Lightfoot stands by pick of Michael Scott's sister, Monique, to replace him as 24th Ward alderperson

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday defended her appointment of Monique Scott, the sister of former 24th Ward Ald. Michael Scott Jr., to take his place on the City Council, shrugging off what she called "lazy" criticism of the appointment as nepotism.

Lightfoot chose Monique Scott as the new alderperson for the 24th Ward on Monday, to fill the vacancy left by her brother, who stepped down earlier this month to take a job with Chicago film studio Cinespace.

Monique Scott was one of three finalists recommended to Lightfoot by a selection committee after 19 people applied for the job, and the mayor said "she really rose to the top" of the list on her own merits.

"It's not the fact that she is the alderman's sister. It's that she's born and raised in the ward, absolutely knows the crucial issues that are important for that ward, and is committed to making sure that we move those forward," Lightfoot said. "It's an easy, frankly lazy throwaway to say, 'Oh, it's just the alderman's sister.' Look at who she is, look at what she's been able to do with her life, look at how committed she is to the 24th Ward and the residents of North Lawndale, and then make your assessment. That's what I did."

Lightfoot said she knew the appointment would prompt some people to criticize the move as political nepotism, but she said she wanted to make sure the former alderman's successor would be able to maintain the progress he's made in improving the ward's economic development.

"I heard and I knew, of course, that the narrative would be, 'Oh, this is the same old same old, this is appointing an insider, blah blah blah.' What was important for me in thinking about the 24th Ward – and particularly given the level of progress that's been made over the last few years, and I will say over the last three years that I've been mayor – all the economic development activity that has happened in that ward is really critically important for me to make sure that that momentum continued," Lightfoot said.

Aldermen asked no questions of Monique Scott when she appeared for a virtual confirmation hearing Tuesday afternoon before the City Council Rules Committee, which unanimously backed her appointment without debate.

"If you're anything like your brother, you're wonderful," Ald. James Cappleman (46th) told Monique Scott after the vote.

"I'm better," she said with a smile.

Her appointment now goes to the full City Council for a vote on Wednesday.