Alderman Sophia King announces mayoral run

Lori Lightfoot has some competition in the upcoming mayoral race.

Alderman Sophia King, who represents the fourth Ward and chairs the City Council’s Progressive Caucus, released a campaign video declaring her intention to replace Chicago’s current mayor, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

In her campaign video she calls out Lightfoot’s shortcomings, including an increase in violent crimes and her “combative, dictatorial style of governing.”

King told the outlet that her plan to start tackling the problems begins with the firing of Chicago’s Police Superintendent David Brown and giving “burned-out, over-scheduled and under-appreciated” police officers more time off. She also plans to authorize incentives to fill the 1,408 vacant police officer positions.

Lightfoot, In response to King’s claims that Brown was the “wrong choice to lead CPD,” reiterated her “total confidence” in the police chief. “Frankly, it suggests to me people that don’t know anything about public safety [or] local policing,” the mayor told the outlet.

In addition to filling the available police officer positions, King also said she plans to seriously consider restoring some or all of the 614 police officer positions Lightfoot eliminated in an effort to balance her 2021 budget.

King also told the outlet that there are “progressive ways that we can get sustainable and progressive income” to address Chicago’s $33 billion pension crisis.

King was appointed as an alderman by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2018 when Will Burns resigned.

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