CHICAGO — Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas announced he is running for mayor of Chicago.
On Wednesday, Vallas posted a video on Twitter that said he is in the running.
“I can’t stand seeing our city like this,” he said in the two-minute video. “But no matter how bleak things seem, Chicagoans will never give up on the city they love.”
Vallas has been critical of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of crime and policing in the city. He said if he’s elected, he will make sure officers will be able to do their job and arrest law breakers.
“Chicago is burning,” he said. “When the people in power are too incompetent, combative or corrupt to tackle these challenges that how a great city can fall.”
Vallas ran for mayor in 2019, getting about 5%of the vote. He also ran for governor in 2002, losing in the Democratic primary.
He was the CEO of CPS from 1995 through 2001, and was Mayor Richard Daley’s budget director before that.
Lightfoot has said she plans to run for reelection, but has not made a formal announcement.
Other candidates in the running include Ald. Ray Lopez, Businessman Willie Wilson and State Rep. Kam Buckner.