Ald. Tom Tunney has decided not to take on Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the upcoming municipal election, saying he didn’t have the passion needed to commit to the job.
“Unfortunately, while my love of our City is as strong as ever, I will not be running for Mayor,” Tunney said in a statement released Friday.
“For those who encouraged me to run for mayor, volunteered for the effort or signed my petitions … I am forever grateful for your support. All Chicagoans deserve a mayor who will wake up every day with the energy to make Chicago the best place to live, work and raise a family,” he said.
“I applaud everyone who chooses to run for public office and, like everyone else in Chicago, look forward to listening to the mayoral candidates’ vision for our great city,” Tunney said.
Calls to Tunney, 67, were not immediately returned Friday.
Tunney has represented the 44th Ward on the Chicago City Council 20 years and was the Council’s first openly gay member.
He announced in August that he would not seek reelection to the council and has since been considering a run for the city’s top job.
“Honestly, he thought about what it would be like if he won and he just couldn’t get excited for it,” said Greg Goldner, a political consultant who’s worked with Tunney to collect 18,000 signatures for a potential run.
“It’s just where he’s at in his life right now,” he said.
“We were able to easily collect the signatures and there are people who love him and want him, but I don’t know if he was ever fully committed. He could not quite get over the hump, make the leap, and he knew that if he didn’t have the fire in the belly .... It was a very difficult decision,” Goldner said.
Tunney announced his decision a day after U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia formally joined the race to unseat Mayor Lori Lightfoot. In all, 12 challengers have lined up to make a run for mayor.
