City Council

Politics

Wednesday, June 23, 2021
10:00 a.m. CDT

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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Chloe Vitale

Appointment of Celia Meza as corporation counsel, DuSable Drive

View notes

Live reporting by Rex Tai

Appointment of Celia Meza as corporation counsel, DuSable Drive

Rex Tai, MD @RexA_Tai

Good morning! I will be live-tweeting today's Chicago City Council meeting, starting at 10 AM CST with @CHIdocumenters @city_bureau.

You can follow along with the livestream of the meeting here: livestream.com/accounts/28669…

01:24 PM Jun 23, 2021 CDT

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Today's meeting agenda can be viewed on Legistar at chicago.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&…

Rex Tai, MD @RexA_Tai 3/28

Meeting called to session at 11:08 AM with a quorum of 49 City Council members present.

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Chairman Harris starts the meeting off by requesting a suspension of rules in order to pass the Omnibus from the previous "exciting" May 26th meeting in which the Omnibus was "overlooked". The motion for reconsideration of the Omnibus moves to voice vote, which fails.

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On to regular business, starting with Public Comment. First up is a minister commenting on the renaming of Lake Shore Drive. He has been troubled by all the coverage describing "compromise" on this decision, i.e. "accepting standards that are lower than desirable."

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He gives a brief summary of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable's life and founding of Chicago, concluding that recognizing his contribution by renaming Lake Shore Drive to Point Du Sable Drive would be "best, right, and honorable".

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Next, regular commenter George Blakemore voices his "outrage" about Chicago's sanctuary city status, putting "illegal" immigrants ahead of enslaved and Black people. He also gives an impassioned outcry about the proliferation of white-owned dispensaries but none black-owned.

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The next commenter from @CAARPRNow speaks in favor of passage of the ECPS Ordinance to allow community oversight of public safety, and "reimagine what safety looks like".

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The following speaker, a fashion designer from Englewood, calls for more civility amongst City Council members, asking them to "respect each other's agendas" rather than acting like mafia bosses in disagreement.

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He also suggests a plan B for Lake Shore Drive, e.g. north of Madison St could remain North Lake Shore Drive, while south of Madison St to the Obama Center could become South Du Sable Drive, adorned with statues and artwork that pay homage to prior Native American inhabitants.

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Another CAARPR representative speaks in favor of the ECPS ordinance & referendum for police accountability, expressing disappointment in how voting on ECPS has been continually blocked, in particular singling out Alds. Taliaferro, Sposato, Tunney, Silverstein, & Cappelman.

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The next few public comments also speak out in support of the Du Sable Drive renaming. A following speaker from @BanTheBootChi laments how the City of Chicago uses the punitive system of ticketing, towing, and booting of cars for revenue off the backs of low-income Chicagoans.

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Next, a representative of @IlliniRestAssoc gives thanks to the mayor and Council for their stimulus packages and removal of red tape supporting small business restaurants & the hospitality industry toward recovery.

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The following speaker, a forester from @Openlands, supports an amendment toward the creation of a Urban Forestry Advisory Board, which will increase federal funding & funding opportunities for Chicago to protect against tree removal, including improved policies and workforces.

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@SBACIL speaks on behalf of the small business community in support of the #ChiBizStrong relief package to strengthen local business in aiding pandemic recovery, for example expediting reopenings & posting business signage.

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With no further public comments, Chair Dowell of the Budget committee is invited. She moves consideration of approval for Celia Meza as Corporation Counsel for the Dept of Law. Other committee members add their praise and enthusiasm of Meza as the first Latina in this role.

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Ald. Raymond Lopez in conjunction w/ Ald. Taylor requests a motion to defer this nomination, in light of the recent deliberation around Anjanette Young's case. He does not elaborate further on the topic at hand.

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Ald. Austin voices disapproval of the motion, saying it sets a bad precedent, and asks Ald. Lopez to withdraw.

Ald. Taylor responds, though her first words are muffled; she concludes by seconding the motion, asking the Council "not to play the game of mistreating ppl in our com

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Chair Dowell says the matter was previously discussed in committee, where the deferral was not addressed; to her this appears like a "last minute drive-by".

Ald. Reboyas asks to focus on the nomination, asserting that the vacancy in Corporation Counsel needs to be filled.

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At this time, Ald. Sposato says he "respects his colleague's decision and won't ask him to change" then motions for a recess.

The council discusses what is allowed under Rule 21 regarding adjourning vs. recess. Clerk Valencia announces the Council will Stand at Ease for 5 min.

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The Council reconvenes amidst much confusion about the motion at hand. They proceed forward with suspension of rules regarding the previous nomination, and next invite Chair Taliaferro to speak on Committee of Public Safety updates.

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Taliaferro brings forward to vote on item A2021-60 regarding the appointment of Annettte Nance-Holt as the 1st black female CFD Commissioner. Multiple Alders speak highly on her nomination & 30 year history of service, with many invited public officials present in support.

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More details on the nomination can be read here: abc7chicago.com/annette-nance-…

After a long series of praise by Council members, Chair Taliaferro moves the nomination to Roll Call Vote. Ald. Sposato also withdraws his prior motion to adjourn.

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Back to regular business, starting with resolutions. The one resolution concerns honoring Bernarda "Bernie" Wong, founder of the Chinese American Service League. abc7chicago.com/bernie-wong-be…

Ald. Ramirez-Rosa remembers her fondly from their collaboration on immigrant rights activism.

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Many other alders and Mayor Lightfoot add similar praise to Wong's legacy, recounting her story moving from Hong Kong and establishing herself in Chicago to aid low-income immigrants.

Ald. Mitchell requests adoption of the resolution by rising vote.

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Ald. Harris is called for the last order of business, and she motions for an ordinance to set the next City Council meeting for Friday, June 25th at 1 PM CST. This ordinance passes 31-18 by roll call vote.

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In another instance of confusion around rules, there are competing motions to adjourn vs. lay on the table. Based on Rule 21, motion to adjourn takes precedence, and this moves to Roll call vote.

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Motion to adjourn passes 27-22 in favor, thus today's City Council meeting is adjourned at 12:20 PM.

Thank you for tuning into today's live tweet coverage of this meeting on behalf of @CHIdocumenters! Notes on this and other meetings can be found at documenters.org/meetings/city-….

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Agency Information

Chicago City Council

chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3166

@ChiCouncil

See Documenters reporting

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