Mayor Rahm Emanuel will name former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Andrea Zopp to a new City Hall position as a deputy mayor on Thursday, placing the businesswoman and former head of the Chicago Urban League in charge of neighborhood economic development.



Emanuel's move to appoint a prominent African-American woman to the post allows him to address what some critics view as a shortcoming of his administration – a failure to create enough jobs and business opportunities in economically-depressed neighborhoods on the South and West sides. The new cabinet-level position for Zopp also comes as Emanuel works to rebuild trust in the African-American community after his handling of the Laquan McDonald police shooting controversy have driven his approval ratings, particularly among black voters, down to record lows.



In that vein, Emanuel also will announce Thursday morning that the CTA will make improvements to four bus routes and two branches of the Green Line on the South Side.



Zopp will carry both the title of deputy mayor and chief neighborhood development officer to "further drive the mayor's neighborhood strategy and improve the quality of life in every corner of the city," Emanuel's office announced in a news release late Wednesday night.



The Emanuel administration said Zopp will have a wide range of responsibilities on creating growth at small businesses, attracting large companies and manufacturers to the city, improving roads and bridges, adding more parks and fighting crime.



"Zopp's charge will be to build on these efforts, while driving the work of the entire administration through the lens of building better neighborhoods – from city services to infrastructure to education to economic development to public safety and expanding opportunities in struggling communities," Emanuel spokeswoman Lauren Huffman said in the news release.



Those are areas that Emanuel came under fire for during his 2015 re-election campaign, when challenger and Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia repeatedly railed against what he termed the mayor's neglect of the neighborhoods. That strategy played to critics who have painted Emanuel as "Mayor 1 percent," a politician who accepts large political contributions from millionaires and doesn't always put a priority on serving all of the city's 77 neighborhoods.



Zopp made her first foray into politics last year, when she announced she'd take on U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the March 2016 Democratic primary for U.S Senate. Zopp finished a distant second in the three-way contest with 24 percent of the vote.



Prior to her run for Senate, Zopp served as the CEO and president of the Chicago Urban League. Zopp also worked in the corporate boardrooms of Sara Lee, Sears Holdings and Exelon, earning an executive salary, but she positioned her Senate campaign as one representing the underserved and impoverished within the African-American community.



That theme dovetails with her new City Hall position, but her background goes beyond business.



A 1981 Harvard Law graduate, Zopp worked in the criminal division in the U.S. attorney's office. A decade later, she joined the Cook County state's attorney's office under Republican Jack O'Malley and went on to become the first woman and first African-American appointed to the position of first state's attorney.



Emanuel's office also announced current Deputy Mayor Steve Koch would remain in his position, which he has held since 2012.



Koch, the mayor's office said, "will continue to oversee economic affairs for the city, including responsibility for the city's financial team, economic and development policy, driving job growth and attracting corporate headquarters."



On Thursday, Emanuel and Zopp are scheduled to appear at the 95th Street Red Line station to announce a series of CTA service changes. Here they are, according to the administration:



*The 95th Street bus will combine separate east and west segments to create a continuous route.



*The #4 Cottage Grove bus will extend south from 95th Street to 115th Street.



*The #71 71st Street bus will extend all trips from 73rd to 112th and Torrence, with increased frequency.



*The #26 South Shore Express service will start earlier and run later.



*The #34 Michigan and #119 Michigan/119th bus routes will see more buses running during midday and evening hours.



*The Cottage Grove and Ashland/63rd branches of the Green Line will get more trains during rush hours.