>>> WHEN SHE BECAME MAYOR, LORI LIGHTFOOT PROMISED THAT THE PEOPLE IN HER ADMINISTRATION WOULD REFLECT THE CITY'S ETHNIC DIVERSITY.

NOW, AS THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WAITS IN THE WINGS, A WTTW NEWS ANALYSIS EXAMINED WHETHER SHE MADE GOOD ON THAT PROMISE .

WE ALSO ASK WHAT LATINO HIRING MIGHT LOOK LIKE UNDER THE NEXT MAYOR, BRANDON JOHNSON.

JOINING US ARE EMMANUEL PEREZ WHO SERVED UNDER MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, DEPUTY MAYOR FOR INTO GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS.

HE IS NOW SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF REAL ESTATE CAPITAL.

HE IS ALSO AFFILIATED WITH THE ILLINOIS LATINO AGENDA.

CARLOS IS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND 26 WARD PERSON ELECT JESSE POINTERS, FORMER CO-CHAIR OF THE PUERTO RICAN AGENDA.

WELCOME ALTER CHICAGO TONIGHT.

AS WE MENTIONED, A NUMBER OF HIGH PROFILE LATINO APPOINTMENTS THAT MAYOR LIGHTFOOT DID NOT KEEP UP WITH THE PACE OF GROWTH WITH LATINOS IN THE CITY.

PEREZ IS SOMEBODY WHO IS IN THE ADMINISTRATION.

WHAT CAN YOU ADD?

>> THE MAYOR MADE SIGNIFICANT APPOINTMENTS TO KEY POSITIONS THAT HAD NOT SEEN THE DIVERSITY THAT OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS HAD.

SHE DEFINITELY ADVANCED THE AGENDA THAT SHE SET OUT WHICH WAS EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

IN PLACES LIKE THE LAW DEPARTMENT WHERE WE SAW THE FIRST LATINO -- THAT WAS VERY SIGNIFICANT, PLACES LIKE PTS WHERE WE HAD PEDRO MARTINEZ WHO NOT ONLY IS HOMEGROWN CHICAGOAN AND WENT TO CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WAS QUALIFIED AND IN A POSITION TO BE AT LEADERSHIP -- I THOUGHT SHE DID VERY WELL IN KEY APPOINTMENTS.

>> LET'S LOOK AT THE STATEMENT THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE MAYOR REGARDING THIS ANALYSIS THAT WE DID.

IT IS A STATEMENT IN WHICH SHE DEFENDS THE RECORD.

SHE GOES ON TO SAY THE MAYOR HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO DIVERSIFYING KEY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS FROM THE START OF HER ADMINISTRATION.

THE ACTION IS SELF-EVIDENT WITH UNPRECEDENTED EMPLOYMENTS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE CITY'S FIRST LATINO CORPORATION COUNSEL, THE FIRST LaTINA CEO OF THE CHICAGO PARKS DISTRICT, THE FIRST LATINO CEO OF CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

WHEREAS, IT IS NOT PERFECT BUT IT IS BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN PAST ADMINISTRATIONS AND BETTER THAN WHAT WE SEE ACROSS GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE SECTOR.

THIS IS NOT A MOMENT TO TAKE A VICTORY LAP AS OUR WORK TO ADVANCE EQUITY REMAINS ONGOING.

JESSE POINTERS, YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER GOVERNMENT AS AN OLDER PERSON.

WHAT YOU MAKE OF THE MAYOR'S STATEMENT?

>> MY COLLEAGUES HERE MENTIONED THAT LORI MADE APPOINTMENTS THAT WE HAD NOT SEEN.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE IS SO MUCH WORK TO DO AND WE HAVE SEEN THAT IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC WHEN LATINO COMMUNITIES WERE SUFFERING THE MOST AND THERE WERE OFTEN LITTLE RESOURCES.

WE ALSO ARE WATCHING MIGRANTS COME TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND ARE HOPING TO RECEIVE THE TYPE OF RESOURCES THEY DESERVE.

IN ORDER TO DO SO, IT IS MUCH MORE THAN APPOINTMENTS.

IT IS ABOUT ENSURING THE PEOPLE THAT WE PUT IN POSITIONS HAVE THE TALENT, THE INTELLECT AND ARE ABLE TO SERVE THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE GRAPH THAT SHOWS WHAT THE CITY'S POPULATION IS IN RELATION TO THE NUMBER OF APPOINTEES.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE SEE THAT LATINOS COMPROMISE 49.9% OF THE CITY'S POPULATION.

