Chico calls Mendoza 'unfit' for mayor's job

Mayoral candidate Gery Chico on Monday took the gloves off and pummeled the only other Hispanic candidate in the race: state Comptroller Susana Mendoza.

Chico charged that Mendoza proved herself "unfit for the job or the responsibilities that come with being the mayor of Chicago" because she "can't even decide which job she wants" and proved it again by being evasive and duplicitous.

In a statement released by his campaign just as Mendoza was filing her nominating petitions, Chico pointed to Mendoza's refusal to say whether she would remove or retain Police Supt. Eddie Johnson.

The Invisible Institute posed the question to all of the candidates in a story posted last week that focused on "Johnson's refusal to discipline officers who improperly used deadly force and often promoted those officers."

Mendoza was asked about over-stating the role she played in abolishing the death penalty in Illinois in her haste to prove "electric Suzy," the tough-on-crime nickname she earned in Springfield, no longer applies.

"Those folks can say all the negative stuff they want. I'm focused on the future. And I'm being positive about the opportunities that lie ahead for the city of Chicago with a good leader at the helm," Mendoza said.

For the full story, click here.