Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she is not going to publicly take sides in the likely referendum to decide new ward boundaries in Chicago.
All along, Mayor Lightfoot has said she hoped the City Council Rules Committee and the Black Caucus would reach a compromise with the Latino caucus on a new ward map responding to the latest census data. But, tempers flared over new Latino wards and the loss of population in African-American wards.
“I’m aware that there have been a number of conversations that have taken place over the last couple of weeks in particular. So, I think there’s still an opportunity but obviously the window of opportunity is starting to close,” said Mayor Lightfoot.
Unless the council can muster 41 votes for a single map, the law says the matter must be put before the people, and the campaigning has already begun.
Mayor Lightfoot told reporters she won’t endorse the rules committee version of the new Chicago ward map that’s been rebranded as the Chicago United Map or the Latino Caucus Map, rebranded as the People’s Coalition Map.
Latino Caucus Chair Alderman Gilbert Villegas is fine with seeing the matter go to the voters.
“This is going to be ultimately decided by the people not by the aldermen because the rules committee has decided to stop engaging in a fair and transparent way, “ Villegas said.
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But Rules Committee Chair Alderwoman Michelle Harris says Villegas and company were being unreasonable.
“When you give me a list and you say, ‘here, this is what I want.’ It’s not a grocery store. This is negotiations, there’s real math, real communities,” Harris said.