But at every turn, the city rose to meet the challenge, she added, “and I am so proud of that.”
Bottoms thanked her husband, Derek Bottoms, who attended the news conference, for his love and support and expressed gratitude to her team “who have a heart and love for the people of this city.” She also took the opportunity to dispel rumors that she was planning to go to work for personal friend and Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer. “I am not going to Walgreens in Chicago. Derek is not going to Walgreens in Idaho. I can’t get Derek to move two miles off of Cascade Road, so I promise you that is not true,” she said in a moment of levity.
Bottoms said her decision was made “from a position of strength and not weakness,” pointing to a healthy war chest after a successful fundraiser with President Joe Biden and recent poll numbers that gave her the confidence that she would win re-election without a runoff. Despite that, she said, “and even all of those things that I know to be true and I know what I could do, just because you can do it doesn’t always necessarily mean that you should do it.”
Bottoms said she doesn’t know what’s next for her. For now, she will remain in office until the first Tuesday in January 2022 and continue to work on issues, including crime and affordable housing, important to her and city residents.
Watch the full news conference below.