THE MAYOR'S APPOINTEES ARE 27% AND YET THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CITY EMPLOYEES ARE 25%.

CARLOS, CLOSE ENOUGH?

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT?

>> I THINK I WOULD ECHO WHAT MY COLLEAGUE SAID.

MAYOR LIGHTFOOT MADE SOME KEY APPOINTMENTS.

BY NO MEANS, AS THEY POINTED OUT, IS IT A VICTORY LAP BUT IT IS GOOD TO SEE HOMEGROWN TAKING OVER THE REINS AT CPS.

I AM EXCITED FOR HIS NEXT SET OF IDEAS AND PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES BUT THERE IS A LOT OF ROOM FOR GROWTH AND I AM EXCITED FOR -- THE KEYWORD IS HOPEFUL UNDER THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION.

>> MANNY PEREZ, SOME PEOPLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION, ONE CAN IMAGINE PEOPLE SAYING WE NEED MORE CANDIDATES.

WHERE CAN WE FIND THEM?

WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE TALENT POOL OUT THERE THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR THESE HIGH-LEVEL POSITIONS?

>> I THINK IT IS VERY CHALLENGING TO FIND FOLKS THAT ARE READY TO STEP IN DAY ONE IN HIGH-LEVEL GOVERNMENT POSITIONS UNLESS THEY HAVE ALREADY HAD PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE.

IT IS A LOT EASIER TO GET FOLKS AT A LEVEL, AT A NUMBER TWO OR NUMBER THREE POSITION SO FOLKS UNDERSTAND THE JOB, UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM AND THEN GROW INTO THE POSITION.

>> YOU WERE PROMOTED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.

JESSIE FUENTES, YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE TALENT POOL IN THE PIPELINE WITH THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION?

>> I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE EXTREMELY TALENTED PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE HAVE ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR DECADES.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES THAT AN INTIMATE LEVEL.

WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TAP INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND LISTEN TO WHO THEY BELIEVE DESERVES THEM.

>> CARLOS, WHAT WORKS TO HIRING, WHAT WORKS IN RECRUITING?

>> FOLKS NEED TO BE OUT THERE.

WHEN I SAY OUT THERE WITH THESE NONPROFITS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, MEET WITH THE PUBLIC SECTOR FOLKS.

I HEAR THE MENTIONS OF GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THOSE NUMBER TWO, NUMBER THREE.

THOSE FOLKS NEED TO BE OUT AND ABOUT AS WELL, GETTING THAT EXPERIENCE.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS.

WE HAVE METROPOLITAN LEADERSHIP, THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME AS WELL.

CHICAGO LATINO POCKET FOUNDATIONS, THESE ARE JUST SOME BUT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, THOSE FOUNDATIONS ALSO HELP BREED AND GET THESE FOLKS OUT IN FRONT.

>> MANNY PEREZ, SOMEONE AS ONE OF THE HIGHEST RANKING LATINOS IN THE LIGHTFOOT ADMINISTRATION, MAYBE YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE COMMENTING ON WHAT THE NEW MAYOR SHOULD DO BUT A POLL BY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY FOUND THAT THERE WAS A NOTABLE OUTREACH BY BOTH CAMPAIGNS TO LATINO VOTERS.

IS THAT IT TROUBLING SIGN IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL HIRING?

>> WHEN 30% OF THE POPULATION IS LATINO, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REACH OUT TO THAT PART OF THE POPULATION, TO BE INCLUSIVE, TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

WHAT I HAVE SEEN FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION SO FAR IS THE SIGNALING THAT LATINO WILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.

IN THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DEPUTY CHAFF BEING SENATOR, I THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY PROMISING BECAUSE I UNDERSTOOD, AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THAT SHE WAS GOING TO BE IN A PROMINENT POSITION UNDER SOMEONE WITH RICH GUIDANCE WITH AN INCREDIBLE PUBLIC SERVANT WHO HAS BEEN AROUND A CITY GOVERNMENT FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND THAT WILL BE A GOOD PAIRING FOR CHRISTINA TO LEARN FROM RICH AND FOR RICH TO LEARN FROM