OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT MAYOR
May 20, 2019
Anna Valencia City Clerk
Room 107, City Hall Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Ms. Valencia:
I transmit herewith for filing Executive Order No. 2019-2, which I have signed this date. Your prompt attention to this matter is appreciated.
Sincerely,
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT MAYOR
Executive Order No. 2019-2
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago should grant permits and licenses and take other departmental actions based solely on the public interest, in accordance with clear, consistently-enforced standards, procedures, and the rule of law; and
WHEREAS, public trust and transparency are paramount to the proper function, administration, and legitimacy of City government; and
WHEREAS, many aldermen can and do provide valuable input to departments, as aldermen should know and understand the needs of their wards and should provide information and advice to City departments to enable those departments to carry out their departmental duties and thereby be more responsive to Chicago residents; and
WHEREAS, the historic practice of allowing "aldermanic prerogative" to influence departmental actions has led to abuse, a source of corruption and mistrust, and thereby undermined the legitimacy of government in the eyes ofthe public; and
WHEREAS, the abuse of aldermanic prerogative has created unnecessary and, in some instances, illegal hurdles to accessing basic City services; now, therefore,
I. LORI E. LIGHTFOOT, Mayor ofthe City of Chicago, do hereby order as follows:
Purpose
The purpose of this Order is to identify where departments, not required by any law, defer to "aldermanic prerogative" and to direct departments to cease each and every such practice. The Order preserves the critical ability and responsibility of aldermen in their official representative capacity to provide meaningful input and information when relevant to the decision-making practices of City departments. Where it is ...
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