CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Under Pressure from Mayor Lori Lightfoot, indicted Ald. Carrie Austin has given up her chairmanship of a relatively new Chicago City Council committee.
Austin, who represents the 34th Ward on the Far South Side, had been expected to chair the afternoon meeting of the Committee on Contracting, Oversight and Equity, which is the panel Lightfoot had created and given to her after moving her out as head of the powerful Budget Committee.
But Austin's now facing federal charges for allegedly accepting free home improvements in exchange for helping the developer get a project done and lying to federal agents about it. She's pleaded not guilty.
And while aldermen were waiting to begin the committee meeting, a written statement from Austin was sent to the media. In it she says she's surrendering her chairing of the committee in response to a call from the mayor.
She continues quoting, "I have always attempted to be loyal to the mayor's whom I've served as well as work to achieve resources for my community over the last 28 years as alderman."
Austin is one of three council members under federal indictment Ed Burke and Patrick Daley Thompson are the other two.
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