(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lightfoot says her re-election campaign's outreach email to Chicago Public School teachers encouraging students to volunteer for her campaign was a mistake.
The mayor commented on the controversy Thursday afternoon, a day after Channel 11 broke the story. Lightfoot said she was not aware that her campaign had sent the emails until Wednesday.
Her re-election campaign had issued several responses, first defending the move and then saying it would not continue trying to recruit students.
“The staffer made a mistake. It was well-intentioned, but she now recognizes the CPS outreach, even though [it was] through publicly available sources, was not the right thing to do," Lightfoot said Thursday.
“We emphasized to her and to other people in the campaign, I’m not just some candidate. I’m the mayor and responsible for the schools, and this is the kind of outreach that never should have happened.”
Lightfoot said politics and government should be kept apart. She said she has apologized personally to Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Board of Education President Miguel del Valle for, what she called, “this unnecessary distraction.”
CPS Inspector General Will Fletcher said he is attempting to determine whether the campaign’s request violated any district policies.
Several of Lightfoot's opponents in the mayoral race have condemned her campaign.
Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire
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