The ongoing TV ad battle in the mayoral race has Jesus “Chuy” Garcia aiming to deliver a one-two punch to Mayor Rahm Emanuel. That’s after the mayor and pro-Emanuel groups, of course, have hammered Garcia in a number of TV spots.
“The big-money guys already have a mayor who listens to them. I’ll be a mayor who listens to you,” Garcia says in a new spot filmed in his Little Village neighborhood. He’s filmed walking with his grandchildren and wife.
Another new ad spot put on by the Service Employees International Union, charges that Emanuel closed 50 public schools then opened up charter schools backed by his contributors.
Emanuel has repeatedly defended his move to close the schools, saying they were underenrolled and underperforming. Emanuel has cited a University of Chicago study that indicated that 93 percent of the students were placed in better performing schools.
The issue, however, has dogged Emanuel throughout the divisive campaign for re-election because the schools targeted were largely located in poor communities on the South and West sides of Chicago.
On Friday, Emanuel’s campaign criticized Garcia’s ads.
“You put your money where your mouth is – and all of Chuy’s money is being spent flooding the airwaves with negative ads and empty rhetoric – not any specific ideas or solutions,” said Steve Mayberry, an Emanuel campaign spokesman. “You can only hide behind secret, post-election commissions for so long before voters are going to see through your empty suit.”
