I haven’t had the energy to post my pictures of the annual Fourth of July Sauganash parade but I wanted to share this one with you. We had a prominent guest this year. The woman in the red shirt and straw hat is our recently-elected mayor, Lori Lightfoot. Next to her in the burgundy pants suit is our newly-elected alderman, Samantha Nugent.
I’m guessing that Mayor Lightfoot read the election returns. In the primaries the voters that turned out most solidly for her were on the Northwest Side. However, I did find it notable that she walked the parade. We frequently have politicians show up for the Sauganash parade but this is the first time I can recall that politicians have walked it. And they most frequently show up before an election rather than after one. That’s change of a sort.
That is nice, maybe she’ll be a good one.
We can only hope. The odds are against her. The teachers union has already rejected a new three year contract with a 15% bump in pay as inadequate.
Now that the election is over the new governor, Pritzker, is already giving Chicago the two-finger salute. I understand why. Giving Chicago a break would make his already difficult situation impossible. But Chicagoans are not being treated fairly by the state and, ultimately, they will figure that out.