In her first hours after being sworn in as the 56th Mayor of the City of Chicago, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot signed her first Executive Order instructing departments to end the practice of aldermanic prerogative in department processes where it is controlled by the Mayor and city departments. “This is a historic day for the city. In my campaign for mayor, I pledged to bring an end to aldermanic prerogative and ensure our government delivers equitable services to all of Chicago’s communities, regardless of their zip code,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Today, I have instructed City departments to begin to end the process of aldermanic prerogative as the first step in a comprehensive ethics reform package to reform the way government works in Chicago.”

The Executive Order streamlines administrative decisions made throughout City departments by eliminating the aldermanic veto while preserving aldermanic voice in departmental decisions. The process by which residents and businesses seek to obtain licensing, permitting and other areas affected by the Executive Order will not change, and Aldermen will still retain input in the delivery of key city services. “In neighborhoods across our city, Aldermen are committed to ensuring that our residents receive access to high quality services. The Executive Order will streamline service delivery, so that every neighborhood receives the same high quality services as the next,” said Alderman Gilbert Villegas.  “Working together with the Mayor’s Office, we will continue to ensure that all levels of government are held accountable to the needs of all of our residents, and that Aldermen continue to play a central role in developing policies that help grow all of our communities.”