Activist Marc Loveless announced in a June 9 statement that he was stepping down from his post as executive director of the Coalition for Justice and Respect. Loveless had been in the position since 2007, and said in the statement that he was leaving to run for City Clerk of Chicago.
"This role is built to inspire civic engagement and can also function as an office that can give people answers when they need them the most," Loveless said. "The Coalition for Justice and Respect, and my vast experience in Michigan and Illinois government, makes me uniquely qualified to run this office in an innovative way. When elected I will be the first African American to hold the position and the first member of the LGBTQ community to hold a citywide elected position."
Susana A. Mendoza is the current City Clerk. A former member of the Illinois House of Representatives, she has been in the office since 2011.
Loveless told Windy City Times June 11 that he was also stepping down from the state board of Common Cause because of the run. He also said that he wants to "elevate the value" of the City Clerk's office.
"It brings on the opportunity for real civic engagement, by both encouraging transparency in city government and with real grassroots activism in the community," he added. "I see the value of people being involved in their community."
Loveless also said that whoever is in the office should bring to it "social entrepreneurship," which he defined as "getting a lot of people involved in making the city a better place."
In the June 9 statement, Loveless said that he would turn CJR's reigns over to Adam L. McMath, the organization's managing director, who is also a producer and director of programming for the Black Alphabet Film Festival. McMath also is serving as Loveless' campaign manager.
According to the statement, McMath will be responsible for building "a board of directors that will help shape a national organization that will be a force for social justice for years to come, as well as [creating] a fiscal structure that will allow CJR to employ community members with an interest in social justice work. Mr. McMath will also serve as Chair of that board."
Loveless said that he would continue to serve in an advisory capacity to CJR, "but I am not involved in the day-to-day operations."