The Main Event: Who Is Going To Be Chicago’s Next Mayor?

Laura Washington is a Chicago Sun-Times Columnist and ABC-7 Analyst. Formerly the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor at DePaul University in Chicago, Washington is a multimedia journalist specializing in media-related issues, African-American affairs, local and national politics, race and racism, and social justice. She has been honored with more than two dozen local and national awards for her work, including two Chicago Emmys, the Peter Lisagor Award, the Studs Terkel Award for Community Journalism and the Ohio State Award for broadcast journalism. She has also received the Racial Justice Award from the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and is a founding inductee to the Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement and the 2002 Northwestern University Alumnae Award. In 1999 The Chicago Community Trust awarded her a Community Service Fellowship, for “exemplary service, commitment and leadership in individuals from the nonprofit sector.”

Greg Hinz is a Crain’s Chicago Business blogger and columnist on politics and government in Chicago and the nation. A prize-winning reporter, he also writes frequently on public policy issues such as education, transportation, and economic development. Hinz joined Crain’s in 1996, after four years as Political Editor of Chicago magazine and nearly two decades as Political Editor and columnist with the Lerner Newspapers chain. His work has been honored by the Society of Business Editors and Writers and the Chicago Headline Club, among other professional organizations. Hinz is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. In 1980, he took a brief leave of absence from journalism to serve as Press Secretary for the Carter/Mondale campaign in Illinois.

Political strategist, media personality, and urban marketing pioneer, Maze Jackson has a diverse background of experience in the worlds of business, politics, and community engagement.

For over 25 years Maze has been lobbying for high profile clients, creating community-based solutions and driving the discussions that shape impactful policies.  Maze has been featured on ABC, CBS, The New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, and a variety of other high profile media outlets, and can be heard daily on WVON 1690 AM on the WVON Morning Show.  As VP of Business Development at The Intelligence Group, Maze focuses on utilizing his network of experienced vendors, institutional relationships, and effective tactics to create strategies that allow The Intelligence Group to achieve clients’ goals.