芝加哥創(chuàng)造了歷史，這座深受槍支暴力困擾，即將陷入財(cái)政困境的城市將前聯(lián)邦檢察官洛麗·萊特福特選為首任黑人女性市長(zhǎng)。

同時(shí)，對(duì)這座美國人口第三多的城市來說，強(qiáng)勢(shì)擊敗庫克縣委員會(huì)主席托尼·普瑞克溫克的萊特福特還將成為歷史上第一位公開出柜的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人。芝加哥選舉委員會(huì)的反饋信息顯示，在幾乎所有選區(qū)已經(jīng)報(bào)告結(jié)果的情況下，萊特福特和普瑞克溫克的得票率分別為74%和26%。萊特福特此前從未擔(dān)任過選舉產(chǎn)生的職務(wù)。她將接替已經(jīng)決定不再尋求第二次連任的拉姆·伊曼紐爾。

今年2月26日的初選中，上述兩位黑人女性在參選人數(shù)最多的一次芝加哥市長(zhǎng)選舉中擊敗了12名對(duì)手，從而為上周二的歷史性選舉結(jié)果奠定了基礎(chǔ)。落選者中包括父親和哥哥都曾經(jīng)擔(dān)任過芝加哥市長(zhǎng)的比爾·戴利，而且和伊曼紐爾一樣，比爾·戴利也曾經(jīng)是前總統(tǒng)貝拉克·奧巴馬的辦公廳主任。

在芝加哥市中心的一家酒店內(nèi)，萊特福特對(duì)歡呼的人群說道：“大家團(tuán)結(jié)起來，最終就能把我們所有人的利益置于少數(shù)有權(quán)勢(shì)者的利益之上。我們可以而且一定會(huì)打破這座城市無止境的腐敗?！?/p>

56歲的萊特福特曾經(jīng)被伊曼紐爾任命為警察系統(tǒng)改革工作組成員，本次作為獨(dú)立改革者參選。普瑞克溫克72歲，她把自己多年來經(jīng)選舉擔(dān)任公職的經(jīng)驗(yàn)作為宣傳點(diǎn)，稱市長(zhǎng)并非入門級(jí)工作。在民主黨政客左傾之際，普瑞克溫克的建制派履歷并不得人心。

萊特福特的勝選演說效仿了馬丁·路德·金和已故的芝加哥首位黑人市長(zhǎng)哈羅德·華盛頓，她說自己當(dāng)選是“變化之令”，并且承諾將擁抱多樣性，歡迎移民，確保芝加哥不會(huì)萎縮，同時(shí)對(duì)抗該市臭名昭著的政治腐敗。

對(duì)于唐納德·特朗普總統(tǒng)的移民政策，萊特福特將其斥為“仇恨和恐懼的氣候”，她說這樣的政策讓來自于全世界的移民感到恐慌。

普瑞克溫克在承認(rèn)失敗的同時(shí)也提到了這個(gè)夜晚的歷史性。她對(duì)支持者說：“不久之前，由兩位非裔女性來角逐這個(gè)職位還是件不可思議的事。”

民主之城

芝加哥的市長(zhǎng)選舉不涉及黨派問題。民主黨已經(jīng)在此主導(dǎo)了幾十年，因此競(jìng)選一直是民主黨人士之間的爭(zhēng)奪。普瑞克溫克仍然是庫克縣民主黨組織的首腦。

擊敗普瑞克溫克后，萊特福特接掌的這座城市有280億美元的養(yǎng)老金債務(wù)、不斷下降的人口以及遠(yuǎn)超紐約和洛杉磯的兇殺犯罪率。雖然伊曼紐爾通過增加稅收讓投資者對(duì)芝加哥的垃圾級(jí)債券感到放心，但他的繼任者需要應(yīng)付養(yǎng)老金缺口以及預(yù)計(jì)將威脅到該市財(cái)政穩(wěn)定的預(yù)算赤字。

設(shè)在伊利諾伊州萊克福里斯特的債券研究公司Axios Advisors的管理合伙人特里特·阮說：“她還需要好幾個(gè)月來了解財(cái)政問題，而這對(duì)投資者來說是最重要的。一方面我們感到樂觀，但隨之而來的也有非常多的不確定性。”

