Lori Lightfoot Ends Chicago Aldermen's Privilege On First Day As Mayor

Chicagos new mayor, Lori Lightfoot, spent part of her first day in office attacking the unwritten tradition of aldermanic privilege, in a move meant to fulfill her campaign promise of reducing corruption in city government.

After her historic inauguration Monday as the citys first openly gay and first black female mayor, Lightfoot signed her first executive order to end what she called the worst abuses of a privilege wielded by the 50 aldermen who make up the Chicago City Council. Aldermanic privilege or more formally, aldermanic prerogative gives the local lawmakers veto power over zoning and permits in their own wards. Technically, its more of a custom since it isnt codified in city law.

The executive order came soon after Lightfoots powerful inaugural speech, where she called for Chicago to come together to address problems in public safety, education and integrity.

For years, theyve said, Chicago aint ready for reform, the new mayor declared. Well, get ready because reform is here.

New Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signs executive order ending aldermanic privilege. @LightfootForChi @nbcchicago #chicago #mayor pic.twitter.com/YyzfCL50rc

Ash-har Quraishi (@ashhar_quraishi) May 20, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Ash-har Quraishi","author_url":"https://twitter.com/ashhar_quraishi","cache_age":86400,"description":"New Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signs executive order ending aldermanic privilege. @LightfootForChi @nbcchicago #chicago #mayor pic.twitter.com/YyzfCL50rc Ash-har Quraishi (@ashhar_quraishi) May 20, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Ash-har Quraishi on 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New Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signs executive order ending aldermanic privilege. @LightfootForChi @nbcchicago #chicago #mayor pic.twitter.com/YyzfCL50rc
Ash-har Quraishi (@ashhar_quraishi) May 20, 2019

Her executive order directs city departments to stop deferring to aldermanic wishes in their decision-making practice unless expressly required by the Municipal Code of Chicago. Each city department must send a report to Lightfoot within the next 60 days describing its decision-making process, including areas when it has deferred to aldermanic prerogative as a matter of custom or practice. These reports must also address what the departments are doing to follow Lightfoots order.

The mayor stressed that aldermen will still have a voice in departmental decision-making, but not veto power.

These practices have gone on here for decades. This practice breeds corruption, Lightfoot said at her inauguration, facing some aldermen in the audience directly. Stopping it isnt just in the citys interest; its in the City Councils own interest.

No official in the City of Chicagoelected or appointedshould ever profit from his or her office. Never. Ever.

This requirement that people must give more to get access to basic city services must end. And it will, starting today.

Mayor Lightfoot #ChicagoInaugural

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No official in the City of Chicagoelected or appointedshould ever profit from his or her office. Never. Ever.

This requirement that people must give more to get access to basic city services must end. And it will, starting today.

Mayor Lightfoot #ChicagoInaugural
Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 20, 2019

Supporters of aldermanic privilege describe the tradition as a way for residents to have a say in what goes on in their own neighborhood. But critics have widely considered it the perfect example of Chicagos government corruption.

The use of aldermanic privilege came up most recently when federal authorities charged Alderman Edward Burke, the citys longest-serving council member ever, with attempted extortion earlier this year for allegedly threatening to slow approval of remodeling plans for a Burger King in his ward unless his law firm was hired for tax work. Burke has denied wrongdoing and won reelection soon after he was charged.

The mayors order did please some council members, including Alderman Michele Smith.

While Aldermanic input is critical in representing the interests of communities, we are working to prevent politics from influencing departmental decisions, Smith said in a release . By signing this executive order, Mayor Lightfoot will ensure that all residents receive the same level of quality service from their government.

Others, such as Alderman Anthony Beale, said the mayors executive order means absolutely nothing.

Its not worth the paper its written on, Beale told the Chicago Tribune .

In any case, the order is just a beginning. Voters wait to see how the new mayor, a former prosecutor and head of a police oversight board who won all 50 wards in an April runoff election, follows through with her promises to check the city council. Lightfoot said in a statement that Mondays move is the first step in a comprehensive ethics reform package to reform the way government works in Chicago.