With municipal elections less than five months away, many members of the Chicago City Council are wary of saying or doing anything that could antagonize voters. Alderman Freddrenna Lyle of the Sixth Ward, however, does not appear to be one of them.
In her latest monthly newsletter to constituents, Ms. Lyle, a Democrat, was blunt in announcing her plans to run for re-election.
“Anyone who tells you I’m not running is a liar,” she wrote.
She said she had been working hard to improve the quality of life in the ward.
“If anyone tells you I have done nothing for your neighborhood, they too are liars.”
Ms. Lyle has had a rough year. Two police officers were gunned down in her ward. Her home was burglarized and her garage was tagged with graffiti.
“I’ve got people blaming me for everything,” Ms. Lyle said. “We get flooding and it’s not because of the weather — it’s my fault. And it’s my fault that we’ve got crime and it’s my fault that we don’t have enough police.”
Ms. Lyle said she wants to serve another term, so she can help develop an urban farming project and keep her ward from being split when the City Council redraws ward boundaries in the next few years.
Ms. Lyle said she expects several challengers but will be ready for them.
“The real question is why anyone would think they want to do this job,” she said.
Frankly, Alderman Lyle has never been one to mince words. She has and continues to be the pit bull in a china shop. Sometimes it alienates some but it always gets people to recognize her presence.
Her bluntness or arrogance as some may see it is the result of a couple of early entrants in the race who did/don’t have any answers so tey decide to run on the tired platform of bashing the incumbent versus showing us their leadership qualities.
the same reason you want the job.
With high unemployment rates, a part time job that pays over $100,000 will attracts many rats from out of the woodwork.
Most have no idea what the job entails and just are running for the steady paycheck.