'Rubber stamp' council seems to be thing of the past in Chicago: study

Chicago City Hall Photo credit WBBM Newsradio

By Craig Dellimore

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After decades of easily compliant city councils, a new report says Chicago Mayor Lightfoot’s first term looks more like democracy.

Both Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel had near-unanimous City Council votes for their priorities. But UIC Political Science professor Dick Simpson notes Lightfoot has had 131 of what he calls “divided” roll calls.

She still has allies, the alderman said, and Lightfoot has passed three budgets, COVID-19 measures and more. But the current council is “more like a representative democracy — something we don’t try very often in Chicago.”

Simpson and Tom Gradel have put out a study with the telltale title, "City Council Buries Its Rubber Stamp.”

Gradel, a former political consultant, said this new dynamic is a good thing.

Overall, council members support the mayor 85% of the time.

Simpson and Gradel talk at length about their report on this weekend’s “At Issue,” which airs 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sunday.