萊特福特參選引發(fā)關(guān)注的原因是她被伊曼紐爾任命為工作組負(fù)責(zé)人，而該工作組在芝加哥警察射殺手無寸鐵的青年拉奎·麥克唐納后就芝加哥警察局發(fā)表了一份尖刻的調(diào)查報(bào)告。

挑戰(zhàn)伊曼紐爾

萊特福特于2018年5月宣布參選，也就是說她在伊曼紐爾放棄第三個(gè)任期前向后者發(fā)起了挑戰(zhàn)。作為候選人，她表示將致力于消除芝加哥的貪污惡名。的確，本次初選期間就出現(xiàn)了有人被控試圖敲詐的丑聞。

普瑞克溫克曾經(jīng)是受人青睞的候選人，但和阿爾德曼·艾德·伯克的關(guān)系讓她受到了連累。伯克于今年1月被控參與聯(lián)邦腐敗。檢方稱他向一家快餐連鎖店施壓，要求后者聘請(qǐng)他的稅務(wù)律師事務(wù)所，以便在他掌管的轄區(qū)中獲得建筑物改建許可證。伯克表示自己無罪。

聯(lián)邦檢察官指控伯克向公司高管施壓，要求他們向一位不知姓名的政界人士捐獻(xiàn)1萬美元，后來發(fā)現(xiàn)該政界人士正是普瑞克溫克。在普瑞克溫克參選縣委員會(huì)主席期間，伯克還曾經(jīng)在家為她舉辦籌款活動(dòng)。

普瑞克溫克曾經(jīng)在芝加哥擔(dān)任市議員，從2010年開始領(lǐng)導(dǎo)庫克縣政府。她還得到過幾個(gè)最大工會(huì)的支持，包括芝加哥教師工會(huì)。

她和萊特福特均未非常具體地闡述將如何解決芝加哥的財(cái)政問題，但萊特福特得到了當(dāng)?shù)厣虝?huì)以及《芝加哥論壇報(bào)》和《芝加哥太陽時(shí)報(bào)》的認(rèn)可。

財(cái)政障礙

在伊曼紐爾領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下，芝加哥擺脫了“拆東墻補(bǔ)西墻”的日子，也就是借新債還舊債，還清償了利率互換債務(wù)。三大評(píng)級(jí)機(jī)構(gòu)目前對(duì)芝加哥債務(wù)的展望均為“穩(wěn)定”。穆迪給予芝加哥債券的評(píng)級(jí)比投資級(jí)低一個(gè)等級(jí)，標(biāo)普全球評(píng)級(jí)和惠譽(yù)評(píng)級(jí)的評(píng)級(jí)則至少比垃圾級(jí)高一個(gè)等級(jí)。

財(cái)政障礙依然存在。芝加哥退休金的資金到位率只有27%。伊曼紐爾增強(qiáng)退休金償付能力的辦法是提高繳費(fèi)比例、房地產(chǎn)稅以及其他收費(fèi)。但在他離職后，芝加哥每年需要的退休金增加了一倍，達(dá)到20億美元以上。

Belle Haven Investments管理著89億美元市政債券，包括芝加哥債券。該公司的研究部門負(fù)責(zé)人朵拉·李說，今年5月上任的新市長(zhǎng)沒有時(shí)間可以浪費(fèi)。芝加哥市政府一般在10月公布預(yù)算。

李指出：“芝加哥的財(cái)政狀況對(duì)任何候選人來說都沒有多大的回旋余地?！墼缕凇瘜⒎浅６獭！保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Charlie

審校：夏林

Chicago made history, electing former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot its first black, female mayor as the city struggles with gun violence on its streets and looming fiscal woes.

Lightfoot, who also will be the first openly gay leader of the nation’s third-most-populous city, soundly defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, 74 to 26 percent with nearly all precincts reporting, according to city election board returns. Lightfoot had never held elective office and will replace Rahm Emanuel, who chose not to run for a third term.

The historic outcome of last Tuesday’s vote was assured after the two black women beat 12 rivals in the campaign’s Feb. 26 first round, Chicago’s most crowded mayoral ballot ever. It included Bill Daley, the son and brother of two past Chicago mayors and, like Emanuel, a chief of staff to former President Barack Obama.

