CHICAGO — A 90-minute forum focusing on 60-second responses from Chicago’s mayoral candidates was held Tuesday at Steinmetz College.
Here’s how WGN-TV’s Chicago Mayors Forum went:
Hospitality
The first round of questions focused on the economy, asking the candidates how they would handle a potential recession and protect Chicago’s economy after companies like Boeing and Tyson Foods left Chicago.
Criminal
Another important topic of the forum was crime. Mayor Lori Lightfoot was asked to respond to Chicago’s homicide and shooting rates, which have increased by 78% and 75%, respectively, compared to the homicide rate in 2019, the year she took office as mayor of Chicago.
In addition to being asked to address murders and shootings in the city, Lightfoot was also asked about three new things she would do to fight crime.
Kam Buckner and Ja’Mal Green insulted the current mayor in their responses to a question about what three new things they would introduce to fight crime in the city.
Continuing the crime theme, the candidates were also asked — by a show of hands — whether they would keep Chicago Police Department Chief David Brown if elected mayor.
Lightfoot, being the only candidate to raise his hand to retain Brown, said the following in rebuttal to the question:
education
The candidates were also asked what they would do to enhance the learning experience of students in the Chicago Public School system.
Ja’Mal Green was asked directly about his plan to implement a 3-K program for young Chicagoans and how it would impact the educational experience of the youngest students in the CPS system.
Homelessness
The fourth topic offered by the candidates is how they would fight homelessness in the city if elected mayor.
Concluding comments
Each candidate was given 60 seconds to answer the question why Chicago voters should trust them as mayor of Chicago.
See the full forum here:
https://wgntv.com/politics-3/recap-wgn-tvs-your-local-election-headquarters-chicago-mayoral-forum/
