An alderman considering a run against Mayor Rahm Emanuel has raised a little over 10 percent of the money he estimates it would take to mount a challenge to the incumbent in 2015.



Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, has $326,000 in his campaign fund, according to a finance report he filed late Tuesday. He raised $112,000 from April to June, the three-month period covered in the report filed with the State Board of Elections.



Fioretti told the Tribune Tuesday he didn't know how much he had in his war chest, but said it would take between $3 million and $5 million to run a credible mayoral campaign.



In the wake of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's announcement Tuesday that she would not run against Emanuel, Fioretti said he has not yet decided whether to throw his hat in the ring.

"I'm in good health and ready for the challenges that face us here, because it is going to be serious," he said.



He also said he had talked to Preckwinkle about whether she would run and was not surprised by her decision to opt out.



"There's not a lot of time — this election's in February," Fioretti said. "Why wait until November to clear the air and see if she wasn't going to be a candidate, and on the last day she never files any petitions? I think she needs to concentrate on the problems that are affecting the County Board, including a $169 million shortfall."



Preckwinkle has scheduled a public hearing on the county budget forecast for 6 p.m. this evening.



Fioretti, a frequent Emanuel critic, was gearing up for a potential mayoral race four years ago but cut the effort short when he was diagnosed with tonsil cancer.



jebyrne@tribune.com

