Mayor Lori Lightfoot and candidate Willie Wilson speak at news events on Monday. [City of Chicago; YouTube/WGN News]

Mayor Lori Lightfoot stepped closer than ever to the precipice of a reelection campaign plunge on Monday, announcing a trio of high-level hires her political team said will help her “gear up” for an announcement. And while the mayor once again demurred when asked to make the news official, she did not pass up the chance to implicitly knock philanthropist Willie Wilson hours after he announced a bid to unseat her.