Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León stripped of City Council committee posts over racist leak The two mayoral candidates were booted off committees where Latinos live and work over a racist memo they were accused of leaking.
The mayor’s race got a bump last week after the City Council confirmed he had been indicted on federal corruption charges over allegations he used his office to hide $250,000 in payments he made to a Mexican businessman.
The race to replace Mayor Rahm Emanuel has heated up even further amid allegations that the mayor’s chief of staff and his son-in-law used city resources to hide a $250,000 payment from state Rep. Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago.
In an interview, Chicago Alderman Leslie Hairston, who is challenging Emanuel for mayor, called for City Hall to appoint a “special prosecutor” to investigate the alleged violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act.
Hairston said a special prosecutor would require the City Council to vote on a measure that would let her be the only Latino on the council.
“My hope is that we can have a system where no one, of any color, of any ethnicity, is marginalized on the City Council,” Hairston said.
While the election remains only six weeks away, the race is shaping up to be even more racially charged than previous mayoral elections.
In a bid to avoid allegations of racism against his wife, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday defended his wife, and criticized those who are against his candidacy.
Emanuel’s wife, Jani, is black.
But, Emanuel said Friday, those who are attacking him are not the ones who matter.
“Those who are not attacking us, the black community, it’s the Hispanics, the Asians, the African-Americans that are attacking you,” he said in a brief interview Friday afternoon.
“The real truth is, the truth is, the truth is, I have been attacked by both blacks and whites for over 30 years.”
On the campaign trail, Emanuel accused those who are against his candidacy of seeking to create a “melting pot,” rather than a culture of integration. His supporters say it is unwise to put politics above racial diversity, unity and inclusion.
“They don