UIC's Dick Simpson: Lightfoot dealing with more independent City Council

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has won aldermanic approval for much of her legislation during her first two years in office, like her predecessor Rahm Emanuel, but her liberal progressive agenda has faced more opposition from both veteran and freshman City Council members, says a new report.

"Both Lightfoot and Emanuel won approval of their choices for committee chairmen and passed their budgets and spending plans, but Rahm presided over a 'Rubber Stamp’ City Council while Lightfoot had to confront meaningful dissent, amendments and compromises," said Dick Simpson, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and co-author of the report.

In the report, “Emanuel and Lightfoot City Councils,” Simpson and the co-authors compared City Council roll call votes in Emanuel’s last two years with those in Lightfoot’s first two years. Emanuel had 100 percent agreement from 19 alderpersons; Lightfoot had 100 percent from only two.

However, 40 alderpersons supported Lightfoot 80 percent of the time; 43 alderpersons supported Emanuel to the same extent.

Alderpersons who identified as “liberal,” or “progressive” increased their agreement with Lightfoot over Emanuel. For example, Scott Waguespack, (32nd) went from 63 percent to 100 percent for Lightfoot. Conversely, “centrist,” “moderate” or “conservative,” alderpersons – Anthony Beale (9th), Marty Quinn (13th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Nicholas Sposato (38th) and Anthony Napolitano (41st) -- reduced their support for her.

The Progressive Reform Caucus was established in 2013 during Mayor Emanuel’s first term. During his last two years in office, the Caucus had 12 members, but it grew to 18 in the new Council sworn in with Mayor Lightfoot. The larger caucus increased its agreement by six points – to 88 percent – with Lightfoot.

Five of the six Progressive Reform Caucus members who have lowest agreement with Lightfoot identify as socialists. Daniel LaSpata (1st ward), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35rd), Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25), Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd) and Jeanette Taylor (20th) said their disagreement was that Lightfoot had not been progressive enough.

“What we witnessed in the past two years was very unlike what occurred in most City Council meetings since the mid-1950s,” said Simpson, a former Chicago alderman. “But by the standards of the U.S. House and Senate, and those of many state and local governments, such robust give and take, which we experienced during the past two years, is considered a desired feature of democracy.

Mayor Lightfoot is not a “boss,” but she has dealt successfully with this new, more independent council, Simpson said. “After two years, Mayor Lightfoot looks like she will be able to advance her liberal progressive agenda. But she will need to incorporate input and make compromises with aldermen who have their own political agendas.”

Lightfoot has governed with a Center Liberal majority, even though she has faced dissent from right and left wings of the City Council. Accomplishments she has cited include raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, passing a fair work scheduling ordinance, battling COVID-19, ending aldermanic prerogative, strengthening the work of the Inspector General and creating INVEST South/ West to aggregate $750 million to underinvested neighborhoods.

There were also contentious votes that wound up in her favor:

• The 2020 budget approved by the City Council Nov. 26, 2019 did not differ dramatically from Lightfoot’s proposal, designed to close the deficit without significantly raising property taxes. Three ordinances were required for passage: the annual appropriation and amendments covering business fees and taxes, both by 39-11 votes; and the property tax levy, 35-15.

• The 2021 budget of $12.8 billion, which featured debt refinancing to save $500 million in interest, and a property tax increase tied to the annual consumer price index, passed Nov. 24, 2020, by a 28-22 vote.

• Lightfoot’s plan to require developers seeking zoning changes in gentrifying neighborhoods to raise the percentage of affordable units from 10 percent to 20 percent passed 42-8 on April 21. City Council conservatives and three of its six socialists were opposed; the latter said the plan could have been more ambitious.