Lightfoot showcases her form of ‘democracy’ at 2nd City Council meeting

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first City Council meeting featured a bizarre invitation to humiliate her political nemesis: indicted Ald. Edward Burke (14^th).

Her second meeting gave Chicagoans an even wider window into how different her style will be and how “democracy” will work under her leadership.

It started with the 30 minutes of public comment that has preceded City Council meetings since July 2017, when a lawsuit forced now-former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s hand.

Emanuel always looked like he was bored or about to have a tooth pulled during those sessions. Never did he engage with a public participant.

Lightfoot listened intently from the rostrum, making eye contact with every speaker when she wasn’t taking notes.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

When Patrick Murray, first vice-president of the Fraternal Order of Police, accused the new mayor of freezing the police union out of transition discussions on public safety and police reform, Lightfoot was ready to do battle, just as she had been with Burke.

“If you’re serious in moving Chicago forward, you must be willing to gather input from everyone — and that includes the FOP. You will have difficulty achieving your goals if you do not include us,” Murray said.

Murray then referred to the unsubstantiated rumor that Lightfoot saw fit to repeat: that the FOP had told members to “lay back” and “do nothing” over Memorial Day weekend.

“False rumors are spread when there’s a lack of communication,” Murray said.

“I will tell you right now, we will be willing to meet with you… at any time.”

Lightfoot didn’t miss a beat.

“Any time you’re willing to move forward on reform and not block every single issue and criticize and say, `No,’ my door is open. I’ve said that to your president. No one’s taken me up on it, sir,” she said to applause.

The FOP has been Lightfoot’s second-favorite foil since her days as Police Board president and co-chairman of the Task Force on Police Accountability.

Her first favorite foil, Burke, decided to play nice on Wednesday — by complimenting Lightfoot’s corporation counsel Mark Flessner before a confirmation vote.

“I see from his resume he may well be the first corporation counsel in Chicago’s history to hold a degree of master of divinity. Clearly, he will add some spirituality to the Department of Law and that’ll be for the good,” Burke said.

Lightfoot replied, “Thank you, alderman.”

The Council also confirmed Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara and Budget Director Susie Park, followed by “attagirls” from the new mayor about the formidable challenges facing both.

Afterwards, Lightfoot acknowledged her first budget will include budget cuts and tax increases to erase a shortfall she claims is “north of $700 million.”

“There’s no question that we’re gonna have to come to the taxpayers and ask for additional revenue. What that ask is, remains an open question because we’re still trying to get our arms around how big is the deficit … and what can we do to winnow it down,” she said.

“We’ve gotta demonstrate to taxpayers in the city that we are taking a different approach to running city government much more efficiently.”

The difficult vote ahead — and the resistance Lightfoot is already facing in her drive to end aldermanic prerogative — explains why she’s shooting down Inspector General Joe Ferguson’s renewed proposal to shift control over street resurfacing from the cherished aldermanic menu program to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

“Aldermen do a number of things with their menu money that is in support of their communities. To shackle them and take that away doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever,” she said.

Lightfoot got a rousing standing ovation from aldermen when she announced the dates and times for City Council meetings for the remainder of the year had already been posted.

As for the $15-an-hour minimum wage ordinance introduced Wednesday, Lightfoot reiterated her support.

But it’s not on the fast track. More negotiations and public hearings are needed.

“It’s not going to be … like we’ve seen in the past where all these negotiations go on behind closed doors. Some people are in. Some people are out. Then something gets introduced and then, it’s quickly passed,” she said.

“It’s going to go through a deliberative process in public so that people have an opportunity to be seen and heard… We will have a different process going forward… That’s what democracy is gonna look like from here forward in the city of Chicago.”