CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The leader of the Fraternal Order of Police is taking on a more conciliatory tone regarding the next mayor of Chicago after the union backed Paul Vallas for mayor.
John Catanzara was pretty critical of Brandon Johnson before the election, saying Johnson “hates the police.”
“He is a nightmare not only to this membership but to the safety of every single person who lives in the city of Chicago," Catanzara had stated.
In his latest message, a YouTube video posted on the FOP Lodge 7' Facebook page, he acknowledged that the election didn't go the way he had hoped.
Catanzara said, he knows many, if not most, officers are concerned about what Johnson’s election means for the police.
However, he said: “As far as I’m concerned there is a blank slate, we are starting from zero.”
Catanzara was critical of outgoing Mayor Lightfoot, who never had had a good relationship with the police union.
He said he hopes for a “different dynamic” with Mayor Johnson and that he has “a little thicker skin and some common sense about getting stuff done, not only for the citizens of this city but also for the members” of the FOP.
“Lets see what tomorrow brings," Catanzara said.
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