Mayor of Chicago
The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and recommendations to the Chicago City Council, is active in the enforcement of the city's ordinances, submits the city's annual budget and appoints city officers, department commissioners or directors, and members of city boards and commissions.
| Mayor of Chicago | |
|---|---|
Seal of the City of Chicago | |
| Government of Chicago | |
| Style |
|
| Term length | 4 years |
| Inaugural holder | William Butler Ogden |
| Formation | 1837 |
| Succession | Vice mayor of Chicago |
| Salary | $216,210 |
| Website | Official website |
During sessions of the city council, the mayor serves as the presiding officer. The mayor is not allowed to vote on issues except in certain instances, most notably where the vote taken on a matter before the body results in a tie.
The office of mayor was created when Chicago became a city in 1837.
History edit
The first mayor was William Butler Ogden (1837–1838). Forty-six men and two women (Jane Byrne, 1979–1983, and Lori Lightfoot, 2019–2023), have held the office. Two sets of father and son have been elected Mayor of Chicago: Carter Harrison, Sr. (1893) and Carter Harrison, Jr. (1897–1905, 1911–1915), as well as Richard J. Daley (1955–1976) and Richard M. Daley (1989–2011). Carter Harrison, Jr. was the first mayor to have been born in the city.
As an interim mayor, David Duvall Orr (1987) held the office for one week the shortest time period. Richard M. Daley was elected six times becoming Chicago's longest-serving mayor, his 24 years surpassing his father's record of 21 years.[1]
The first Irish Catholic mayor was John Patrick Hopkins (1893–1895), and Rahm Emanuel (2011–2019) is the only Jewish American to have served as mayor.
Harold Washington (1983–1987) was the first African American mayor. Lightfoot (2019–2023) was the city's first African American woman and first LGBT mayor. Brandon Johnson (2023–present) is the third elected African American mayor, Eugene Sawyer (1987–1989) having been selected by the council after Washington died in office.
Appointment powers edit
The mayor appoints the commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and the heads of other departments,[2] the largest of which are the Water Management Department (formed by the consolidation of the former Water Department and Sewer Department under Richard M. Daley), and the Streets & Sanitation Department. The mayor also appoints members to the boards of several special-purpose governmental bodies including City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. Under Richard M. Daley, the Illinois legislature granted the mayor power to appoint the governing board and chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools and subordinated the district to the mayor; the district had long been an independent unit of government.
The Chicago City Clerk and City Treasurer of Chicago are elected separately, as are the 50 aldermen who form the city council. The mayor is empowered, however, to fill vacancies in any of these 52 elected offices by appointment. In turn, the city council elects one of its own to fill a mayoral vacancy.
By charter, Chicago has a "weak-mayor" system, in which most of the power is vested in the city council. In practice, however, the mayor of Chicago has long been one of the most powerful municipal chief executives in the nation. Unlike in most other weak-mayor systems, the mayor has the power to draw up the budget. For most of the 20th century, before the decline of patronage and the mayor's office becoming officially nonpartisan in 1999, the mayor was the de facto leader of the city's Democratic Party, and had great influence over the ward organizations.[3] Located in City Hall, "the fifth floor" is sometimes used as a metonym for the office and power of the mayor.[4]
Election and succession edit
The mayor of Chicago is elected by popular vote every four years, on the last Tuesday in February. A run-off election, in case no candidate garners more than fifty percent of the vote, is held on the first Tuesday in April. The election is held on a non-partisan basis. Chicago is the largest city in the United States not to limit the term of service for its mayor.
In accordance with Illinois law,[5][6] the city council elects a vice mayor who serves as interim mayor in the event of a vacancy in the office of the mayor or the inability of the mayor to serve due to illness or injury, until the city council elects one of its members acting mayor or until the mayoral term expires.[6][7] However, if a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor with more than 28 months remaining in the mayoral term and at least 130 days before the next general municipal election, then a special election must be held to choose a new mayor to serve out the remainder of the term at that general municipal election; if a vacancy occurs with fewer than 28 months remaining in the mayoral term or fewer than 130 days before the next general municipal election, then the acting mayor serves as mayor until the mayoral term expires.
