Today’s meeting will have a City Council that is radically different from the one that met just a month ago. It’s now more diverse than ever before.
Last year, 15 City Council members stepped down, announced plans to retire, or launched campaigns to challenge Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the 2023 mayoral election, which led to a wave of progressive and diverse voices being elected to the council.
More than a quarter of the city council are newly elected. There are now 14 Latiné and two Asian American alders, and more female and LGBTQ alders than on previous councils.
With 13 brand-new alders joining one of the most politically and demographically diverse City Councils in Chicago history, one of Johnson’s challenges will be to coalesce enough votes to advance his progressive agenda. He has pledged to pass major pieces of legislation in his first 100 days in office.
The Bring Chicago Home ordinance would raise the transfer tax on high-end real-estate sales to fund homelessness; Treatment Not Trauma would expand the City’s mental-health crisis response program and reopen shuttered clinics; and GoodKids MadCity’s PeaceBook ordinance would create “Neighborhood Peace Initiatives” to tackle violence. All three ordinances languished in committee under Lightfoot’s administration.
That said, Johnson enjoys broad support among activists and community organizations. If, like Harold Washington, he can engage such groups effectively, Johnson may be able to implement his progressive vision at the grass roots.
During his first week as mayor, Johnson signed four executive orders to boost youth employment, establish a deputy mayor for Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee rights, establish a deputy mayor for community safety to address the root causes of violence, and establish a deputy mayor for labor relations to foster and promote the welfare of wage earners, job seekers and retirees.