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The Chicago City Council still has not found a new leader for its powerful Zoning Committee after a mayoral ally on Wednesday delayed a vote to appoint radical progressive Councilman Byron Sigcho-Lopez to the position.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has recently been trying to drum up support for the outspoken Pilsen councilman and staunch Johnson supporter to fill the seat that has been vacant for eight months since the mayor’s initial choice. Resigned due to controversy over how he exercised his powers. However, Johnson’s hand-picked Rules Committee chairwoman, City Councilwoman Michelle Harris, chose not to raise the matter at Wednesday’s City Council meeting and did not explain why she was blocking a vote on the mayor’s choice for the key position.
But mayoral critic Brendan Reilly, 42nd Councilman, sounded a warning early in the meeting, handing out flyers pointing out that under the rules, Sigcho-Lopez’s appointment required 34 votes of 50 members instead of 26 because it was rushed to the full council.
Three months ago, several members of the City Council tried unsuccessfully to strip Sigcho-Lopez, 25, of his position as chairman of the Housing Commission. Giving a speech in front of a burning American flag There have been calls for unruly protests at next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago and for harsh condemnation of the Israel-Gaza war.
Sigcho-Lopez insisted after attending the rally in March that he did not see the flag burn. City council members said at the time that a Marine veteran had set the flag on fire before Sigcho-Lopez arrived to protest U.S. support for Israel. Still, Sigcho-Lopez’s strong criticism of the Middle East wars has angered pro-Israel supporters, including the Anti-Defamation League.
Mr. Pilsen has also been a vocal critic of gentrification in his heavily Latino Southwest District, often drawing criticism from the real estate industry. Real estate agents and developers say that attitude has a negative impact on development.
By seeking to hire Sigcho-Lopez to serve as the influential precinct chairperson — a position held by former 25th District Councilman Danny Solis When he faced federal corruption charges — Johnson hinted that he plans to continue to push his left-wing agenda, which the zoning committee has yet to fully act on. Councilman Bennett Lawson, No. 44, who has more moderate political views, will keep his zoning committee seat for now.
The zoning board has been without a permanent chair since early November, when Johnson’s top choice, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, resigned amid allegations of bullying. The impasse reflects the Johnson administration’s slow pace in handling vacancies and the hostility of the City Council in this era.
Ramirez-Rosa, 35, was accused of “manhandling” Councilwoman Emma Mitz, 37, after a video surfaced showing Ramirez-Rosa standing in front of the City Council door as she tried to enter the room to vote on a symbolic question about the city’s sanctuary status in this year’s primary election. Three other council members then accused him of threatening to use his zoning powers to derail projects in their districts if they opposed him in the vote.
Ramirez-Rosa publicly apologized to Mitts, who cast the deciding vote that saved him from censure, but denied allegations of “manhandling” and bullying. He has been trying for months to regain his seat, but his efforts to win the support of black lawmakers ultimately failed.
He also pulled strings behind the scenes to try to clear his name by commissioning staff to conduct a legislative “analysis” of his decision to serve as zoning chairman to prove he had complied with alderman’s prerogatives while in office, according to the report obtained by the Tribune in a public records request. His office presented its findings to Johnson’s team in late May, but the mayor chose Sigjo-Lopez anyway.
Johnson also sought to appoint Councilman Walter Burnett, 27, to replace Sigcho-Lopez as chairman of the Housing Committee, an olive branch to the Black Caucus following a dispute between Mitts, the longest-serving Black woman on the committee, and Ramirez-Rosa.
Burnett is a moderate on the council who supports Johnson’s opponent in the 2023 runoff, Paul Wallace. Still, Johnson appointed Burnett as deputy mayor shortly after his election in an effort to broaden his political alliance. His appointment was also delayed on Wednesday.
Most votes put on hold, but zoning committee appointed
Many of the much-anticipated bills that were up for a vote on Wednesday were put on hold, with passage delayed as the Legislature goes into recess in August. The delay was largely due to an ethics dispute between the mayor and progressive ally Matt Martin, the 47th councilman.
Martin’s ordinance would restrict lobbyists from donating to Chicago’s mayor. The rule was already on the statute book by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2011, but the city’s Ethics Commission deemed it unenforceable as it sought to crack down on registered lobbyists who improperly donated to Johnson’s political committee.
Martin, who introduced the ordinance on the ethics committee that Johnson appointed him to chair, said the ordinance simply prevents a “backslide.” Last month, two city council members used a council maneuver to delay a final vote on the measure.
Martin was unsure whether he would reconsider the ordinance before meeting with the mayor on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he told the Tribune he now intends to seek final approval in September and said he was considering adding to the bill.
City councilors have postponed a vote that would have re-legalized construction of additional residential units in much of the city. Legislation to ease construction restrictions has stalled as the mayor and sponsor, 44th City Councilman Bennett Lawson, continues to debate how the bill would affect neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes.
Aldermen also did not consider developing Lincoln Park near the Chicago River because it would violate the City Council’s tradition of aldermanic privilege. The 615-unit development, with a 25-story tower and a 15-story tower, made it through the zoning board with Johnson’s support despite opposition from Councilman Scott Waguespack (32), who said the project was too large for the area.
But the council did approve two of Johnson’s appointees to the Zoning Commission, the first time the panel has had members in nearly two years and the same day Sigjo-Lopez was promoted to the leadership position, adding another jolt to the mayor’s left-wing housing agenda.
Former 46th District Councilwoman Helen Shiller and Swathi Staley, general counsel for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, were approved on a voice vote.
Earlier this year, a proposed homeless shelter in the same ward failed to make it through a ZBA vote, and pro-development advocates complained that business was slowing and that the now-closed vacancies were a hindrance to Johnson’s progressive agenda.
Ordinance targeting hate leaflets goes into effect, aims to lower speed limits
Councilmen also approved an ordinance proposed by Councilman Timmy Knudsen, 43, that would impose a new $1,000 fine for distributing hate leaflets. The bill was a response to anti-Semitic leaflets with rat poison attached that were left on 80 cars in Lincoln Park.
Knutson said the white supremacist group responsible for distributing the leaflets “did not break any law” but will now face punishment.
Aldermen also approved paying nearly $22 million to settle lawsuits against the city, including an $11.2 million deal to end a lawsuit alleging sex-discriminatory hiring practices at the fire department.
Councilman Daniel La Spata (1st) has introduced an ordinance that would lower the citywide speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph. The bill would also launch a pilot program that would allow Chicagoans to photograph cars blocking bus and bike lanes leading to Route 311 so the city can ticket the offending drivers.
jsheridan@chicagotribune.com
ayin@chicagotribune.com
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