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It could save the city 10 million a year at least, as well as create opportunities to vote out aldermen that have consistently failed their constituents term after term! They need 121,660 signatures by Nov 16. That leaves ~ 3 weeks to collect, notarize, bind and file the required number of signatures. Remember, only registered voters in the city can sign and they must be notarized.The printable petition is available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21622034/Reduce-Alderman-Petition-2009
Petition to cut the number of Chicago's aldermen from 50 to 25. Lets get this VIRAL!
cbs2chicago.com - 3 weeks ago - 488 views
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The point that New York City runs on 51 alderman is an important fact to point out. They have three times our population, give or take, and seem to be doing OK. So why do we need just as many as NYC does? Being an Alderman is not supposed to be an easy job. If you want an easy job then be a bus boy at Denny's. Personally I am for the cuts on alderman, maybe not 25 all at once, but I am sure there is some fat that can be trimmed away immediately.
There's fewer than 25 "for real" alderpersons, appleuzer. Many of the rest pretend to represent voters, while pandering to the interests of developers in their respective jurisdictions.
In exchange for 12 upvotes, I'll share with you how those powerful alderpersons keep their colleagues in check.
There's fewer than 1 "for real" alderpersons
are you getting paid for upvotes or something?
I'm not so sure about this. Sure, it could save the city money. However, a council with half the size would lead to wards twice as big. Ignoring the increased difficulty in doing constituent services in such a large area (because not every alderman seems to realize that's part of their job), increased ward size would lead to more expensive campaigns which would probably lead to even more dependence on developers and the Daley fundraising machine. It would also make it even more difficult for independent candidates to win.
constituent services ... not every alderman seems to realize that's part of their job
um, it's not
"even more dependence on developers and the Daley fundraising machine."
not possible
constituent services
let's work together to make 311 functional, and encourage our legislators to focus first on their job as mandated under state law: budget oversight
constituent services is the busy work aldermen took on themselves to justify their existence as they turned their real jobs over to the mayor
our aldermen figured out that if they just let Daley run the City, they could have more time to devote on their real passion: getting re-elected
from their 1st day in office our aldermen begin appropriating public resources to the furtherance of their incumbency
the polite term for this arrangement is "constituent services"
Weak mayor, strong council form of government, Hugh? That's what political scientists label the aldermanic form of government.
We could switch that to the commission form of government, but then the public couldn't participate in the democratic electoral subterfuge, fellow Windy Citizens.
There's nothing inherently positive about a weak-mayor strong council system. Progressive reformers in the early twentieth century were all in favor of strong mayors since the councils at the time were such scoundrels. See: Plunkitt, George Washington; and the Gray Wolves in Chicago. I happen to think that a stronger council is more democratic in theory, but it'll take a lot more reforms than just getting to council to act against Daley for it to be so.
Federal Court decisions in the 1980's forced two downstate Illinois communities--Danville & Springfield--to change from the Commission form of municipal government to the aldermanic form. Reasoning was that the aldermanic form of government invited representation by minorities & women; however 19th Century reformers found merit with the Commission form of government. Imagine that!
"I happen to think that a stronger council is more democratic in theory, but it'll take a lot more reforms than just getting to council to act against Daley for it to be so."
no additional reforms are necessary
the Chicago City Council already has ALL the authority they need - they control the budget
all this is required is some spine
Yeah, they have the authority to stand up to Daley. That has nothing to do with whether or not we get good governance or instead just 50 mini-Daleys, which is how the Council operated before Cermak started increasing the mayor's control and Daley I consolidated it. The only thing better about a strong council over a strong mayor is the potential, the possibility for democracy as opposed to at best benevolent despotism.
the dysfunction of the Chicago City Council is not a structural failure resulting from flaws in state or city law, it is fundamentally a failure of character of 50 very weak human beings
Correct, Cshess87. Independent candidates & those of modest means will be effectively locked out of challenging incumbent Chicago City Council Alderpersons.
Most wards have about 66,000 residents--a community sized about the same as many downstate. Doubling that to the size of a State Representative District would force independents to double the size of a typical mailer which costs as much as $25,000 & field 100 indigenous precinct workers in those precious weeks before the election.
Cshess87, fellow Windy Citizens, do you think that's feasible?
Awesome quote: "Chicago will never, ever, ever miss aldermen off the payroll for 24 days," Andy Shaw of the Better Government Association. "But we will miss a cop or a firefighter or a garbage man."
Andy Shaw is highly quotable. Check out his e-mail to Blago's people on the day of the ex-Governor's arrest. Classic.
http://gawker.com/5352097/exclusive-how-the-press-pandered-to-blagojevic...
qstrian, you're probably correct about the financial difficulties of organizing an effective campaign as an independent. However, campaigns are organized against incumbents in larger districts such as legislative districts. The Chicago City Council is, I believe, the largest legislative body in the country for a city. Yet, due to a number of factors, especially the power of the mayor to appoint replacements, it does nothing--- NOTHING.
The real question is how to get this do-nothing city council out of power or threatened enough that they begin to listen to people. This advisory referendum could help jump-start a reform campaign to oust the council and the mayor from power.
SSC's proposal does not go far enough, if they are always going to vote unanimous the most cost-effective number of aldermen is 1
Where do you send the completed petitions?
i think secondcitycop is mobilizing volunteers to pick up petitions, but i'd think they would ultimately end up in City Hall?
Frame your completed petitions & proudly display it in a prominent place in your home, Zephyr9! That's about the only practical purpose such petitions serve short of reformist legislation being passed by the Illinois General Assembly.
Hasn't the State of Illinois Supreme Court struck down similar petitions, including the one my band of American Petition Consultants brothers presented to impose Eight is Enough term limits as part of the Contract with American back in 1994?
Short of a visit to Lexis-Nexis, I recall that the State Supreme Court ruled against the petitioners because such popular votes would impose upon the State General Assembly's rule-making authority.
Allow me to invite fellow Windy Citizens to weigh-in on their recollections of the Supreme Court's ruling in this matter.
maybe nothing will come of it but it's great fun!
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