But on Tuesday, when residents went to the polls, they chose to replace her with a candidate cut from the exact same left-wing extremist cloth.
"Gone was her toxic attitude. Her flippant dismissal of the city’s many crises. Her dismal record on crime. And her destruction of police morale," said a Wireports op-ed discussing her ousting. "She was an absolute failure by any measure. From the beginning, she was more interested in imposing a progressive vision and an “equity” agenda on Chicago than enacting the many reforms the city needed.
"So Chicagoans kicked out Lightfoot. Change was possible," the op-ed continued.
However, what the people of Chicago elected on April 4 was someone who was more radical and completely contrary to what the city requires, the writers noted.
To decrease Chicago's high homicide rate, the city required a new mayor who would confront Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's reluctance to prosecute violent offenders. A mayor who would oppose Judge Tim Evans' agenda of reducing incarceration. A mayor who would be willing to close the revolving door of the criminal justice system, they said.
"Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson won’t do any of that. Instead, look for him to embrace the policies of Foxx and Evans. In his own words, he’s for defunding the police and defends looting as 'an outbreak of incredible frustration and anguish' tied to 'a failed racist system,'" they wrote. "Watch for police morale to fall further, for criminals to be emboldened and for crime to continue to spike in Chicago."
Similarly, to improve Chicago's poor educational outcomes, including the fact that only 1 in 20 black students in Chicago Public Schools can perform math at their grade level, the city needed a mayor who prioritizes math and reading proficiency and values educational excellence, merit, and achievement. However, Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union do not fit the bill. Johnson has advocated for eliminating standards, reducing homework, and minimizing test preparation, all in the name of "rebelling against the structure." Johnson's focus on "equity" over excellence will also have detrimental effects on the education of children in Chicago, opined the authors.
"Watch for student outcomes to worsen as standards are removed," they said.
Chicago required a new mayor who would improve the economic climate and make the city affordable by expanding the tax base instead of increasing the tax rate. The city also needed a leader who would attract companies to the area rather than blaming them for social problems.
New Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson blames the city's poverty and crime on corporations not paying enough taxes. Chicago gets everything it deserves with this one. Voters had a chance, and they said, "Hey, let's get someone even crazier than Lori Lightfoot." pic.twitter.com/Oie8ne5sFp
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) April 6, 2023
However, Johnson has promised to focus on businesses and the wealthy to fund his social programs, which could lead to further outflow of business and finance leaders like Ken Griffin and Citadel, and Boeing, who have already left. This could cause significant harm to the city's economy, the authors continued.
"Here in Chicago, the public is in crisis right now [with] the violence on the streets, families suffering for so many shootings that are going on," Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez told "Fox & Friends" host Ainsley Earhardt on Tuesday as the polls opened across the city.
"I really believe that the public safety plan that Paul Vallas has in place, to me, reflects who I am and what I believe in. I believe he has the plan to address it [crime] and, right now, the other candidate – all he's [Johnson] ever talked about is defunding the police, and I really believe that our police need more resources," Martinez added.
Well, Chicagoans -- a majority of them, anyway -- are likely going to be disappointed in Johnson as mayor if he's going to be as bad as predicted. But as was the case with electing Lightfoot, they won't have anyone to blame but themselves.
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