Latest news with #ZoningCommittee
Chicago Tribune
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
The Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz for July 19
Temperatures cooled down in Chicago this week, but there was plenty of heat at City Hall. Mayor Brandon Johnson's granny flat ordinance was stalled by opponents, efforts to override the mayor's veto of a teen curfew rule failed and City Council members began jockeying to be the next Zoning Committee chair as Ald. Walter Burnett vacates the position at the end of the month. The midterm election may seem far away, but many races are well underway. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is running for Sen. Dick Durbin's soon-to-be-empty seat, is already airing ads. The Cook County Democratic Party began issuing endorsements (or in some cases, no endorsements) this week. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza appears to be eyeing a second mayoral bid after announcing her decision to not to run for reelection as the state's top fiscal officer. And in the very crowded primary for Illinois' 9th Congressional District, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss earned the support of fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren. On Thursday, hundreds of people took to the streets in Chicago and in cities across the nation to protest President Donald Trump and his policies. Meanwhile, the president — still facing criticism over his handling of records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case — asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to unseal grand jury transcripts, and the House scrambled to put forward a resolution calling for transparency regarding the Epstein files. It wasn't a great week for national media. Congress approved $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which will impact NPR, PBS and hundreds of other locally-operated television and radio stations across the country. 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' was also canceled by CBS, with the host announcing Thursday that the final episode will air in May 2026. Plus, it was a week full of All-Stars. The MLB's Midsummer Classic was Tuesday, and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong made his All-Star debut alongside a slew of other youngsters and rookies on the winning National League team. And in the midst of collective bargaining negotiations with players, the WNBA is hosting their All-Star festivities. If you're looking for something to do this weekend, take your crew out for a slice of the city's newest delicacy: the Chicago Dog Deep Dish pizza, a collaboration between Lou Malnati's and Portillo's. Well that's it for this week! Now for the fun stuff. Here's the Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz for July 13 to 19. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.
Chicago Tribune
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Daywatch: Mayor Johnson again faces thorny politics of picking appointments
Good morning, Chicago. As the departure of Ald. Walter Burnett leaves Mayor Brandon Johnson with the challenge of picking his third Zoning Committee chair, the City Council's Black and Latino caucuses have already begun jockeying for the highly coveted leadership spot. Burnett, often dubbed the 'dean' of the council as its most tenured member, will step down at the end of July, vacating both his committee chairmanship and role as Johnson's vice mayor. The Zoning appointment has been one of the freshman mayor's biggest political conundrums throughout the first two years of his term, and his next choice is expected to make waves in a council where racial politics remain an undercurrent. To that end, the heads of both the Black and Latino caucuses are calling for the chairmanship to go to one of their members. And vice chair Ald. Bennett Lawson, who is white, has expressed interest in the permanent role too. Read the full story from the Tribune's Alice Yin. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including nursing homes cited for 'severe' violations, what the jury viewed during the third day of the trial for the man accused of killing Chicago police Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso and what to expect at Wrigley this weekend following the All-Star break. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump's request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid early today as Republicans intensified their efforts to target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. The vote marked the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and the White House suggested it won't be the last. