Mayoral Candidates Debate at CSU

Decision 2015 recently came to CSU as candidates seeking the office of Mayor of Chicago squared off on issues of education, crime, poverty, social justice and many others in the auditorium of the New Academic Library.

The Mayoral Candidate Forum was organized by the CSU African American Studies program including Dr. Kelly Harris and Kim Dulaney. The faculty and students partnered with multiple community organizations including the Black Young Project, Coalition of African American Leaders and the Young and Powerful Group.

Four of the five candidates for Mayor appeared before a crowd of more than 800 members of the CSU family to discuss the major issues facing the city and what each candidate would do to address the concerns of south side communities. The candidates who participated included Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, William "Doc" Walls, Ald. Bob Fioretti and Dr. Willie Wilson. The only candidate on the ballot who did not attend was the sitting Mayor, Rahm Emanuel.

"To date, this is the only forum that specifically addresses the concerns of the youth of Chicago," CSU student-moderator David Flynn said. "It's disappointing that the Mayor didn't come before our community and share his plan for the future, but we are very grateful that the other four candidates made it a priority. We have serious issues that need to be addressed like food deserts, community policing policies and education funding and it is important that voters are educated on the candidates stances before going to the polls."

CSU President Wayne Watson said a follow-up forum or rally will be held before the election to educate the community and encourage everyone to vote.

A replay of the CSU Mayoral Candidate Forum can be seen in it's entirety on  Monday February 2 at 6:00pm on the CSU website at the following link:

https://www.csu.edu/cas/CMAT/csutv/watchlive.htm

Mayoral Candidates Debate at CSU Mayoral Candidates Debate at CSU
Mayoral Candidates Debate at CSU Mayoral Candidates Debate at CSU