[Via Chicago]

After a high-stakes courtship by both candidates aimed at luring the pivotal black vote, millionaire businessman Willie Wilson has decided to endorse Jesus “Chuy” Garcia over Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the April 7 runoff.

Wilson said he made the decision, based on the feedback he got from literally hundreds, if not thousands of his supporters through emails, phone calls and his extensive network of black churches.

He’s also held “three-to-five” private meetings with both Emanuel and Garcia to press his demands for both candidates to reopen at least some of the record 50 schools that Emanuel closed, eliminate red-light cameras and establish “fairness” in the awarding of city jobs and contracts.

Wilson has scheduled a news conference to announce his decision. But, on Wednesday, he informed both campaigns of his decision to go with Garcia, then explained the reasons why in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Those red-light cameras on the backs of the poor. Eliminating 50 of them was not enough. They want `em all gone. Not enough fairness in terms of contracts and jobs. And the school situation is a dagger. The school situation is a major, major, major, major,” Wilson said.

“Kids walking through gang territory 2 and 3 miles to get to new schools. Eighty-eight percent of them were in the African-American community. They felt that was wrong. They felt he totally ignored the community when they’re the ones who put him in office.”

http://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-...endorse-garcia