Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to eliminate City Councilmembers' ability to control land zoning in their wards. 

Members of Chicago's City Council, also called "Aldermen," are given extra control over what happens in their own wards through a provision known as Aldermanic privilege or Aldermanic prerogative. This unwritten tradition gives Aldermen the ability to initiate or block activities of the council or city government in the wards they represent.

City Council uses this privilege to support or contest proposals for local issues, including changes to the city's zoning. In the past, they ordered street improvements and assessments to be funded only if the area's designated Alderman first approved them. The Council was created to represent the property owners in their respective wards.

Informal understandings among city council members led to an increase in their ability to influence laws. For instance, the 40th ward's previous Alderman established several liquor moratoriums that are still in effect. 

Eventually, council members were given the power to veto council votes affecting their wards. They began using their privilege to intervene in more and more city operations and granting their political allies special rights in the form of zoning changes, variances, and permits for driveways and building conversions. 

Those who oppose aldermanic privilege believe that it has given the council members too much individual control over their districts, leading to inconsistent application of ordinances, legislative inefficiency, and outright corruption. Some have likened it to Chicago having 50 mini-mayors. Those who support aldermanic privilege believe that it is an effective way of protecting each ward's interests by focusing on the issues that matter most to its residents. They say that this is the best way to represent each ward's unique interests in a targeted way that city-wide government cannot do.

The question up for debate: Should #Alderman Privilege over city #zoning issues be abolished or upheld?