A pair of ordinances aimed at overhauling renters’ rights in Chicago were delayed Wednesday as Mayor Brandon Johnson and his opponents stood by their respective versions and both sides tried to rally support.
Aldermen used parliamentary maneuvers to stop the ambitious neck-and-neck packages from coming to a final vote — creating additional time for the two sides to potentially negotiate what could become the most consequential legislation to come out of City Hall this year.
“This is not about what I’m willing to do. It’s about what the other folks are willing to do,” Johnson said after the meeting. “I’ve already demonstrated that I’m prepared to be able to make adjustments so that we can protect renters.”
Johnson already backed off perhaps the most controversial part of his initial proposal: A plan to allow landlords to evict tenants or not renew leases only under narrow circumstances, or be required to pay moving fees as high as $10,000.
But critics of the mayor’s Protecting Renters Ordinance argued his measure was still too extreme. They claim theirs, introduced after the mayor’s in an apparent response, does many of the same things — creates a rental registry, reins in unexpected fees and more — without hitting landlords too hard, blocking development or driving up rent costs.
Aldermen on each side employed the delay tactic Wednesday to their own ordinance because they expected opponents to otherwise do so. After the meeting, Johnson’s opponents said the mayor hasn’t meaningfully reached across City Council’s sharp divide to help hammer out a deal.
“The ball’s in the mayor’s court,” said Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, the lead sponsor of the opposing Fair and Accountable Illinois Rental ordinance. “There are two ordinances. One of them has the votes and the other one doesn’t. We’ve offered an opportunity for the mayor to include things in FAIR, and if he wants to do that, we’re more than open to listening to what those are.”
Whether the two sides can reach an agreement on a single renters package will soon become clear.
Aldermen could consider the two ordinances for a final vote as soon as Friday, when the council plans to hold a special meeting to vote on a proposed sale of the city’s parking meter system from one private owner to another. The measures may also be considered next month.
While Villegas has claimed he has a majority of aldermen on his side, he may face an even higher bar to make his proposal law. Johnson has harshly criticized Villegas’ ordinance, a sign the mayor is likely to veto the measure if a compromise is not reached.
Villegas would need support from a two-thirds supermajority of aldermen to overcome a Johnson veto. He currently appears short of that level of support, meaning he could need to come to the table.
Villegas would not say what compromises he hoped to see. He said he would not bring the measure up for a vote at the next two City Council meetings, scheduled for Friday and Tuesday, and did not address the possibility of a Johnson veto against his own ordinance when asked about that threat.
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The Northwest Side alderman added Wednesday’s meeting hurt his trust in Johnson’s side after mayor-aligned aldermen attempted to send the two pieces of legislation back to a joint committee for further public debate. The two sides had agreed to a delay, but had not discussed the move, Villegas said.
“It is a bad indication of how I think this is going to go as relates to negotiations,” he said.
Johnson said it would be “presumptive” to assume he would veto the measure before having fuller conversations. Pressed on negotiations, he said the Villegas legislation was crafted by industry lobbyists and called on his opponents to meet with the coalition of renter advocacy groups backing his own legislation.
“This is about over half the people in this city that rent and are struggling every single day to afford their rent,” he said. “I think it’s important that we keep our focus on working people and less on on the political players.”
Later in the meeting, the delay tactics continued.
Allies of the mayor used the same “defer and publish” maneuver to put off a vote on legislation proposed by Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, that would require a larger majority of aldermen to approve the issuance of bonds and other debt, a move aimed at reducing mayors’ financial power and giving more say to the council.
Later, Johnson opponents deferred and published several more agenda items. Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, led the charge to prevent votes on Ramona Westbrook and John Bartlett, two Johnson nominees to the Chicago Housing Authority board.
Beale said one of the two proposed appointees would not assure him when asked that they would not vote to fire CHA CEO Keith Pettigrew. The alderman argued Pettigrew, whose appointment Johnson resisted, must be kept in the position.
As Housing Committee chair Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, struggled unsuccessfully to reverse Beale’s move, he accused the South Side alderman of “playing games.”
Beale, his hands on his hips, turned to face Sigcho-Lopez in the latest manifestation of the bad blood underpinning the council’s deep philosophical divisions.
“Playing games?” he asked Sigcho-Lopez. “I know you don’t want to go there with me.”
The council then approved two settlements involving disgraced Chicago Police Department Det. Reynaldo Guevara totaling $13.75 million.
Aldermen also quickly passed a $201 million package of tax increment financing to support the Foundry Park development moving ahead at part of the site once designated for the Lincoln Yards development. The money will be used to pay for roadway and utility construction, new parks, river frontage improvements and an extension to the 606 Trail.
Tribune reporter Alice Yin contributed.
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