Chicago city administration rocked by crisis following school reopenings, ongoing police violence
The Democratic Party administration of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is facing a deepening political crisis, with a wave of resignations and departures among her deputies and other city leaders, including the top three figures at Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
On Tuesday morning, a spokeswoman told reporters that Lightfoot would be granting one-on-one interviews “only to Black or Brown journalists.” This move is calculated to shore up support among the identity politics-obsessed upper-middle class constituency of the Democratic Party. By shifting focus to the identities of the journalists making inquiries, Lightfoot is transparently attempting to avoid answering questions about the many scandals besetting her administration, the recent wave of resignations and the release of thousands of leaked emails by city officials.
Photo/Federal Drug Administration
State law stipulates how public records custodians can charge for requested documents and information that require staff time to assemble and/or redact if those records include confidential components.
Virginia Mercury Photo/Ned Oliver
âIf we are going to have a bias . . . it should be that we err on the side of acknowledging that public documents are public,â Del. Danica Roem says. âAs opposed to the hassle, time and cost to government.â The idea there is if youâre going to give people carte blanche to make local government turn over documents, theyâre going to use that tool inappropriately.