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Aldermen hear warning on expanding city rules to ensure work for minority, women-owned businesses

City Hall

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- While indicted Alderwoman Carrie Austin was giving up chairmanship of a city council committee, that panel was hearing a warning about the city's rules to ensure more work for minority and women-owned businesses.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has a plan for expanding and extending the regulations meant to help businesses owned by African-Americans, Latinos, and women land more city contracts.


Veteran attorney Colette Holt, whom the city hired to study discrimination in the construction trades, warned aldermen that the federal courts have been overturning minority set-aside programs in other places, and they should guard against over-reaching.

"It's rather a grim time for these programs, so I just think it's important for people to have some sense of legal challenges we could be facing," she said.

Holt warned alderman the city could be sued over programs that seem to overreach and she suggested sticking close to the rules that have survived past challenges.

The committee took no votes and operated with vice-chair Alderman David Moore taking the place of the indicted Carrie Austin.