Frederick Collins has been on the force for more than 20 years and has made just one other run for political office. But he announced last month that he’ll challenge Emanuel in next year’s mayoral election. The only other announced candidate is former alderman Robert Shaw. West Side community organizer Amara Enyia is also running for mayor.
According to a new Illinois Observer poll, Emanuel may face an uphill struggle for reelection on Feb. 24, 2015.
Collins, 45, says he felt the need to enter the race.
“I believe the mayor has not acted as a public servant of the people, but instead as a dictator who has simply made decisions independent of the will of the people,” he said. “When I’m elected as the next mayor of Chicago, the will of the people will always be front-and-center in every decision I make.”
Collins’s points to the city’s decision to close 54 schools last year — despite staunch opposition from parents, students and the Chicago Teacher’s Union — as an example of the mayor’s poor leadership.
“The closings were bad enough, but the fact that the mayor never even attended any of the meetings to discuss the closings with parents and school faculty showed his lack of regard for his constituents,” Collins said. “He is a servant of the people, and he can’t even talk to the people about decisions that will impact their lives? It’s unconscionable.”