The order-of succession involving the vice mayor was made concrete following disputes that arose in the aftermath of the death in office of Richard J. Daley, and was subsequently implemented following the death in office of Harold Washington, which saw Vice Mayor David Orr become acting mayor.[8] Prior to this, the city had vague succession laws which indicated that the president pro tempore of the City Council would succeed as mayor. This was not followed after the death of Daley, and the city council appointed Michael Bilandic acting mayor instead of having pro tempore Wilson Frost become mayor,[9] due to City Corporation Counsel William R. Quinlan ruling that, since the city did not have a statute specifically outlining succession, the City Council would need to elect the interim mayor.[10]
Six instances have seen the City Council appoint either an acting mayor, acting mayor pro tempore, or interim mayor.
In the absence of the mayor during meetings of the city council, the president pro tempore of the city council, who is a member of and elected by the city council, acts as presiding officer. Unlike the mayor, the president pro tempore can vote on all legislative matters. If neither the mayor nor pro tempore can preside, the vice mayor presides.[11]
List of mayors edit
Between 1833 and 1837, Chicago was incorporated as a town and headed by town presidents. Since 1837, it has been incorporated as a city and headed by mayors.
The mayoral term in Chicago was one year from 1837 through 1863, when it was changed to two years. In 1907, it was changed again, this time to four years. Until 1861, municipal elections were held in March. In that year, legislation moved them to April. In 1869, however, election day was changed to November, and terms expiring in April of that year were changed. In 1875, election day was moved back to April by the city's vote to operate under the Cities and Villages Act of 1872.
† Died/murdered in office.
1 Since 1999, mayoral elections have officially been nonpartisan. A 1995 Illinois law stipulated that "candidates for mayor ... no longer would run under party labels in Chicago". However, Richard M. Daley, Rahm Emanuel, Lori Lightfoot, and Brandon Johnson are known to be Democrats.[14]
Vice mayor edit
| Vice mayor of Chicago | |
|---|---|
| Seal of the City of Chicago | |
| Inaugural holder | Casey Laskowski |
| Formation | 1976 |
| Salary | $0[15] |
In accordance with Illinois law, the city council elects a vice mayor who serves as interim mayor in the event of a vacancy in the office of the mayor or the inability of the mayor to serve due to illness or injury, until the city council elects one of its members acting mayor or until the mayoral term expires. The current vice mayor is Walter Burnett.
The position was created by state law in response to the power struggle over succession that took place following Richard J. Daley's death in office.[9][15][16]
The position is considered to be largely ceremonial.[17][18][19]
If neither the mayor nor president pro tempore can preside over a City Council meeting, then the vice mayor presides.[11]
List of vice mayors edit
| Vice-Mayor | Tenure | Mayor(s) serve under | Notes | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casey Laskowski | 1976–1979 | Michael Bilandic | [20][21] | |
| Richard Mell | 1979–1987 | Jane Byrne Harold Washington | [22] | |
| David Orr | 1987–1988 | Harold Washington Eugene Sawyer | Served as Acting Mayor for 1 week | [8][23][24] |
| Terry Gabinski | 1988–1998 | Eugene Sawyer Richard M. Daley | [23][25] | |
| Bernard Stone | 1998–2011 | Richard M. Daley | [24][26][27] | |
| Ray Suarez | 2011–2015 | Rahm Emanuel | [17][18] | |
| Brendan Reilly | 2015–2019 | Rahm Emanuel | [28][29] | |
| Tom Tunney | 2019–2023 | Lori Lightfoot | [7] | |
| Walter Burnett | 2023–present | Brandon Johnson | [30] |
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ The party sited as "Citizens" was created in the 1970s.
References edit
- ^ "Daley now Chicago mayor 1 day longer than father" 2011-01-01 at the Wayback Machine Associated Press December 26, 2010
- ^ Pratt, Gregory (May 22, 2018). "Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces key hires for her new administration, some Rahm Emanuel appointees will stay". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2019 – via MSN.
