(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – All of the Chicago mayoral candidates except one have returned election questionnaires to the Better Government Association, which asked hopefuls how they stood on a variety of good-government issues.
Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot was the only candidate who has declined to participate, BGA president and CEO David Greising said Friday.
He says that is significant because Lightfoot is a former BGA member and ran four years ago on a platform of transparency in government.
“Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who actually has a record that she would need to defend had she responded, chose to sit this one out,” Greising told WBBM Newsradio.
“There’s no doubt that the mayor and her campaign staff made a calculation here not to cooperate.”
The BGA asked candidates whether they would commit to timely and full responses to open-records requests; require department heads to testify before the City Council; and support an open process for filling aldermanic vacancies, among other questions.
Lightfoot refused to participate, despite repeated outreach by the BGA's policy team over a period of weeks, Greising says.
Greising notes that of the candidates, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia was less committed to Freedom of Information Act responses than the others. Garcia said city officials should have some discretion in releasing information.
Kam Bucker and Rod Sawyer agreed to let the City Council name committee chairs, a courtesy usually granted to the mayor.
All of the respondents said they would require heads of the city’s sister agencies to appear before the City Council, Greising said.
Lightfoot came under fire when CTA head Dorval Carter did not immediately appear before aldermen.
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