U.S. Conference of Mayors Appoints Chicago Mayor As Chair Of Criminal & Social Justice Committee

HONOLULU, July 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, during the 87^th Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot was appointed to serve as Chair of USCM's Criminal and Social Justice Committee. Mayor Lightfoot was appointed by USCM President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin.

"Mayor Lightfoot brings a wide range of experience to this position," said Mayor Benjamin. "I have great confidence that given her expertise and judgement, she will be able to help us develop a proactive and strategic agenda on these priority issues."

Mayor Lightfoot has served in a number of high profile roles at the city and federal level and has dedicated her career to protecting public safety and ensuring government is held accountable to its constituents. As Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Lightfoot handled several high-profile drug cases involving some of the district's most blighted communities. In 2002, she was appointed chief administrator of the Chicago Police Department Office of Professional Standards, a now-defunct governmental police oversight group charged with investigating police misconduct. Lightfoot returned to city government in 2015 when then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed her to serve as President of the Chicago Police Board, and Chair of the Police Accountability Task Force. As Board president, Lightfoot led significant reforms efforts to change how misconduct and discipline is handled within the Chicago Police Department.

"Mayor Lightfoot's background with police and law enforcement will be a great asset to our organization," said Tom Cochran, USCM CEO & Executive Director. "Her leadership on this issue will be of great benefit to mayors across the country and we are so pleased that she will be guiding us in this hard, but essential work."

Mayor Lightfoot was elected in April 2019, making Chicago currently the largest U.S. city to be headed by a woman. As Chicago's first openly LGBTQ mayor, Lightfoot is committed to addressing social and racial inequities across the city by creating a comprehensive public safety strategy to address gun violence, working to repair trust between police and communities, and through a comprehensive plan to ensure equitable investment across all of Chicago's neighborhoods. In outlining her vision for leading the nation's third-largest city during her inaugural address, Lightfoot committed to addressing public safety challenges as an immediate priority, and has called upon leaders and stakeholders citywide to partner in ending the scourge of gun violence hitting the city's most underserved communities.

"I am honored to be partnering with my fellow mayors to develop solutions to some of the largest and most urgent challenges facing our country," said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. "Only by working together to tackle these issues head-on will we be able to realize our shared vision of safer, stronger and more prosperous cities for every resident, regardless of race, ethnicity or economic status."

About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors

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