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway, wary of crossing Trump or upsetting his agenda. Hundreds of protesters demonstrated against President Donald Trump and his administration's policies in the Loop yesterday as part of nationwide 'Good Trouble Lives On' rallies, decrying cuts to social services, mass deportation strategy and restrictions on civil liberties. Among the rally attendees were the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates. Johnson told the crowd that America under Trump was making an 'alarming and fast descent into authoritarianism,' but vowed that Chicago would fight back. The Illinois Department of Public Health has doled out tens of thousands of dollars in fines to dozens of nursing homes throughout the Chicago area, including a handful where 'severe' violations led to residents' deaths, the agency announced this week. Cook County Democrats punted on endorsing anyone for Cook County assessor yesterday, putting two-term incumbent Fritz Kaegi at risk of an open primary fight as he vies for a third term. Prosecutors opened the third day of trial for the man accused of killing Chicago police Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso with the slain officer's own body-worn camera footage that captured the moments just before his death. Will County Board members voted yesterday to remove the controversial 143rd Street road widening project from the county's five-year transportation plan, but actually stopping the project from advancing will require a separate vote, the county's attorney said. The Naperville City Council has signed off on two new residential developments — one with rents ranging from $3,900 to $5,000 — that will add a total of 154 new homes to the city when construction is complete. Chicago Bears second-round draft picks Shemar Turner and Ozzy Trapilo have agreed to four-year rookie contracts, sources confirmed to the Tribune. The news comes two days before Bears rookies report for training camp at Halas Hall. The All-Star break is considered a time for players to catch their breath, decompress and get ready for the second-half push, writes Paul Sullivan. But for Chicago Cubs fans who watched their team outperform expectations in the first half, the break was just four more days of worrying about whom President Jed Hoyer will acquire at the trade deadline and how they'll fend off the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. It seems everyone needs to have an 'artist-in-residence' these days, writes Hannah Edgar. Though lofty, the title, as interpreted in recent seasons by the Grant Park Music Festival and the Chicago Symphony, tends to overpromise. It's becoming industry parlance for 'has at least two bookings with us a season' — significant for the artist and presenter, maybe, but mostly a blip for audiences. Amid federal funding cuts, this year's Rhythm World is nearly half as long as originally planned, spanning six days instead of 10. Organizers opted to shorten the 35th anniversary programming so they could weather changes without losing the heart of the festival, they say. But their choice is becoming a familiar one these days, as federal downsizing places pressure on arts organizations across the Chicago area to make do without funding. There are activities we can't wait to experience here each summer — catching a concert in a park; watching Buckingham Fountain's majestic water display explode 150 feet into the air; taking a dip to cool off in Lake Michigan; swaying with thousands of others to the sounds of the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field; or just playing tourist in our hometown. Yet Chicagoans of another era had their own ways of celebrating warm weather that we just don't do today. Here's a look back at six of them.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
City Council honors outgoing Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. as he prepares to step down
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday spent nearly two hours singing the praises of Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), the council's elder statesman, as he attended his final meeting before stepping down at the end of the month. Burnett, 61, is the dean of the City Council, having represented the 27th Ward on the West Side since 1995, and the longest-serving African American ever on the Chicago City Council. He's also the vice mayor and chairman of the Zoning Committee, and received a standing ovation from his colleagues after presenting his final committee report. Convicted for his role in an armed robbery in the 1980s, Burnett got his first job in politics working for Cook County government in the 1980s before first being elected to the City Council in 1995, and later receiving a pardon which he said allowed him to continue serving in elected office. "Thank you for the honor to allow me to be the vice mayor of the City of Chicago. Thank you for the honor to allow me to be the Zoning chair. Thank you for the honor for a young kid who made a mistake, grew up in the projects, to be where I am today. Thank you. God bless you," a tearful Burnett