinguish themselves , but what I'm going to do every single day is focus on doing the job that the people elected me to do.”
She said she stands by the vaccine mandate, which has been upheld in the courts, and insists extra police resources on the CTA system are yielding results.
Wilson said he made a mistake supporting Lightfoot in the last election. He recently has garnered attention for sponsoring free-gasoline giveaways across Chicago as pump prices have skyrocketed. When Lightfoot announced her own initiative to help some residents with gas and transit cards, Wilson called that pandering to voters.
“I don’t react to what other people do, other than the residents of our city," Lightfoot said. "The gas prices were spiking way before this stuff happened.”
In what appeared to be a veiled jab at Wilson, who basked in the attention of the gasoline giveaway, she said: "You judge people by what they do when people aren't looking -- not by what they do when they see the spotlight on them."
Lightfoot has not said whether she'll run for re-election, although she is widely expected to.
In addition to Wilson, Ald. Ray Lopez says he's in. And Chicago Congressman Mike Quigley reportedly has been considering a bid for mayor.
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