- ^ "Government, City of Chicago". Encyclopedia of Chicago. from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ Shepard, Steven (February 26, 2019). "Black women make history in Chicago mayoral election". Politico. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ "65 ILCS 20/21-5.1". Illinois General Assembly. Government of Illinois. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ a b . City Clerk of Chicago. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ a b Spielman, Fran (May 17, 2019). "Lightfoot shakes up the City Council". Chicago Sun-Times. from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ a b Pratt, Gregory (May 7, 2018). "Wilson Frost remembered: 'He should've been Chicago's first black mayor'". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ a b King, Seth S. (December 29, 1976). "Bilandic, Lawyer and Daley Friend, Named Acting Mayor of Chicago". The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Harold, the People's Mayor: The Biography of Harold Washington by Dempsey Travis, Agate Publishing, Dec 12, 2017
- ^ a b Krebs, Timothy B. "MONEY AND MACHINE POLITICS An Analysis of Corporate and Labor Contributions in Chicago City Council Elections" (PDF). Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago Mayors". Chicago Public Library. from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Mayors, 1837-2007". Encyclopedia of Chicago. from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ Hardy, Thomas (July 7, 1995). "Gov. Edgar To End City Partisan Votes". Chicago Tribune. from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ a b Devlin, Hugh (March 29, 2010). "Another City Council Stealth Budget". Chicago Talks. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ "65 ILCS 20/21-5.1". Illinois General Assembly. Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Spielman, Fran (May 20, 2015). . Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Dumke, Mick (May 18, 2011). "The first meeting of the new mayor and City Council is nothing if not efficient". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ Dumke, Mick (January 5, 2006). "A Million Here, a Million There . . ". Chicago Reader. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ "CASIMIR LASKOWSKI, 84". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. August 18, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Colby, Peter W.; Peter W. Colby and Paul Michael Green, Paul Michael (February 1979). "The vote power of Chicago Democrats from Cermak to Bilandic The consolidation of clout". Illinois Issues: 20. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago City Council: Richard Mell". NBC Chicago. November 11, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Dold, R. Bruce (May 26, 1988). "COUNCIL REPLACES ORR AS VICE MAYOR". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Simpson, Dick (2018). Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-97719-0. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ Tribune, Chicago (May 5, 1988). "GABINSKI'S TOP AIDE LIKELY TO SUCCEED HIM". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago's Vice Mayor". Chicago Tonight. WTTW. April 10, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ^ Geiger, Kim; Washburn, Gay (December 22, 2014). "Former Chicago Alderman Bernie Stone dead at 87". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Emmet. "What Would Actually Happen if Rahm Resigns". ChicagoMag.org. Chicago Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Pratt, John Byrne, Juan Perez Jr , Gregory. "Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot aces first test of her power: City Council overhaul approved". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Spielman, Fran (June 1, 2023). "Inside the political survival of Chicago City Council dean". Chicago Sun-Times.
Further reading edit
- Banfield, Edward C. Political Influence (1961), covers major public issues 1957 to 1958 in Chicago
- Becker, Richard Edward. "Edward Dunn, Reform Mayor Of Chicago: 1905-1907" (PhD dissertation, The University of Chicago; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1971.T-22350).
- Bennett, Larry. “The Mayor among His Peers: Interpreting Richard M. Daley". in The City, Revisited: Urban Theory from Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, ed. by Dennis R. Judd and Dick Simpson, (2011), pp. 242–72.
- Biles, Roger. Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago (U of Illinois Press, 2018).
- Biles, Roger. Big City Boss in Depression and War: Mayor Edward J. Kelly of Chicago (1984).
- Biles, William Roger. "Mayor Edward J. Kelly Of Chicago: Big City Boss in Depression and War" (Phd Dissertation, University Of Illinois at Chicago. Proquest Dissertations Publishing, 1981 .8120559).
- Bradley, Donald S., and Mayer N. Zald. "From commercial elite to political administrator: The recruitment of the mayors of Chicago". American Journal of Sociology 71.2 (1965): 153-167.
- Bradley, Donald S. The historical trends of the political elites and metropolitan Central City: the Chicago mayors (1963)
- Bukowski, Douglas. Big Bill Thompson, Chicago, and the Politics of Image (1998)
- Bukowski, Douglas. "William Dever and Prohibition: The mayoral election of 1923 and 1927" Chicago History 7#2 (1978) pp. 109-118
- Byrne, Jane. My Chicago (Northwestern University Press, 2004), a primary source.
- Carl, Jim. " '‘Good Politics Is Good Government': The Troubling History of Mayoral Control of the Public Schools in Twentieth‐Century Chicago". American Journal of Education 115#2, 2009, pp. 305–36.
- Cohen, Adam, and Elizabeth Taylor. American pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley, his battle for Chicago and the nation (2001). online review; also see excerpt
- Fehrenbacher, Don E. “Lincoln and the Mayor of Chicago". Wisconsin Magazine of History 40#4 (1957), pp. 237–44. online, on Long John Wentworth
- Gottfried, Alex. Boss Cermak of Chicago: A Study of Political Leadership (U of Washington Press, 1962).
