When newly elected aldermanic prez Lewis Reed was getting ready to be installed there was a groundswell within his campaign staff not to give Alderwoman Jennifer Florida the top-paid chief of staff job she had pushed and prayed for. Before Reed was officially sworn in, Florida made the rounds with him, darting in and out of meetings, side-by-side, attempting to accompany him everywhere except to the aldermanic male restroom across from chambers.
Florida’ 15th Ward didn’t exactly deliver the bacon for Reed, though it did give him well over the typical 15 percent of the ward’s vote for an African American running citywide. During Reed’s campaign, Florida was considered by many to be overbearing, rude and grossly insensitive. While Florida reportedly got on everyone’s last nerve, even when she snapped at low-keyed and in control Alderwoman April Ford Griffin, her antics were dismissed and the campaigned moved forward. At one point in the final days of the heated campaign, Florida’ see-saw personality finally disqualified her from even getting the community outreach post, which was taken by Rory Roundtree.
A verbal cat fight recently surprised all who attended a meeting of the often well-mannered Ways and Means Committee, where Alderman Steve Conway was absent, and filling in for him was, you guessed it, Vice Chair Florida. Young and inexperienced Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett – who will be the first to tell colleagues and even her constituency that she’s got a lot to learn – was abruptly cut off by Florida, who thundered something like: “What you’re about to say has nothing to do with the subject matter at hand.” The room was stunned at the apparently clairvoyant Florida. Florida went on … and on … and off.
Ford Griffin, without batting an eyelash, said, “Often times people ask off-the-topic questions to get a better understanding of how things work, and we need to be patient with them and show them some respect, and I don’t appreciate how you handled Alderwoman Triplett’s inquiry.”