told his colleagues from the council's rostrum at City Hall. Burnett has worked in city or county government roles for more than 40 years, starting as a draftsman for the Cook County Highway Department – meaning he's spent his entire political career working in the building that houses both Chicago City Hall and the Cook County Building. "I love everyone in this building. I've been in this building for 41 years," Burnett said. "I know just about everybody on the county side, from the janitors to the executives, because I love people. I know everybody here." Despite being one of the more moderate members of the City Council, Burnett has been a staunch ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, a political progressive. Johnson called Burnett "a true example of what it means to be a public servant." "You have given so much to so many people," Johnson said. "We love you, and we know that God is not done with you yet, but we certainly are grateful. We give God the glory for the things that he has done through you." Burnett's colleagues repeatedly hailed him as a bridge builder who consistently worked to find consensus in debates between the council's progressives and moderates, which have grown more heated in recent years. "What I'm grateful for is that Walter has always helped simmer down the room. When tensions are high, when people are upset, he reminds us why we're here, he reminds us what we're fighting for, and he reminds us that there is a middle that we can achieve," said Ald. Jessie Fuenes (26th). Ald. David Moore (17th) praised Burnett for never taking political disagreements personally, regardless of the issue. "We can argue, we can disagree, and then tomorrow we laugh and we're shaking hands," Moore said. Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) said Burnett regularly urged his colleagues "not just to be showhorses, but to be workhorses." "It's remarkable to think of what we're losing as you turn the chapter. This body will never be the same. Whether people love you or hate you, they cannot deny it," Lopez said. "You've always been able to see the best and the craziest of us, and make us understand about ourselves as well." Burnett grew up in the CHA's Rockwell Gardens and Cabrini-Green housing complexes. As a teen, Burnett served two years in prison in the early 1980s for his role in an armed bank robbery in Kankakee. While in prison, he earned an associate's degree in political science as well as certificates as a draftsman and an emergency medical technician. A month after his release from prison, Burnett got his first job in Cook County government, working under then-Board President George Dunne. He later went on to work for 11 years for then-Cook County Recorder of Deeds Jesse White, his political mentor, before managing White's successful 1998 campaign for Illinois Secretary of State. Burnett was first elected to the City Council in 1995, and in 1998 Gov. Jim Edgar pardoned him for his bank robbery conviction, and Burnett said without that, he wouldn't have been able to run for re-election. Since his release from prison, Burnett has been a staunch advocate for programs that provide second chances to convicted felons. "I never underestimate everyone, and I believe everybody is a human being and they're important, and you never know where they're going to be in life," Burnett said. During his time in office, his ward hosted two Democratic National Conventions – in 1996 and 2024 – and has undergone a dramatic transformation from a hub of manufacturing and meatpacking businesses into one of the trendiest residential neighborhoods in Chicago with a booming restaurant scene. The ward will also be home to Chicago's first permanent casino, which is currently under construction. Several members of the City Council said they've looked to Burnett as an example of how to successfully develop their own wards. "I think we've all learned from you in one way or another, and there's so much more that we can learn from you. When it comes down to building a ward, I quietly watched what you do, and I tried to emulate that in my ward. You've done a great job at it, and I don't think anyone can say anything different," Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) said. The Sun-Times reports Mayor Brandon Johnson is seriously considering appointing Burnett as the new CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority. The CHA has been led by interim CEO Angela Hurlock since November, when former CEO Tracey Scott stepped down. The CHA board is scheduled to meet Tuesday, when they could vote on a new CEO. With Burnett stepping down from the City Council, Johnson will be tasked with choosing his successor, and the Sun-Times reports Burnett is hoping the mayor will pick his son, Walter R. Burnett, to fill his seat. Johnson also would have to pick someone to replace Burnett as vice mayor and Zoning Committee chair.