- Green, Paul M., and Holli, Melvin G. The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition (4th ed. 2013), scholarly biographies excerpt covers Medill, Harrison II, Dunne, Busse, Thompson, Dever, Cermak, Kelly, Kennelly, both Daleys, Bilandic, Byrne, Washington, and Emanuel.
- Harrison, Carter Henry. Stormy Years: The Autobiography of Carter H. Harrison, Five Times Mayor of Chicago (1935), a primary source.
- Holli, Melvin G., and Jones, Peter d'A., eds. Biographical Dictionary of American Mayors, 1820-1980 (Greenwood Press, 1981) short scholarly biographies each of the city's mayors 1820 to 1980. online; see index at p. 408 for list.
- Johnson, Claudius O. Carter Henry Harrison I: Political Leader (1928)
- Jones, Gene Delon. "The Origin of the Alliance Between the New Deal and the Chicago Machine". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 67 (1974) pp 253-274.
- Kleppner, Paul. Chicago Divided: The Making of a Black Mayor (1985)
- Lydersen, Kari. Mayor 1%: Rahm Emanuel and the Rise of Chicago's 99% ( Haymarket Books, 2013).
- Koeneman, Keith. First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley (University of Chicago Press, 2013).
- McCarthy, Michael P. "Prelude to Armageddon: Charles E. Merriam and the Chicago Mayoral Election of 1911". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 67#5 (1974), pp. 505–18.
- Mantler, Gordon K. The Multiracial Promise. Harold Washington's Chicago and the Democratic Struggle in Reagan's America (U of North Carolina Press, 2023)
- Marshall, Jon, and Matthew Connor. "Divided Loyalties: The Chicago Defender and Harold Washington's Campaign for Mayor of Chicago". American Journalism 36.4 (2019): 447-472.
- Morton, Richard Allen. Justice and Humanity: Edward F. Dunne, Illinois Progressive. (SIU Press, 1997).
- Morton, Richard Allen. "Justice and humanity: The politics of Edward F. Dunne' (PhD dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1988. 8823207). Mayor 1905 to 1907
- O'Malley, Peter Joseph. "Mayor Martin H. Kennelly of Chicago: A Political Biography" (PhD dissertation, University of Illinois at Chicago, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1980. 8023247).
- Preston, Michael B. “The Election of Harold Washington: Black Voting Patterns in the 1983 Chicago Mayoral Race". PS 16#3 1983, pp. 486–88.
- Rex, Frederick. The mayors of the city of Chicago from 1837 to 1933 (1947).
- Schottenhamel, George. "How Big Bill Thompson Won Control of Chicago". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 45.1 (1952): 30-49.
- Schmidt, John R. The Mayor Who Cleaned up Chicago: A Political Biography of William E. Dever (1989)
- Shipps, Dorothy. “Updating Tradition: The Institutional Underpinnings of Modern Mayoral Control in Chicago's Public Schools". in When Mayors Take Charge: School Governance in the City, edited by Joseph P. Viteritti, (Brookings Institution Press, 2009), pp. 117–47.
- Simpson, Dick. The Good Fight: Life Lessons from a Chicago Progressive (2017), a primary source. excerpt
- Simpson, Dick. Rogues, Rebels, and Rubber Stamps: The Politics of the Chicago City Council, 1863 to the Present. (2018)
- Simpson, Dick, Melissa Mouritsen, and Betty O’Shaughnessy. "Chicago: The Election of Rahm Emanuel". in Local Politics and Mayoral Elections in 21st Century America (Routledge, 2014) pp. 99-115.
- Spirou, Costas. Building the City of Spectacle: Mayor Richard M. Daley and the Remaking of Chicago (Cornell UP, 2016)
- Tompkins, C. David. "John Peter Altgeld as a Candidate for Mayor of Chicago in 1899". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 56.4 (1963): 654-676.
- Wendt, Lloyd and Herman Kogan. Big Bill of Chicago (1953) Popular biography of Big Bill Thompson
- Zald, Mayer N., and Thomas A. Anderson. "Secular Trends and Historical Contingencies in the Recruitment of Mayors: Nashville as Compared to New Haven and Chicago". Urban Affairs Quarterly 3#4 (1968): 53-68.
External links edit
- Mayor's official webpage
- "History of Chicago's mayoral office" from Ballotpedia
- "A Chronology of Chicago's Mayors". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2010.