Chicago aldermen embrace selfish politics over public need
Nine Chicago aldermen are hoping to undermine Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson using emotional distractions and are failing to address real issues like cracking down on increasing crime. They are demanding Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) should be stripped of power because he was at a rally where an American flag was burned. It happened before he got there. But burning the American Flag is the fundamental essence of American freedoms and Democracy, not a symbol of anti-Americanism. And it was a distraction used to deflect the public from real issues
By Ray Hanania
Wouldn’t it be nice if politicians focused on all of their efforts on addressing the issues that most concern the taxpayers, rather than on their own selfish political power?
That’s the substance of the most recent attack by nine misguided aldermen against Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, chairman of the City Council Housing Committee and a close ally of newly elected Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Sigcho-Lopez’s critics include Southwest Side Aldermen Marty Quinn (13th), Raymond Lopez (15th), and Silvana Tabares (23rd). They were joined by North and West Side aldermen Bill Conway (34th Ward), Gilbert Villegas (36th), Anthony Napolitano (41st), Chris Taliaferro (29th), Felix Cardona (31st) and Nick Sposato (38th).
The “Tabares-Lopez 9,” to give them a name, demanded Mayor Johnson strip Sigcho-Lopez of his chairmanship because he gave a speech at a citizen’s rally where an American Flag was burned. The accusation got big headlines.
But Sigcho-Lopez said the flag was burned BEFORE he got up to speak in support of the protestors, Palestinian American citizens who pushed for the passage of a resolution to urge an “unconditional ceasefire” and release of “all” hostages in the brutal Israel-Gaza carnage where 31,000 people, mostly women and children, have been massacred.
The protestors were also calling for the cancellation of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and urging the public to reject President Joe Biden-s re-election because of his funding and support of Israel’s military attacks in Gaza.
Sigcho-Lopez called the criticism from the small handful of aldermanic colleagues “political theater.” And he is right.
Burning the American Flag is a First Amendment American right, guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. It’s the cornerstone of a principle representing the essence of what being an American is all about. We Americans have the total freedom to protest against our government and politicians including by burning the American Flag in protest of feared government tyranny.
I’m a military veteran from a military family. My father and uncle served during World War II fighting the Nazis. My brother was a U.S. Marine. And I served during the Vietnam War. All honorably and with distinction.
The burning of the flag isn’t about being American. It is exactly about being an American.
The aldermen attacking Sigcho-Lopez don’t care about the “First Amendment” or “Free Speech.” They are interested solely in doing to Mayor Johnson what former Aldermen Ed Vrdolyak more successfully 30 years ago against Mayor Harold Washington sparking “Council Wars.”
Despite his many problems, Vrdolyak was a master politician who mastered the fundamentals of City Council rules. He organized the “Vrdolyak 29,” who fought Washington during his first four years in office
I covered “Council Wars” on the frontlines at City Hall. The battle played on racial fears, but it was all about a fight for power. Racism was used but it wasn’t the goal.
The critics of Sigcho-Lopez scream about the burning of the American flag, but that’s not really the issue.
All of the members of the “Tabares-Lopez 9” voted against the “humanitarian ceasefire” Gaza resolution. Sigcho-Lopez led the fight to get it approved. Mayor Johnson broke the 23-23 tie vote to get the resolution passed.
Many Illinois politicians had returned from little-publicized trip sponsored by pro-Israel PACs and Israel’s government orchestrated to strengthen anti-Palestinian policies, that included several aldermen, where they were brain washed.
While many Americans are increasingly concerned about the violent carnage many call “genocide” taking place in Gaza, the attack against Sigcho-Lopez is a deflection from the real goal: a political grab for power, no different than those aldermen who challenged Washington.
The “Flag burning” aspect is just emotional tinder intended to enflame and fuel divisions in Chicago that can be used as a platform for the mayor’s critics. They wat to gin-up the public’s emotions and distract from their real goals.
I can’t tell you how much I am personally disappointed in Lopez and Tabares. They should have supported the “humanitarian ceasefire” resolution because it was the right thing to do.
Lopez lost his moral compass, losing in a landslide challenging Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. His campaign was unfocused and relied on “clout straws,” a phrase referencing the pandering to power and money over principle and morality.
Tabares released a head-scratching statement claiming the criticism of Sigcho-Lopez was distorted, saying, “During a press convergence of members of the City Council and United States Military Veterans, Ald. Sigcho-Lopez’s staff circumvented City Hall rules and transported protestors onto the 3rd floor to disrupt and antagonize.” Read the letter. It’s a grab for power to represent the Hispanic Caucus.
It’s sad to see smart officials compromised by powerful foreign lobbyists, ignore human rights, and fail to address the real issues in their differences with the mayor.
The “Tabares-Lopez 9” succeeded in only getting 16 votes for their attack against Sigcho-Lopez. Mayor Johnson and Sigcho-Lopez were able to secure 29 votes.
It’s ironic, that the Johnson 29 have reversed the ugliness that was once symbolized by the Vrdolyak 29. Hopefully, that kind of power politics will be replaced by a unified effort to fight rising crime.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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