Brandon Johnson on Chicago’s mayor dominating City Council: ‘That's working for me.’
The mayor's remarks speak to a major flaw in Chicago’s governance structure.
The Chicago City Council is like no other. Just ask the man holding the gavel.
“Chicago is unique in that the mayor, the executive, also presides over the legislative branch,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told Twitch streamer Hasan Piker last week.
“Don’t get any ideas you all. That’s working for me.”
This is an unprecedented remark for a Chicago mayor to make. And it’s correct on two counts.
First, Chicago government is unique in granting the mayor so much authority over City Council. No other big city works this way.
Second, the structure does work well for the sitting mayor. And the interests who have the mayor’s ear.
But it doesn’t work well for Chicago.
The freakish power of Chicago’s mayor
When Johnson calls full City Council meetings to order, he bangs a custom gavel engraved with his name, two Bible verses,1 and two words: “Stay Strong.”
The flourish is fitting.
Chicago stands alone, according to a new analysis from the Chicago Policy Center.2 It is the only big city in the country where the mayor has the power to preside over the council directly, and the power to veto its output.
In cities that put real executive authority in the mayor’s office—as opposed to a council-manager form of government—it is common for the city council to elect its own speaker or president to preside.
The only exception, aside from Chicago, is Houston. But the mayor of Houston does not enjoy veto power.3
Presiding over City Council isn’t the only way the executive dominates the legislative branch in Chicago. Consider a few others:
Chicago is the only big city where the mayor directly fills council vacancies. This empowers the mayor to trade appointments for votes, often resulting in family political dynasties, such as the new Burnett dynasty in the 27th Ward.
The prevailing norm is that the mayor appoints committee chairs, creating an inherent conflict-of-interest when committees are supposed to oversee executive-branch operations.
The mayor’s office dominates the budget process. Check out this great new primer from the Civic Federation on how that played out during the budget fight last year.
Taken together, these structural features make City Council less a check on the fifth floor than an extension of it.
How to change the dynamic
“Who presides over the council?” is a basic governance question. The answer typically rests in city charters.
But Chicago is the only major city in the country without a charter. So these rules live in state law. Per the Illinois Municipal Code: “Mayor presides. The mayor shall preside at all meetings of the city council.”
Booting the mayor from City Council will require help from Springfield.
Aldermen should ask for it.
In the news
Praise for The Last Ward: I was honored to see The Last Ward cited in a new report on Chicago’s media ecosystem published last week by researchers at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Thank you all for your readership, feedback, and action.
High-ranking Democrat calls for Illinois to opt-in to federal scholarship program: Two weeks ago we urged Illinois Democrats to unlock more than $100 million for Chicago students by opting-in to the federal tax credit scholarship program. Last week, Comptroller Susana Mendoza became the highest-ranking Illinois Democrat to call for the same. Her op-ed supporting the program in the Chicago Tribune is a must-read: “Susana Mendoza | Put Illinois students above politics, and opt in to the federal scholarship program.”
Update to the treasurer-boycotting-treasuries controversy: The Chicago Tribune’s Alice Yin ran an important follow-up story on the Chicago treasurer’s boycott of U.S. treasuries. In short: city portfolio managers warned Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin that announcing a boycott of U.S. treasuries would call their fiduciary duty into question. But Conyears-Ervin did it anyway. Readers of The Last Ward know why the city treasurer is a waste of an elected office, and how Chicago can reform it.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
Thanks to my colleague Gerrin Alexander for conducting this comparison.