Political Patronage: Chicago Mayor Offers School Credit for Students Who Help Her Campaign

Lori Lightfoot (D.), Chicago mayor, is encouraging public school teachers and students to earn credit for volunteering to her reelection campaigns.

Megan Crane, Lightfoot deputy campaign manager, asked Chicago public school teachers to encourage students volunteering in an email. “to help Mayor Lightfoot win this spring,” Offering “class credit” WTTW News for all those who are part of the program Reports.

“We’re simply looking for enthusiastic, curious, and hard-working young people eager to help Mayor Lightfoot win this spring,” Crane wrote the email addressed to teachers’ official work accounts.

The program sparked immediate backlash and could spell trouble for Lightfoot, who in her 2019 bid for mayor promised To combat the “Chicago machine,” Patronage systems that have dominated city politics for many years. They are now regulated with more strict ethics.

“This is unethical and wrong on so many levels,” the Chicago Teachers Union said in a Statement. The union Tweet The scheme “feels strangely like it’s straight out of the machine politics the current incumbent ran against—yet continues to use herself.”

The union’s attorneys believe that the email was sent by a hacker. “not only violates the city’s government ethics ordinance but also the ethics policy imposed by Lightfoot when she took office in 2019,” According to WTTW News

Chicago Public Schools cannot be used by political campaigns to send emails. “solicit volunteers and donations,” the district’s ethics guidelines State.

“As a rule, the district does not coordinate with any political candidates or campaigns. It has not done so to date and will not be doing so,” WTTW News was informed by a spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools.

WTTW News was initially informed by a campaign spokesperson that the email was being defended. He stated that the program was not designed. “to provide young people with the opportunity to engage with our campaign, learn more about the importance of civic engagement, and participate in the most American of processes” And was “done using publicly available contact information.” However, Lightfoot’s office responded to a wave of criticism with a second statement.

All [Lightfoot for Chicago] Campaign staff were reminded of the solid wall between campaign activities and official activities. Contacts with any city in Chicago or sister agency employees must also be kept secure. [Chicago Public Schools] Employees are not allowed to be accessed through public sources. Period.

Lightfoot is among the nine candidates listed on the February 28 ballot.

“She’s exploiting young people for political gain,” Brandon Johnson is running against Lightfoot  Wednesday of the Mayor’s Actions

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