Chicago Megathread: With CTU on strike, Lightfoot lays out her budget

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Other than the race with Jeannette, the others are too close to call or a blowout to the progressive candidate. €]¥|]¥{•£|£] /&:@.  @1”:& ...all of this night.

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Have exit polls been published? How did the black vote go?

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It's just so unprecedented. Even when Richie was winning with 70% margins, he typically would lose a block of wards that would go to his challenger along racial lines. Same with his dad. Chicago has truly not seen anything like it in at least the last 50 years.

Still trying to figure it all out.

Historically poor turnout along with voter apathy from knowing that your outnumbered anyway since the runoff?

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Council members confirm Ed Burke is organizing council against Lightfoot

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/chicago-mayor-elect-lori-lightfoot-alderman-edward-burke-organize-against-her/

Reminiscent of the Vrdolyak 29 days against Harold Washington. Difference is that Vrdolyak and Burke are on their way to the pen this time.

I'd like to keep this thread going to discuss Chicago political affairs if that is good with everyone else.

Oh joy.

Is Burke himself still denying?

Also, given the ridiculous mandate for Lightfoot, wouldn’t she have a massive public support advantage in any Council Wars 2.0?

Not if that public doesn’t react and vote out the Burke faction. Considering the poor turnout and how hard it was to get progressives over the line, mayor Lightfoot is going to need an effective PR campaign to sideline him.

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There are now 12 votes separating the candidates in the 33rd ward, per the recent Sun Times edition today.. I’m literally not going to get good sleep till that race is called, even with my gal in the lead.

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Little update:
*CTU and SEIU school staff have been striking for about a week over the new contract, joined by Bernie and Liz
*Lightfoot laid out her budget today that counts on permission from Springfield to implement a high end real estate transfer tax
*If she doesn't get that permission, Chicago is going to see a massive property tax hike, which will no doubt damage her popularity
*She declared a $300m TIF surplus, most of which will go to covering the cost of the new CTU contract

I've honestly been kind of out of the loop since she took over (lot going on at the national and international level) but am finally catching up, motivated by the recent developments with CTU and the budget.

What does everyone think of the first five-ish months?

She’s less competent to get by giving peanuts to the unions, more so against the widely hated Chicago aldermen. All in all, pretty meh.