Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is not doing herself any favors as questions about a contract between the “Census Cowboy” and the city’s economic arm continue to deepen. 

Despite being caught on video in July saying the “Dreadhead Cowboy” Adam Hollingsworth was not paid for his work promoting the U.S. Census on behalf of the city, the mayor now maintains that she cannot remember making that statement. 

“I don’t remember if I said that,” Lightfoot said at a press conference today in response to questioning from WIND AM 560’s Amy Jacobson.  

At the July 14 press conference announcing the masked rider, Lightfoot, an attorney and former prosecutor, played to the cowboy image, wearing a 10-gallon hat. 

“It is not a paid position,” Lighfoot said in a video taken at the event.  

Last week, Chicago City Wire revealed that Hollingsworth in fact was paid $1,000 per day for appearances as the "Census Cowboy" in parts of the city with low Census completion rates.  

Now, in the face of revelations that Hollingsworth, who has a long criminal record, was paid for the appearances, Lighfoot cannot remember and will not acknowledge making the videotaped statements.

Hollingsworth himself admitted to Chicago City Wire that he had been paid for the events, but that his girlfriend had signed the contract on his behalf. 

“I don’t sign things,” he said.

Rather than elaborating on Hollingsworth and the contract in question, Lighfoot zeroed in on Jacobson, suggesting she divert her questioning to other matters. 

“We are way past that point,” Lighfoot said to Jacobson. “We are standing here today, Amy, talking about a crisis in our city. And so I think what we should focus on is the immediate challenges we are facing in the city.” 

Jacobson has faced other such denials and outright attacks in recent months. 

In May, Gov. J.B. Pritzker banned the popular radio host from attending state house press conferences. He later relented, inviting Jacobson back in July only after she and Salem Media, the owner of WIND 560 AM, filed a lawsuit against him in federal court.