Democracy can be messy. That’s certainly been the case in Chicago since Brandon Johnson became mayor.
An unusually high number of City Council meetings in that six-month period, coupled with a slew of highly controversial proposals garnering aldermanic votes, have led to tense moments. There have been some unruly spectators, shouts from the audience at aldermen, even some expletives.
This is otherwise known as democracy in action.
The common sense, adult way to respond to any inappropriate interruptions to the business of the people would be to issue clear rules to the public before City Council meetings that shouts and epithets will lead to removal from the chamber. Then enforce those rules.
But, true to form, Johnson and his staff have responded instead by taking this opportunity to gain greater control and wage an ad hominem assault on Chicagoans seeking to participate in their own government.
The administration has decided that the public will have no open access to the second floor chamber where aldermen and the mayor sit and instead will be confined to the third floor where they will not only be behind glass but have an absurdly limited view of the chamber.
The Better Government Association tells us they are furious about this assault on democracy and are looking into legal action. We share their anger.
Chicago has been through a lot over the years. Council Wars during the Harold Washington era and the 1968 riots along with the disastrous Democratic convention in the same year come quickly to mind. Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor and a leader Johnson has said he admires, never thought to keep the public from the council chamber in this way.
The move is antidemocratic. It also contradicts Johnson’s frequent claims that he’s more collaborative and transparent than his predecessors.
Johnson is intent on pushing through a City Council dominated by progressives like him a host of policies that strike hard at business in Chicago. He also has taken controversial steps on addressing the migrant crisis, the source of much of the recent unruliness in the council chamber. And this from for a mayor who styles himself a game-changing politician of the people. If the mayor believes the public supports these policies, he shouldn’t be afraid to face some of what he clearly views as negative optics.
Yes, chaos is in the council chamber should not be tolerated. People disrupting proceedings should be removed. Johnson is well within his rights to instruct security to eject people behaving in that way. We would back him on that.
Of course, that, too, would be “bad optics” for a mayor who wants to be seen as a collaborator, not a strongman.
The substance of what has happened here isn’t the only thing disturbing about this move. A civic decision of this magnitude isn’t ordinarily communicated solely via a strikingly sycophantic story in an outlet the mayor perceives as friendly. The tactic just raises more questions about this administration’s competence in handling basic functions and its lack of an effective and transparent communications operation.
Bizarrely, according to the WBEZ story that broke the news, the new policy “has not been published publicly” but “will remain indefinitely.”
Whenever you read phraseology like that, there’s always cause for worry.
And what were the examples WBEZ cited of recent disruptions justifying such a drastic measure? “Agitators” shouting at each other and council members and at times “using offensive language.” Nothing there justifies this action.
These are tension-filled times. People are angry and unhappy. Visitors to the council, no matter how upset they are by the events of the day, ought to behave civilly and respectfully.
But nonsense like forcing advance registration or limiting physical presence do not belong in the City Hall of this great, unruly American city.
City Council works for the people. They have a right to watch in person.
Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
