Lightfoot stands firm on ending aldermanic prerogative as opposition grows in City Council

“Aldermen are still gonna be able to do their job. What they will not have ... is a unilateral veto right over everything that happens in their ward,” the mayor said.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot answers questions from reporters at CTA headquarters after a celebratory news conference on the state’s $45 billion capital plan.

Fran Spielman/Chicago Sun-Times

Despite mounting City Council opposition, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday stood her ground on her decision to strip Chicago aldermen of their veto power over matters large and small.

The mayor was asked why she felt it necessary to strip aldermen of their control over the location of Divvy stations, special event permits, garbage cart requests and live tree removals when those matters have nothing to do with the corruption scandal that threatens to bring down indicted former Finance Committee Chairman Edward Burke (14th) and former Budget Committee Chairman Carrie Austin (34th).

“Aldermen are still gonna be able to do their job. What they will not have … is a unilateral veto right over everything that happens in their ward,” she said.

“That’s anti-democratic. It clearly leads to corruption. And it’s the kind of thing that every person who has to go through the gauntlet of that system finds oppressive, whether it’s a small business person, [or] ... a person on a block who wants to get something done.”

Hours after taking office, Lightfoot signed an executive order stripping aldermen of their sweeping authority over licensing and permitting in their wards.

It gave city department heads 60 days to implement the changes.

Last week, top mayoral aides held closed-door briefings to spell out for aldermen the specific powers they stand to lose in time to meet the July 19 deadline.

In addition to trees, garbage carts, special event permits and Divvy stations, they were told that a letter of support from the local alderman no longer would be required for: large lots; landmarks; local tax-increment-financing projects; and grants tied to the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, which is bankrolled by contributions from downtown developers.

Aldermen would also lose authority over special service area appointments and budgets, affordable housing matters and demolition applications.

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) accused Lightfoot of using the burgeoning City Council corruption as an excuse to turn aldermen into “bobble-heads.”

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said his entire meeting turned into a gripe session with aldermen “pushing back.”

Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) accused Lightfoot of hanging aldermen out to dry by turning bread-and-butter decisions over to City Hall bureaucrats. He argued that aldermen get blamed for everything and would “pay the price for this.”

On Monday, Lightfoot accused a City Hall reporter of overstating the opposition.

She claimed it came from “the same people who’ve been complaining from Day One….It’s one or two people that have the courage to go on the record and say something about it.”

“This notion that, somehow, [that] I’m stripping them of their reason for being and all of their ability to get things done for their constituents is a complete misnomer,” the mayor said.

“It’s a big deal. I’m not gonna undersell it. But it says you no longer have a unilateral veto right to control everything that goes on in your ward. Those days are over. They can still go out into the community. They can listen. They can advocate. All of those things that they do on a daily basis — those are still in play. But they don’t’ get to play Caesar [and] say `Yay’ or `Nay’ with a veto right. That is done.”

What the mayor failed to mention is that she is chipping away at aldermanic prerogative at the same time that Inspector General Joe Ferguson is conducting a “hiring oversight review” that could strip aldermen of their ability to choose their own ward superintendents.

The double-whammy has far more opposition than the mayor claimed. That will make it even tougher to Lightfoot to win City Council approval of an ordinance stripping aldermen of their iron-fisted control over zoning.

“We’re tied at the hip [without our ward superintendents] trying to get the best services to the people,” said Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), who retained his chairmanship of the Traffic Committee under Lightfoot’s new leadership team.

“Everything falls on us. We want to make sure we cover ourselves. People call 311. But, they still call the alderman and they get mad at us because 311 is not doing something. [If alderman can’t choose their own ward superintendents], it could have an adverse effect on our jobs.”

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