Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot is interviewed by reporter Fran Spielman Friday, March 5, 2019. | Rich Hein/Sun-Times

Rich Hein/Sun-Times

EDITORIAL: Don’t back off, Mayor-elect Lightfoot, in ending aldermanic prerogative

Ald. Ray Lopez all but burst into tears.

Lopez on Tuesday complained to our City Hall reporter, Fran Spielman, that Chicago’s incoming mayor, Lori Lightfoot, is so determined to strip aldermen of their powers that she’s basically saying “We don’t need aldermen anymore.”

Well, guess what, Ald. Lopez. Maybe we don’t need aldermen anymore, or rather not as many.

EDITORIAL

We might be fine at this point with cutting the City Council down from 50 members to, say, 35, with the hope that it finally acts more like a thoughtful and responsible legislative body than a bunch of yes-men and connivers. Chicago could have done just great without all those convicted crooks in the Council over the decades, one after another dragged off to prison.

In March, the front-page headline of the Sun-Times after Ald. Willie Cochran pleaded guilty to a felony was not “Guilty Alderman,” but “Another Guilty Alderman.” There was no news in the fact that an alderman was a crook. The news was that another alderman was a crook — that the shameful tradition continues.

So, sorry, Ald. Lopez. Time’s up on respecting the unwritten power of aldermen to call the shots in their wards — their unchallenged authority to decide who gets a liquor license or a driveway permit or a zoning change. Those powers have been abused over and over, making Chicago a national joke when it comes to political corruption and holding back our city when it comes to new business and investment.

Who wants to do business in a town that squeezes you to hire a particular alderman to do your zoning appeals in exchange for a construction permit — the scam at the core of the current federal case against Ald. Ed Burke?

As Spielman pointed out this week, dozens of aldermen have been convicted of crimes while in office and, in almost every case, they abused aldermanic privilege to enrich themselves. It’s the ultimate story of “pay to play” and, honestly, shouldn’t this game be over by now?

Our only regret is that Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot apparently won’t go far enough in eliminating aldermanic prerogative. She reportedly will try to take licensing and permitting decisions out of the hands of the aldermen, but won’t challenge their power over zoning decisions.

Lightfoot may feel she has no choice but to go only halfway on this, her first stab at political reform as mayor. The reality is that she can’t dictate reform to the Council, though we might wish she could, and she’ll need the aldermen’s votes on many big issues over the next four years, beginning with passing a budget.

It’s easy for us to say Lightfoot should take it to the limit and strip the aldermen of their power over zoning, too. But we’re standing on the outside shouting in. Lightfoot actually has to govern.

That said, what the heck, we still want to encourage Lightfoot to go all in. The ability to dictate zoning changes, above all else, has been at the heart of corruption in Chicago for decades. Too many aldermen have abused the power — and the great majority of other aldermen have looked the other way, even fighting oversight by an inspector general.

The Chicago City Council blew its chance to be treated like responsible adults a long time ago.

Why do we think Chicago’s patience with aldermanic prerogative has finally run out?

Because Ald. Cochran pleaded guilty in March.

Because Ald. Burke was named in a criminal complaint in January.

Because Ald. William Beavers was convicted in 2013.

Because Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers pleaded guilty in 2010.

Because Ald. Arenda Troutman pleaded guilty in 2008.

Because Ald. James Laski pleaded guilty in 2006.

Because Ald. Percy Giles was convicted in 1999.

Because Ald. Virgil Jones was convicted in 1998.

Because Ald. Larry Bloom pleaded guilty in 1998.

Because Ald. John Madrzyk was convicted in 1998.

Because Ald. Jesse Evans was convicted in 1997.

Because Ald. Joseph Martinez was convicted in 1997.

Because Ald. Allan Streeter pleaded guilty in 1996.

Because Ald. Ambrosio Medrano pleaded guilty in 1996.

Because Ald. Fred Roti was convicted in 1993.

Because Ald. Marian Humes pleaded guilty in 1998.

Because Ald. Perry Hutchinson was convicted in 1988.

Because Ald. Chester Kuta pleaded guilty in 1987.

Because Ald. Wallace Davis Jr. was convicted in 1987.

Because Ald. Cliff Kelley pleaded guilty in 1987.

Because Ald. Louis Farina was convicted in 1983.

Because Ald. Tyrone Kenner was convicted in 1983.

Because Ald. William Carothers was convicted in 1983.

Because Ald. Stanley Zydlo pleaded guilty in 1980.

Because Ald. Edward Scholl pleaded guilty in 1975.

Because Ald. Donald Swinarski pleaded guilty in 1975

Because Ald. Paul Wigoda was convicted in 1974

Because Ald. Tom Keane was convicted in 1974.

Because Ald. Frank Kuta was convicted in 1974.

Because Ald. Joe Potempa pleaded guilty in 1973.

Because Ald. Casimir Staszcuk was convicted in 1973.

Because Ald. Joe Jambrone was convicted in 1973.

Because Ald. Fred Hubbard pleaded guilty in 1972.

And those were just the crooks that got caught.

Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com.

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