CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Two and a half years of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s work-related text messages are now in the hands of the Chicago Tribune, and they reveal some contentious and more-than-frank language aimed at aldermen.
Mayor Lightfoot called aldermen names and used colorful language; many times if they dared cross her or suggest a solution to a problem. She took suggestions as demands, which she said she didn’t take well.
The Tribune obtained the text messages despite the Mayor trying until the very end to keep them from being made public. The Tribune finally complied when the Illinois Attorney General admonished the Mayor’s lack of transparency and the Tribune had threatened a lawsuit.
Among her texts was one in which she called an unnamed alderman a “dumb, dumb person of color.” It came as some aldermen were trying to strip the Mayor of the power to carry out her vaccine mandate.
The full text read: “It has everything to do with (Fraternal Order of Police President) John Cantazara. That racist SOB, trying to prove that he has more power than the black mayor and the black supt. And Burke, per usual, found a dumb, dumb person of color to do his bidding. It is classic racial politics.”
Related
In other text messages, Lightfoot was found calling different aldermen names like "jackass" and "peacock."
Following the incident between protesters and police in Grant Park over the Columbus statue, Ald. Maria Hadden texted Mayor Lightfoot, “The Columbus statue needs to come down. Can we talk about making that happen?”
Lightfoot said she would be happy to discuss, “but I don’t take kindly to demands.”
In response to questions about the texts, Lightfoot press secretary Cesar Rodriguez released a statement Thursday saying, “The past two years have been some of the most challenging times for local elected leaders...
“Governing is a tough business. Emotions can at times get the best of each of us,” the statement read. “The mayor is fully focused on working together with (aldermen) and other stakeholders to continue to address the very serious issues that face our city every day.”
Related
