Chicago will look to begin the work on its first casino, but alderpeople have accused Mayor Lori Lightfoot of excluding critics from the board. Alderpeople are members of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law.
The group itself is made up of Lightfoot’s committee chairs and vice-chairs. They will oversee and have jurisdiction over matters correlated to the establishment of the Chicago casino. Once the committee approves a casino proposal and sends it to the full City Council, it will be dissolved.
Chairing the group is Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) and Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) who will serve as the co-chair. Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), was one of the critics stating that the committee should include the entire City Council.
"The 25th Ward will be directly affected," Sigcho-Lopez noted as his ward includes one of the three casino finalists. He went on to note that leaving his community out of deliberations is "problematic and undemocratic".
Regardless, the City Council voted 35-12 on Wednesday to create the casino review group. Ald. Anthony Beale was another to argue on Sigcho-Lopez's side.
Beale stated: "We all know we want to create a committee with the chairs and the vice chairs because we know that’s the path of least resistance, we understand that," he continued. "This body is still the checks and balances of this city."
In response, Lightfoot defended the creation of the committee: "Every single member of City Council will have more than ample opportunity to participate, obviously, in a public engagement, in briefings, and then the committee hearing or hearings that will come once a final respondent has been chosen."
There are three community hearings for residents to voice their concerns and discuss each of the proposals starting April 5 to April 7 and from 6-8 pm.
