Chicago's 11th ward aldermanic candidates clash on Flannery Fired Up

CHICAGO - In addition to picking a mayor when early voting begins on Monday, Chicagoans in 14 wards will also be filling seats in the City Council.

On this week’s edition of Flannery Fired Up, we speak with the woman that Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed to the 11th ward seat in the City Council and the police officer challenging her in the April 4th runoff.

The ward includes Bridgeport and Chinatown, where police beat 9-14 has been hit hard by criminals in stolen cars using nearby expressways.

"I believe Ald. Lee has not done much," said Anthony Ciaravino.

"In the year 2022, it had the highest robberies in the entire city."

FOX 32’s political editor Mike Flannery: "Now is it fair to blame her?"

"No, I’m not blaming," Ciaravino responded. "But I wanna know what is she doing?"

"I am advocating for more resources. In fact, in beat 9-14, it's the only beat in the entire district that has two beat cars, because we saw an increase in crime," Ald. Nicole Lee said.

While both candidates say they support Paul Vallas for mayor, he endorsed Lee earlier this week.

"I’m pretty shocked by it. I'm pretty shocked," Ciaravino said. "She's received $48,000 from SEIU who has endorsed Brandon Johnson. She's aligned -- what I know about Nicole Lee is she's aligned with a lot of Brandon Johnson’s alignments."

"Public safety is my main concern. I'm very proud to be endorsed by Paul Vallas and endorsed him as well. I believe he's got the best plan for public safety and will make sure it's fully resourced," Lee said.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who a few days ago endorsed Johnson for mayor, also joined us on this week’s edition of Flannery Fired Up, coming up at 9:30 p.m. on Friday.