“Together we can and will finally put the interests of our people, all of our people, ahead of the interests of a powerful few,’’ Lightfoot told a cheering crowd gathered at a downtown hotel. “We can and we will break this city’s endless cycle of corruption.’’

Lightfoot, 56, who Emanuel named to a police-reform task force, campaigned as an independent reformer while Preckwinkle, 72, touted her years of experience in elective office, calling the mayoral post not an entry-level job. At a time when Democratic politics is leaning left, Preckwinkle’s establishment resume didn’t sell.

In a victory speech that evoked Martin Luther King Jr. and Chicago’s first black mayor — the late Harold Washington — Lightfoot said her victory was a “mandate for change.” She pledged to embrace diversity, welcome immigrants, ensure the city doesn’t shrink, and combat its infamous political corruption.

Referring to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, Lightfoot decried a “climate of hate and fear” that she said is frightening immigrants from around the globe.

In conceding defeat, Preckwinkle noted the historic nature of the night. “Not long ago, two African-American women vying for this position would have been unthinkable,’’ she told supporters.

Democratic Town

Chicago’s election, while nonpartisan, was fought between Democrats in a place that the party has dominated for decades. Preckwinkle remains the head of the Cook County Democratic organization.

In defeating Preckwinkle, Lightfoot inherits control of a city beset by $28 billion in pension debt, a shrinking population, and a murder rate far surpassing that of New York and Los Angeles. While Emanuel reassured investors in the city’s junk-rated bonds by boosting taxes, his successor will contend with the pension shortfall and projected budget deficits that put the city’s fiscal stability at risk.

“It’s going to take quite a few months to get her arms around the fiscal situation, which is the thing that matters most for investors,” said Triet Nguyen, managing partner at Axios Advisors, a bond research firm, in Lake Forest, Illinois. “On one hand you have optimism but there is a lot of uncertainty that comes with that.”

Lightfoot’s campaign drew attention for her leadership of an Emanuel-appointed task force that issued a scathing review of the department in the wake of the shooting of an unarmed teenager, Laquan McDonald, by a Chicago policeman.

Challenging Emanuel

Lightfoot challenged Emanuel before he dropped his bid for a third term, announcing her candidacy in May 2018. She presented herself as the candidate who would combat Chicago’s notorious reputation for corruption. Indeed, a scandal involving allegations of attempted extortion erupted in the middle of the campaign’s first round.

Once a favored candidate, Preckwinkle was hurt by her connection to Alderman Ed Burke, who was hit with a federal corruption charge in January. Prosecutors alleged he pressured executives of a fast-food restaurant chain to become clients of his tax-specialty law firm in exchange for a remodeling permit in his ward. Burke has pleaded not guilty.

The federal complaint alleges he pressured company executives to donate $10,000 to an unnamed politician, later identified as Preckwinkle. He’d also held a fundraiser for her in his home during her campaign for county office.

Preckwinkle, a former Chicago alderman who has led the county government since 2010, also was backed by some of the largest labor groups, including the Chicago teachers union.

Neither she nor Lightfoot offered many specifics on how to handle the city’s financial problems, but Lightfoot won the endorsement of the local chamber of commerce as well as the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

Financial Hurdles

Under Emanuel, the city ended its so-called scoop and toss, the process of borrowing to pay off maturing debt, and also unwound its debt portfolio of interest-rate swaps. All three major rating companies now have a stable outlook on the city’s debt. Moody’s rates the bonds one step below investment grade, while S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings consider Chicago at least one level above junk.

Financial hurdles remain. The city’s retirement funds are only 27 percent funded. Emanuel put the pensions on a path to solvency by boosting the city’s contribution and raising property taxes and other fees. After he leaves office, though, the city’s required annual pension payment doubles to more than $2 billion.

The next mayor, who will be inaugurated in May, won’t have time to waste once she takes office, said Dora Lee, director of research at Belle Haven Investments, which manages $8.9 billion of municipals including Chicago bonds. The city budget is typically presented in October.

“Chicago’s financial situation does not afford any candidate a lot of runway,’’ Lee said. “It’s going to be a very short honeymoon.’’