Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) is resigning from his posts as chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee and as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s floor leader, a decision coming just days after being accused of “manhandling” the Council’s longest-serving Black woman.
“Because the position of Floor Leader especially requires the confidence of our colleagues, and because through my actions I lost that confidence, I have informed the mayor that I will be stepping down from that position,” Ramirez-Rosa said in a statement. “Furthermore, I am resigning as Chair of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards effective December 1st, to allow time for an effective transition.”
“I cannot take away the mistakes I made last week,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “But I hope to be able to rebuild the trust we have in each other as we move forward as a Council that addresses the important issues impacting Chicago.”
With historic political tensions between Black and Hispanic residents running high because of the migrant crisis, Johnson simply could not afford to stand behind Ramirez-Rosa after he had been accused of getting physical with Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) in an attempt to prevent her from entering a special City Council meeting on Thursday.
The special meeting was called in an attempt to approve an advisory referendum asking Chicago voters in March whether Chicago should remain a sanctuary city.
Ramirez-Rosa was frantically trying to persuade alderpersons not to enter the Council chambers to prevent alderpersons Anthony Beale (9th) and Ray Lopez (15th) from reaching the 26-vote quorum they needed to continue the meeting.
Mitts could not be reached for comment. The Council’s Black Caucus stood behind her and demanded Ramirez-Rosa’s resignation as floor leader.
“Much has been reported about last week’s incidents at a special meeting of the Chicago City Council. Tensions were high at a chaotic meeting, and I let that get the best of me, leading me to act in a way unbecoming of a leader. I sincerely apologize to my colleague, Alderwoman Emma Mitts, for the disrespectful interaction outside of Council Chambers. I also apologize to other colleagues who I have heard also felt disrespected and harmed by my actions — Alderpeople Lee, Cardona, and Taliaferro,” Ramirez-Rosa said in his statement.
“I feel awful about everything that happened. I have reached out to my colleagues to apologize directly and seek to make amends. I made mistakes, and I learned valuable lessons. I take full responsibility for what I’ve done,” he stated.
Ramirez-Rosa’s resignation followed a weekend of frenzied negotiations aimed at finding a way to save his job. Sources said Johnson spent several days attempting to reach Mitts but initially failed.
When the mayor finally reached her Sunday, sources said Mitts told the mayor and her pastor that Ramirez-Rosa did not “put his hands” on her while trying to prevent her from entering the chambers.
But when Mitts spoke to her colleagues in the Black Caucus Sunday night, sources said she told a different version of events. She essentially backed Black Caucus Chairwoman Stephanie Coleman (16th), who has been leading the charge to use the incident to get rid of Ramirez-Rosa.
“That just further inflamed people, and it’s become a racial thing now” and a test of whether Johnson would stand with the Black community, said a source familiar with the behind-the-scenes maneuvering. “People were saying, ‘Mr. Mayor, are you really going to protect this Brown man who assaulted a Black woman?’”
Ramirez-Rosa has a dramatically different version of Thursday’s chaotic events.
Sources said he told Johnson his back was to the door of the Council chambers when he saw Mitts walking toward the door to enter the special meeting on the sanctuary city resolution.
Ramirez-Rosa reportedly claimed he engaged Mitts in conversation in an attempt to persuade her not to enter the meeting.
While that conversation was going on, Lopez was “yelling at the sergeant-at-arms” to “grab alderpersons” in the annex behind the chambers and “bring them into the chamber.”
A few minutes later, after speaking on the floor in favor of the resolution, Lopez “ran out and, in that moment, grabbed” Mitts. For a “brief second,” all three alderpersons — Lopez, Ramirez-Rosa and Mitts — “came in contact,” according to the now-former floor leader’s version of events.
Sources said Ramirez-Rosa told the mayor he then “quickly moved out of the way” allowing both Mitts and Lopez to enter the meeting.
Either way, Johnson simply could not afford to let the issue fester, not with his $16.6 billion budget pending and the migrant crisis threatening to blow a $200 million-plus hole in it.
