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2w ago

Johnson’s City Council Shake-Up Stalls as Votes Fall Short

Black and Latino caucus pushback left the deal short of support.

Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, watches a vote count during a City Council meeting at City Hall, Feb. 19, 2025.(Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks, Sept. 23, 2025, during an event in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood to mark progress on building bikeways across the city. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Overview

  • A planned reorganization that would elevate Ald. Daniel La Spata to lead the Zoning Committee did not reach a vote, and the broader chair reshuffle was shelved.
  • The tentative lineup circulating included Ald. Andre Vasquez to Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, Ald. Jessie Fuentes to Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Ald. Emma Mitts as vice mayor, and Ald. David Moore to Contracting Oversight and Equity.
  • Aldermen said the proposal remains unsettled and must be approved in committee and by the full City Council, with La Spata cautioning it is not a done deal until formal votes occur.
  • Council members did approve Walter “Red” Burnett to fill the 27th Ward seat vacated by his father, former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr.
  • The Zoning chair remains a focal point in caucus jockeying and Johnson’s housing agenda, with allies citing La Spata’s work on parking-minimum reductions and transit-oriented development; the vice mayor role carries a $400,000 budget under Johnson.