Ex-schools CEO Vallas says he's running for Chicago mayor
CHICAGO (AP) - Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas says he's running for Chicago mayor.
Vallas on Wednesday blasted Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a "bully" and said "people don't like the mayor." He said he'll bring change and experienced leadership to a city that's "in deep trouble."
Emanuel campaign spokesman Pete Giangreco says Vallas has a record of "fiscal disaster" and wherever Vallas goes "he leaves a mess behind him."
The 64-year-old ran unsuccessfully for Illinois governor in 2002 and lieutenant governor in 2014. He led CPS from 1995 to 2001 and later was superintendent in Philadelphia, New Orleans and Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Other candidates running in the February 2019 election include ex-police superintendent Garry McCarthy and Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, who entered the race amid a federal bribes-for-jobs investigation.