Chicago Tribune
13-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Ald. Walter Burnett and the divine right to bequeath your political office to your progeny
For the second time in his long political career, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. is maneuvering to find employment for one of his grown children in the 'family business.' Burnett has been in the news lately as Mayor Brandon Johnson's preferred choice to lead the Chicago Housing Authority. The 27th Ward alderman, 61, who serves as Johnson's vice mayor and Zoning Committee chairman, has said he will resign his aldermanic seat at the end of this month whether he gets the CHA job or not. And, in true Chicago political tradition, he has someone in mind to succeed him as alderman following his 30 years in that post: That person, naturally, just happens to be a blood relative. Burnett wants his 29-year-old son, Walter Burnett III, appointed, and Johnson has signaled he plans to follow Burnett's wishes. If all goes as expected, Walter Burnett III will be the second of Burnett's grown children to be appointed to elected office without first winning an election. In 2019, Burnett worked to get his stepson, Jawaharial 'Omar' Williams, appointed as Illinois House representative for the West Side's 10th District, succeeding Melissa Conyears-Ervin when she won election as Chicago treasurer. Back then, in justifying his push for his stepson, Burnett let forth one of the Freudian slips for the ages when it comes to Chicago politics: 'I don't know of any other family business — I shouldn't say family business — but if your kids work hard … that's what I work for, to promote my kids, help my kids if they do well.' 'I shouldn't say family business.' No, Ald. Burnett, you shouldn't. And you knew at the time that wasn't the right thing to say, even though it revealed precisely how you and so many others (as you repeatedly emphasize) who've won elected office in this city view what's supposed to be a public trust — as an enterprise transferable by birth or family relation. Like some kind of medieval baron. The effectiveness of appointing people to open seats (in this case, left open deliberately by Burnett to pass onto his son) is undeniable. Williams, Burnett's stepson, faced opposition in the first Democratic primary following his 2019 appointment. But he ran unopposed in both primaries after that. The seat presumably is his as long as he wants it. Assuming he's appointed 27th Ward alderman, Walter Burnett III will be in an even better position than his stepbrother. He'll have the same name as the guy who preceded him for three decades. By all means, we'd have no problem with Burnett's son running on his own for the seat, and his name likely would give him a distinct advantage in that scenario. But handing the post to him in this fashion would confer an almost insurmountable edge. That's by design. We should say here that we believe Walter Burnett Jr. has served the city well over his three decades. He's a voice of reason on the City Council and someone who has earned respect from people on both the left and right. We don't agree with him on everything, of course, but we consider him an asset to the council. We strongly disagree with his views on the divine right of family members to enter the 'family business,' however. Burnett naturally references families with names like Daley to justify his unapologetic nepotism. Fair enough. There are plenty of other families that have done the same — the name Jackson comes to mind. So does the name Stroger. Burnett points, too, to the same dynamic in private enterprise. Certainly in family-owned businesses, preference given to the next generation for leadership is a feature. But here's the difference: Those businesses are owned by the families. As in any other line of work, the owners are the ultimate decision-makers. In politics, officeholders are supposed to be strictly occupants of a seat. They aren't owners of their offices, instead owing their professional allegiances to taxpayers and constituents, even over and above their families. At least that's how it's supposed to work. That brings us to Burnett's namesake son. What are his qualifications? His father points to experience with Goldman Sachs. According to the LinkedIn profile for Walter Burnett III, he worked at Goldman for four years in New York but left the company nearly three years ago. There is no professional experience listed on his profile since then. Ald. Burnett put us in touch with his son, who tells us he's been consulting for developers in the hospitality and retail worlds, as well as rap artists, and has done some consulting work for nonprofits. Walter Burnett III says he wants to give back to the community and sees a role for younger people like himself to get involved in politics. And, confirming our misgivings about this whole affair, he said of politics, 'That's my family's business.' 'He's very attentive, he's very well-read,' the elder Burnett told Tribune reporters, referring to his son. 'It's not about money for him, because he gave up a lot of money to come back home and be connected to his neighborhood.' We understand both Burnetts' arguments, but these are not compelling qualifications to be appointed to the City Council. Let's be honest: The younger Burnett's qualifications to be alderman are his first and last names. That's not sufficient for this plum. The old school of Chicago politics has gotten a well-deserved drubbing of late, with powerhouses like former Ald. Ed Burke and House Speaker Michael Madigan, once viewed as untouchable, convicted of felonies in the conduct of their offices. Read the room, Ald. Burnett and Mayor Johnson. It's no longer appropriate — if it ever was — for influential local pols to treat their offices like personal heirlooms to bestow.
