Newsdeck: Chicago Makes History by Electing First Black, Female Mayor By Bloomberg
Lightfoot, who also will be the first openly gay leader of the nation’s third-most-populous city, soundly defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, 74 to 26 percent with nearly all precincts reporting, according to city election board returns. Lightfoot, who held double-digit leads in recent polls, will replace Rahm Emanuel, who chose not to run for a third term.
Lightfoot, 56, who Emanuel named to a police-reform task force, campaigned as an independent reformer while Preckwinkle, 72, touted her years of experience in elective office, calling the mayoral post not an entry-level job. At a time when Democratic politics is leaning left, Preckwinkle’s establishment resume didn’t sell.
In conceding defeat, Preckwinkle noted the historic nature of the night. “Not long ago, two African-American women vying for this position would have been unthinkable,’’ she told supporters.Chicago’s election, while nonpartisan, was fought between Democrats in a place that the party has dominated for decades. Preckwinkle remains the head of the Cook County Democratic organization.
Once a favored candidate, Preckwinkle was hurt by her connection to Alderman Ed Burke, who was hit with a federal corruption charge in January. Prosecutors alleged he pressured executives of a fast-food restaurant chain to become clients of his tax-specialty law firm in exchange for a remodeling permit in his ward. Burke has pleaded not guilty.
Neither she nor Lightfoot offered many specifics on how to handle the city’s financial problems, but Lightfoot won the endorsement of the local chamber of commerce as well as the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.Under Emanuel, the city ended its so-called scoop and toss, the process of borrowing to pay off maturing debt, and also unwound its debt portfolio of interest-rate swaps. All three major rating companies now have a stable outlook on the city’s debt.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Newsdeck: KZN political killings: 161 arrests made so far as crackdown continues, says CelePolice Minister Bheki Cele on Thursday said the task team investigating political killings in KwaZulu-Natal has to date made 161 arrests.
Read more »
Chicago mayor demands answers after Smollett hoax charges droppedSmollett had been charged with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct alleging he gave false accounts of an attack on him to police investigators.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Algeria’s Bouteflika Resigns, Bowing to Weeks of ProtestAlgerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has resigned, bowing to weeks of mass protests and growing pressure from the country’s powerful military to end his 20-year rule.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Cyclone Idai: Number of cholera cases surges in MozambiqueBeira, Mozambique - The number of cholera cases in cyclone-hit Mozambique has risen sharply in communities affected by flooding.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Bitcoin Surges as Cryptocurrency Market Suddenly Springs to LifeBitcoin climbed suddenly on Tuesday to the highest level since November, leading a surge in virtual currencies and ending three months of calm in the $160 billion market.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Indian missile test endangers International Space Station: NASAThe head of NASA on Monday branded India's destruction of one of its satellites a 'terrible thing' that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Read more »
Newsdeck: MPs Seek to Force May to Avoid No-Deal Exit: Brexit UpdateAs Prime Minister Theresa May meets her Cabinet to find a way forward for her unpopular Brexit deal, members of Parliament are maneuvering to try to prevent a no-deal exit in 10 days time.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Taps Run Dry in Venezuelan Capital as Power Cuts Hit Water PumpsResidents of Caracas are standing in long lines waiting to fill drums with water as a national power crisis stretches into a fourth week, keeping vital pumps from reservoirs offline and exacerbating a deepening shortage in the Venezuelan capital amid a drought.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Facebook, Google, Twitter Targeted by U.S. for Housing BiasU.S. regulators say digital advertising practices at Facebook Inc. violate housing law and they are reviewing whether ads placed by Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google also discriminate against those seeking a place to live.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Boeing Sued Over Ethiopia Crash as Political Woes DeepenBoeing Co. was sued on behalf of a passenger killed in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight over claims that its 737 Max 8 isn’t safely designed, deepening the legal and political woes the planemaker faces.
Read more »