Corruption Case and a Call for Reform: Aldermanic Privilege Under Scrutiny in Chicago

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will push again to eliminate aldermanic prerogative despite overwhelming opposition from the electeds on the Chicago City Council, reports Fran Spielman for the Chicago Sun-Times (Spielman's reportage is based on statements delivered by the mayor on the WBBM-AM Radio program "At Issue").

Mayor Lightfoot cited the racketeering indictment of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan as evidence of the need for reforms of local zoning veto power—the story also involves the former chair of the city's zoning committee, Danny Solis.

"While working undercover, former zoning committee chair-turned-FBI-mole Danny Solis (25th) is accused of trying to use aldermanic prerogative over zoning for corrupt purposes on a land deal in Chinatown," reports Spielman. "The Madigan indictment accuses the former speaker of agreeing to transfer a state-owned parking lot in Chinatown to the city to clear the way for a commercial development in Solis’ ward. In exchange, the developer agreed to hire Madigan’s law firm for its property tax appeals, the indictment alleges."

Mayor Lightfoot is quoted in the article saying that the episode shows how susceptible aldermanic privilege is to corruption.