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Mayor Brandon Johnson pushes ‘granny flat' ordinance forward
Mayor Brandon Johnson is charging ahead with an effort to make the construction of 'granny flats' legal and straightforward in all Chicago neighborhoods. Johnson said he plans to revive his bid to clear the way for garden apartments, attic-to-housing conversions and coach houses. In doing so, he also revives a daunting political fight. A similar Johnson-backed proposal fizzled out last summer when aldermen from wards filled with single-family homes objected to the potential influx of so-called additional dwelling units. The mayor argued Tuesday new construction is needed amid a housing affordability crisis. 'We need more units, that's the way we are going to drive the pricing for housing down,' Johnson said at a City Hall news conference. 'It's about creating safe, affordable communities.' The City Council Zoning Committee could vote on the proposal next week, and send it to the full council July 16. Changes in zoning and parking requirements caused the construction of additional dwelling units to be banned in Chicago in 1957. Still, many Chicago buildings already include such units, some illegal, some grandfathered in and some constructed during an ongoing pilot program. Like in his last effort, Johnson's ordinance would allow the additional units to be built, by right, citywide, with no ability for aldermen to stop them on a ward-by-ward basis. But the new ordinance makes a compromise: Only one or two new units could be built each year on each block in areas zoned for detached, single-family homes. The added limits won tentative support from Zoning Committee Vice Chair Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th. Allowing by-right additional unit construction is a crucial way to cut tape on development and make housing construction more affordable, he said. 'I'm thinking that this is probably where we are going to land, and it is more of a compromise from where we were last year,' Lawson said. 'I don't see this changing any block in the city radically, very quickly.' Lawson said some details are still being hammered out and added that he believes opponents of the change could delay a final vote if one comes up next week, potentially stalling debate until September. The measure's chief opponent last summer, Ald. Marty Quinn, signaled he would once again vie to block it. The ordinance threatens to 'erode the fabric of these beautiful neighborhoods,' the Southwest Side bungalow belt alderman said. Quinn, 13th, cited parking, garbage, noise and school overcrowding as top concerns he hears about from constituents — each an issue that would worsen if Johnson successfully 'jams ADU's down the throats of aldermen,' he said. 'Those quality of life issues will be accelerated if this is allowed to happen,' Quinn said. 'For the mayor to think he knows best about what the needs are on the Southwest Side, it's not accurate.' He added that the new per-block limits made the proposal more tolerable, but pointed out that Johnson's proposal would not require homeowners to live in buildings where additional units are built. 'That means investors from New York could come in, buy a single-family home and turn that single-family home into an apartment overnight,' Quinn said. 'This proposal is riddled with blindspots, and I'm trying to sound the alarm as loud as possible.' Johnson, however, argued that the ordinance's citywide reach is 'critical' to affordability. The mayor sidestepped when asked if his sudden push signaled he had the necessary majority support to pass the ordinance after failing to get such backing last year. 'We will have ongoing conversations with alders. I always go into any battle with confidence we will prevail. That's how I got here,' he said. But some aldermen say they were caught off guard by Johnson's move. Ald. Matt O'Shea said he still has not seen the actual legislation, despite the administration's calls for a Zoning Committee vote next week. 'I've had no communication discussion on this in months, several months, and then all of a sudden, Sunday, I start hearing from colleagues that the administration wants to hurry up, pass this through,' he said. 'So they are not communicating with anybody, but they want to hurry up to do this. Come on. Put some thought into this.' O'Shea was unmoved by Johnson's argument that Chicago's need for more housing is desperate enough for community input to be skipped when additional units are being weighed. The mayor should instead focus on reducing construction costs, he said. 'Community should have a say. Elected officials in neighborhoods should have a say. Period. End of story,' O'Shea said. 'Not just blanket change zoning because after two years somebody realized we have a housing shortage.' Johnson said he hopes aldermen do not become 'narrow or blinded by their own sort of specific space.' 'Building more affordable units is not an attack,' he said. 'It's actually a response to an attack against working people in this city, who work very hard to build family and build a community here. I want to make sure those working people stay here.'
