Diversity Is Chicago's Greatest Strength

Chicago recently elected Lori Lightfoot as mayor. She's the first black lesbian to hold the position. How's that for diversity? That sounds like the trifecta to me.

Since we know that diversity is our greatest strength, we should see good times ahead for the Windy City. Well, we should, only we're not. It turns out that Chicago is having a teensy-weensy problem with money. They're running out of the stuff.

On Thursday evening, Ms. Lightfoot, who in May became the first black woman and first gay mayor of Chicago, plans to lay out a vision for tackling the city’s longstanding fiscal crisis.

The Lightfoot administration has identified a budget gap of nearly $1 billion for 2020, according to people familiar with the matter. That is significantly higher than the previous administration had expected. For 2019, the nation’s third-largest city has a budget of $10.6 billion.

One billion simoleons is a lot of dough, but I'm not worried now that Chicago has gone into turbo mode on the whole diversity thing. Meanwhile, when she was elected, the geniuses at PBS quickly zeroed in on an even bigger threat to the city. The police.

Among her toughest challenges — and perhaps the one most scrutinized by those outside the city — will be overhauling the beleaguered Chicago Police Department...

Lightfoot’s administration will be focused from her first days on the job on better management of city costs and ensuring that “compliance with the consent decree is a high priority for the Police Department.”

Money will be an issue. City officials recently said Chicago’s 2020 budget shortfall was around $740 million, worse than previously thought. Some changes, including to police training, will require funds. But the consent decree doesn’t spell out how much the city should spend — something Lightfoot has criticized.

Now it turns out that the $740M shortfall was itself a trifle short. Whatever. Finding yourself looking for a spare $1,000,000,000 in change underneath your couch cushions is tough, but you can't let it distract you from dealing firmly with the police. And deal with them she will. After all, she's bringing the diversity in a way no one has ever brought it before in Chicago.

Strong, man. Real strong.

The problem is clearly the cops.