Chicago aldermen send Lightfoot letter asking her to follow City Council rules after heated meeting

On Thursday, 22 members of the Chicago City Council sent a letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot asking her to "honor and consistently follow" the body's rules of order.

The letter was sent to Lightfoot after a heated meeting Wednesday that ended abruptly, delaying the confirmation of Lightfoot's nominee for chief legal officer and a controversial vote to rename a portion of Lake Shore Drive.

"We, the undersigned members of the Chicago City Council, hereby call on you – in your current capacity as Presiding Officer – to honor and consistently follow the 2019-2023 Rules of Order and Procedure of the City Council," the letter begins.

The following aldermen – nearly half of the 50 total members of City Council – signed the letter:

  • Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st Ward
  • Ald. Sophia King, 4th Ward
  • Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th Ward
  • Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward
  • Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th Ward
  • Ald. Ed Burke, 14th Ward
  • Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th Ward
  • Ald. Stephanie Coleman, 16th Ward
  • Ald. David Moore, 17th Ward
  • Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th Ward
  • Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd Ward
  • Ald. Silvana Tabares, 23rd Ward
  • Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th Ward
  • Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 26th Ward
  • Ald. Rossana Rodriguez, 33rd Ward
  • Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th Ward
  • Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th Ward
  • Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th Ward
  • Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st Ward
  • Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th Ward
  • Ald. Matt Martin, 47th Ward
  • Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th Ward

"We have witnessed numerous occasions in recent meetings where the various rulings made by you as Presiding Officer have been inconsistent and/or in direct contradiction with the Rules of Order and Procedure," it reads.

"The Rules of Order and Procedure were adopted by the body to ensure a fair and transparent process for legislative movement," the letter continues. "Any deviation from them is not only unacceptable and illegal, but also a manipulation of our democratic process."

The letter was in response to Wednesday's City Council meeting, when tensions became heated.

The fight revolved around the botched Chicago police raid of Anjanette Young. She was left standing naked and handcuffed when officers entered the wrong home.

Alderwoman Jeannette Taylor met Mayor Lightfoot at the back of the council chamber and some heated words were exchanged.

The vote on renaming Lake Shore Drive has been pushed to Friday afternoon.