Reporter to Chicago's Lightfoot: How can you 'possibly even consider' re-election after 'harm you've caused'

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Reporter asks Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot how she can 'possibly even consider' re-election

A reporter asked Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot how she could even consider running for re-election after all the "harm" she's caused during a Tuesday press conference.

A reporter asked Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot during a press conference Tuesday how she could even consider running for re-election after all the "harm" she's caused. 

Chicago reporter William J. Kelly began by saying the mayor always starts her press conferences by saying that crime is down and the "economy is booming." Lightfoot said that this wasn't true and asked him to continue with his question. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, shown at City Hall on April 15, 2021, said Monday that a very small number of Chicago police officers have been placed on no-pay status for refusing to comply with the city as requirement that they report their vaccine status.  (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The reporter noted that a police officer was recently struck and injured in a hit-and-run and that Michigan Avenue "is now referred to as the mile of fear." Michigan Avenue is a popular stretch of the city with entertainment, attractions, restaurants, hotels and shopping. 

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"Real Chicagoans are asking me, how can you possibly even consider running for re-election for mayor of the city of the Chicago after all the harm you've caused?" Kelly asked during Tuesday's press conference. 

Officers with the Chicago Police Department are out on patrol in the city's lakefront area during Fourth of July weekend. The police union and city have reached tentative agreement on a new contract.  (Chicago Police Department)

The mayor said that she "fundamentally" disagreed with Kelly and that she did not want to dignify his comments. He asked a follow-up question about who Lightfoot would be facing in a re-election bid. 

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Chicago's Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a science initiative event at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski (REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski)

Lightfoot said she was focused on her day-to-day responsibilities and not who was running for mayor. 

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The mayor has yet to officially announce her bid for re-election, but has been laying groundwork with recent public appearances. 

Lightfoot addressed the City Club of Chicago on Tuesday and said that the city was poised for "the best economic recovery of any big city in the nation, bar none," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.  

"Ladies and gentlemen, there’s a narrative out there that our city is headed in the wrong direction. That noise is completely belied by these objective data points, which show a very robust economy that is creating jobs and opportunity," the mayor said.

Lightfoot briefly addressed crime, but said it was "trending in the right direction." 

At least 14 people were shot, one fatally, in Chicago over Easter weekend. Police said that no possible suspects for any of the reported shootings were immediately taken into custody.