From the Old Guard of transactional politics, to the low ratio of citizens to representatives—we heard from Alex Nitkin of Illinois Answers Project at a recent Documenters event.
By Anna Aguiar Kosicki
Reporter Alex Nitkin talks about what’s changing (and what’s not) at Chicago’s City Council with Chicago Documenters at City Bureau’s office in Bronzeville. (Photo: Grace Del Vecchio)
Chicagoans know that Chicago is a special city for local politics, but how many know how unique our City Council structure really is? Or what an alder actually does?
This month in our Documenters Newswire newsletter, we’ve been catching up on change at City Hall, including what we learned at a recent Better Government Association event and a recap of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first City Council meeting. On May 31, City Bureau’s Documenters continued our dive into the legislative body, with a community discussion led by Alex Nitkin, a solutions reporter for the Illinois Answers Project, which is a nonpartisan news organization. Here were some of the biggest takeaways:
Aldermanic roles look different on paper than in the real world. While in theory Chicago operates on a “strong city council, weak mayor” model, in practice the mayor is stronger. The City Council technically has power to legislate, appropriate funds and provide oversight to the mayor’s office, but these functions are often reduced to supporting the mayor and focusing on specific ward needs and developments. Efforts to shift the balance of power have been haphazard and inconsistent. Many of the “anti-corruption” initiatives this year petered out (Chicago Tribune paywall) when promises of committee placements and open dialogue were floated by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration.
Chicago’s City Council structure brings unique challenges. Chicago has one of the lowest ratios of citizens to local representatives – each alder represents about 50,000 people. In New York City, city council members each represent over 150,000. Chicago’s system was borne of 19th century politics, and avoided the consolidation of city governments that took place during the 1920s and ’30s. This brings some unique benefits; for example, alders are able to tailor services to the needs of their community. But it also brings risks of corruption – an alder might be more inclined to approve your request for a driveway if you purchase services from his private law firm, for example.
The Old Guard was all about transactional politics, but things are changing. Alders like Maria Hadden and Rosanna Rodriguez are leading the charge of what Nitkin labeled “ideological politics” – leading with city-wide policies and ideas rather than tit-for-tat approaches. Many of the new alders (with some notable exceptions) fly this flag. Documenters will keep eyes and ears open to how this shakes things up in the coming years.
Want more? Take a closer look at Nitkin’s slides here.
We asked Chicago Documenters who attended to share their takeaways and hopes for the new city council. Here’s what they had to say (responses have been edited for clarity):
What’s something new you learned today? Did anything surprise you?
“I was surprised to learn that we have such a low ratio of alders to constituents.” - Kiana Salazar
“I learned a lot more about the City Council’s history and their exact powers and limits.” - Mare Ralph
Is there anything you hope will change?
“More direction of alders influencing city-wide policies.” - Jason Sofianos
“More community involvement and balance between ideological commitment and power rebalancing across the mayor's office and City Council.” - Austin Brown
“That council members will care about their residents’ needs, setting aside the political agenda.” -Robyn Meurkson
Anna Aguiar Kosicki started as a Documenter in summer of 2019, and it’s still one of her favorite things to do. She also plans events, manage arts projects throughout the city and is an editor at The New Inquiry, a magazine of culture and politics.
This article was first published on June 2, 2023, as a newsletter. Subscribe to Documenters Newswire, our twice-weekly newsletter for Chicagoans looking to make a difference in their communities.
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