If the Ramirez-Rosa situation was going to stymie Johnson’s progressive agenda, it wasn’t immediately evident Monday. Johnson’s budget and all of its companion ordinances, including the city’s $1.8 billion property tax levy, breezed through the Budget and Finance committees.
The budget includes a fourth full-time staffer for each of the 50 alderpersons instead of having staffers paid through aldermanic expense accounts. It will be deferred and published on Tuesday, setting the stage for a final vote next week.
In a statement released by the mayor’s office, Johnson said he and Ramirez-Rosa both “agreed he should step down” as floor leader and Zoning chair. Johnson’s statement said he spoke to both Ramirez-Rosa and Mitts, but it did not reveal exactly what either of them told him about their version of events.
“Alderwoman Mitts is a venerable leader and woman of abiding faith who is committed to public service and the principles of accountability and mercy. Alderman Ramirez-Rosa has acknowledged his transgressions, apologized to his colleagues and committed himself to rebuilding trust,” Johnson was quoted as saying.
“It is not lost on me that Thursday’s events occurred during a time of heightened tension at City Hall. In recent months, the forces of division have preyed on our city, pitting us against each other in the most destructive ways. I am confident we will find a way to move forward and regain the trust and respect necessary to have a functioning legislative body. Let us all recommit ourselves to the principles of respect and civility,” the mayor stated.
Lopez said he was not satisfied with the Johnson administration’s attempts at damage control.
He said he was particularly concerned that allowing Ramirez-Rosa to continue as Zoning chairman until Dec. 1 would allow him to withhold zoning approval of projects in an attempt to get even with colleagues he blamed for engineering his ouster.
Lopez demanded Johnson clean house by dumping Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry and veteran Law Department deputy Jeff Levine, whom he accused of attempting to sabotage the special meeting.
Ramirez-Rosa also is accused of threatening several veteran committee chairs, including Police and Fire Committee Chair Chris Taliaferro (29th), who also attended last week’s special meeting.
“What Carlos said to me was, ‘This meeting cannot happen or cannot continue. I need you to leave,’” said Taliaferro.
“And what I said to Carlos was, ‘No. I’m not leaving. I support the ordinance. I believe our residents should have a voice when it comes to whether or not we should remain a sanctuary city,’” Taliaferro said Monday. “And he said, ‘Well, don’t expect anything from me in my [Zoning] committee.’”
Sources said that’s a charge Ramirez-Rosa also has denied. He has told the mayor he simply told various chairs they were “part of a team” and that he needed that “team” to be united against the resolution and attempts to pass it.
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) said Monday he had prepared a letter of censure over the weekend and plans to move to suspend the rules at Tuesday’s Council meeting to discuss the situation “so it’s not something that just gets brushed aside with a resignation.”
Now that Ramirez-Rosa is out, Johnson must quickly go about the business of finding a new floor leader and Zoning chair.
If he wants someone more likable and less confrontational, floor leader speculation could center on Vice Mayor Walter Burnett (27th), the Council dean, or Ethics Chairman Matt Martin (47th), one of the Council’s brightest, most up-and-coming stars.
Veteran Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th), Workforce Development Chairman Mike Rodriguez (22nd) and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) are also possibilities. Finance Chairwoman Pat Dowell (3rd) said she has her hands full with that committee and is not interested in taking on an additional role.
Former Mayor Richard M. Daley was forced to dump his floor leader, then-Ald. Patrick Huels (11th), eight years into his 22-year administration after Huels became embroiled in corruption scandal.
Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot replaced Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) with Michelle Harris (8th) after two years, but her contentious relationship with the City Council continued.
Johnson was forced to make a change before the six-month benchmark.
But Taliaferro said he believes Johnson’s swift handling of the controversy surrounding Ramirez-Rosa will minimize the political damage.
“This is something the mayor had no control over. He was out of town when these actions transpired. I don’t believe it should have any political fallout,” Taliaferro said.
“He got back in town. He spoke with all the parties involved and expressed himself as to what occurred. And the matter has been resolved, as far as I know,” he said.
Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout
