Gery Chico landed a major endorsement Tuesday in his bid for mayor, winning the backing of the union representing Chicago’s police officers.
Sources in Lodge 7 of the Fraternal Order of Police said Chico won the most support in a vote of members of the union. The FOP’s political committee concurred and decided to issue the endorsement on Tuesday, the sources told the Chicago News Cooperative.
Reached by telephone after the political panel meeting on Tuesday, FOP President Mark Donahue said he could not comment until a news conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Chico spokeswoman Brooke Anderson declined to comment.
Also on Tuesday, Teamsters Local 700 announced that a poll of its members showed Rahm Emanuel with the widest support among mayoral contenders and that leaders would take the poll results into account as they decide whom to endorse.
Many major labor groups, including the Service Employees International Union and the Chicago Federation of Labor, have expressed neutrality in the race to succeed retiring Mayor Richard M. Daley.