CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The longest serving woman on the Chicago City Council, West Side Ald. Emma Mitts (37th), spoke up on Tuesday about an incident between herself and Mayor Brandon Johnson's now-former floor leader Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th).
Addressing her colleagues at Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mitts confirmed that Ramirez-Rosa, who represents the Northwest Side, blocked her from entering the chamber floor.
"I felt like I was back in the South," she said. "I felt like everything in me was shaking."
Mitts said she was at the meeting to represent her community.
"Every woman should be respected," she said. "No one should overexert their power or their authority on them because they can."
The alderwoman thanked her colleagues for showing support and respect for her as a leader.
Her comments were followed by an apology from Ramirez-Rosa, who announced on Monday that he would resign as the City Council floor leader and as the chair of the powerful Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards Committee.
"Thursday's special meeting was chaotic," he said. "Tensions were high. I dramatically overreacted to the intensity of what was happening in that meeting, and there's no excuse for that."
The two embraced in a hug, and the meeting carried on. The issue, though, came up again at the end of an already chaotic day in the City Council chambers. Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) asked City Council members for a censure of Ramirez-Rosa.
"The actions that took place on that day, on that Thursday, do require censure," he said. "They were beyond the pale and unbecoming of our colleague."
Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), whose ward includes Bridgeport, Chinatown and Armour Square, spoke out against the intimidation made behind the scenes.
"Not because I'm out for more blood or that I think that this is not part of the healing process," she said. "In fact, I think this is the first step in the healing process."
After some procedural debate, the vote to censure Ramirez-Rosa was tied at 24-24. Mayor Brandon Johnson broke the tie and voted against the censure, a move he explained to reporters afterward.
"The rule that was invoked did not apply," he said. "It just didn't. Look, this has been quite the journey over the course of, not just these past few days, but clearly you heard pain that predates my administration. Here's the part that I'm grateful for: Ald. Mitts made it very clear that she's committed to restorative practices, and she voted with the rest of her colleagues that censorship did not apply in that particular scenario. We stood with Ald. Mitts today."
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
