Chicago's Aldermen Have Many Reactions To Rahm's Controversial Speech

By Kate Shepherd in News on Dec 9, 2015 11:06PM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's controversial speech to the City Council, in which he re-hashed several of the police accountability problems plaguing his administration, drew myriad reactions from the aldermen. Some said he's finally understanding the situation at hand, while others are much more cynical.

Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) reacted to today's events on Twitter, where he said that we also should fix the problems in the Cook County State's Attorney's office:

#ChiCouncil members have spoken on police issues but we need to also focus on State Attorney's office to fix sickness w/in our system

— Alderman Joe Moreno (@Alderman_Moreno) December 9, 2015

Chicago police can arrest all day long, but if the State Attorney is not charging correctly, then justice has not been done #ChiCouncil

— Alderman Joe Moreno (@Alderman_Moreno) December 9, 2015

He's holding his a City Council hearing to get more answers about the Laquan McDonald shooting and Chicago police corruption:

I encourage all #ChiCouncil aldermen to attend the Public Safety/Human Relations Joint Hearing I'm co-chairing to get answers & justice

— Alderman Joe Moreno (@Alderman_Moreno) December 9, 2015

He was cautiously optimistic noting that they've heard great speeches before but seen no action:

"There have been times when we hear great speech," Moreno told DNAinfo. "We hear great talk and there’s no action."

Ald. Walter Burnett (32nd) thinks Emanuel is moving in the right direction.

"He broke up, he got emotional. This is serious stuff. I'm glad he's taking it seriously," Burnett told DNAinfo.

The problems in the police department started before Emanuel took over as mayor in 2011 but the current controversy will force him to enact real reform.

"I expect true reform. I think he has no other choice than to bring true reform, long overdue reform," he said. "This stuff didn't happen under him, it's been going on for a long time."

One of the mayor's most vocal critics and Progressive Caucus member, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), told reporters he thought the mayor's speech lacked substance and an action plan.

Emanuel still has a lot of work to do to regain his constituents' trust, Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) said according to the Tribune.

"That's the challenge he has, quite honestly, and it's going to be judged by his actions, not his words," he said. "So, we hope the ensuing actions will be substantive and will show real meaning to make that connection back with the community so we can establish that trust."

Another one of Emanuel's critics, Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), thinks that Emanuel's speech was a genuine call for change.

"It seemed to be real," she told the Tribune. "It hit me. It hit me. It went straight to the core, and that's what I appreciated about it."

As hundreds of protestors calling for the resignations of Emanuel and Alvarez marched from the Loop all the way to the Gold Coast and west on Division St., down in Springfield state Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-8th) introduced a bill allowing a mayoral recall election in Chicago.

There is no existing legal way to recall a mayor right now.