Emanuel: Alvarez's Defeat A Sign Voters Want Police Reform
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he sees no direct message to him in the results of Tuesday's Illinois primary elections, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Mayor Emanuel says Hillary Clinton's sweep of the primaries including her home state of Illinois is further proof she'll be the Democratic nominee.
When asked if he saw any message in the defeat of Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, who was hurt by the Laquan McDonald case, he talked only of broad lessons.
"People want to see progress, they want to see fundamental reforms and changes made across a waterfront of issues and they want to see most importantly us getting our work done," he said.
The mayor said he doesn't need an election to tell him he has work to do on police reform.
"I think the voters were clear they want to see a change, not just in that part in the sense of the prosecutor, but also at our police department, in our community relations and how we work together," Emanuel says.
And the mayor says that work is being done.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports some aldermen say, the mayor's still blamed by some voters for failing to release the Laquan McDonald dashcam video until after his re-election.
"I think what you saw was, she was in the first line of fire and so her election was coming up and I think one of the luxuries that the mayor does have right now, if any, is the fact that he has three-and-a-half years to fix it," said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale. "She didn't have that luxury."