OFFICE WORK
From alderperson to city treasurer, here’s what Chicago’s pols are responsible for
Chicago has many layers of government. Some of the most visible and important roles are clerk, treasurer, alderperson and, of course, mayor; all serve four-year terms, and none is subject to term limits. Here is an overview of these offices and what exactly the jobs are.
Mayor
Salary: $216,210
If the city were a business, the mayor would be its chief executive officer. The mayor sets the city’s priorities, crafts the city’s budget and chooses who gets to run its parks, schools, trains and police. The mayor has a hand in deciding whether you’ll face a property tax hike or how fast you need to drive before getting ticketed by the city’s speed cameras.
While ordinances require passage by the City Council, the mayor has huge sway over what can and can’t get considered for passage. The mayor appoints Council committee chairs, who have the authority to advance, or stop, a proposed ordinance.
On issues such as housing, policing and economic investment in the city, the mayor often drives the agenda. And as Chicago recovers from the pandemic and the world stares down a possible economic downturn, it’s the mayor who will guide the city through those next chapters.
Alderperson
Salary: In 2023, $115,560 to $142,776. An alderperson’s pay varies, depending on whether they’ve accepted annual raises tied to the rate of inflation.
Sometimes called “mini mayors,” members of the City Council answer for everything from snow removal to pothole repairs in their areas. There are even ward superintendents — Department of Streets and Sanitation employees who work closely with alderpersons — to help make sure that kind of stuff gets done.
As one former City Council member put it: “I often liken the city of Chicago [to] a feudal system, where the mayor is sort of a de facto king. And each alderman is the lord — I guess, lady, for female aldermen — of their individual fiefdom.”
But beyond the day-to-day constituent services that come with presiding over their kingdoms, they’re legislators, too. The 50 alderpersons make up Chicago’s City Council, where they serve on committees and meet once a month as a full Council to pass policy. They also vote on the annual city budget, approve (or reject) the mayor’s appointees and redraw the ward boundaries once a decade.
The unwritten rule of “aldermanic prerogative” (also called “aldermanic privilege”) gives City Council members major say over what development in the neighborhood looks like. And it means they can give their blessing — or veto — that fourth-floor addition you want or determine whether new public housing will be built.
The Council has historically been dubbed a “rubber stamp,” meaning most of the time it goes along with what the mayor wants. But the City Council — and new mayor — elected in 2019 started to change that reputation.
City clerk
Salary: $161,016
The clerk is the city’s record keeper. The office manages the city’s official documents, such as ordinances passed by the City Council. The office is where you’ll go to get city stickers for your car, residential zone parking permits or business licenses.
The clerk’s office is even where you’ll head if you want to register your four-legged friend named Fido with the city.
The clerk’s office helps make the City Council more accessible. Through the clerk’s websites, the public can search for video archives of Council meetings dating back to 2011 or pore over ordinances originally passed in 1981.
The clerk’s office also helps bring the City Council into the modern age and ensure you can stay plugged in to what your government is doing, by providing access to meeting notices and livestreams of Council meetings.
City treasurer
Salary: $161,016
The city treasurer keeps track of the city’s finances and serves as its banker. The treasurer handles the city’s $9 billion investment portfolio, along with the investments of the pension funds for police, firefighters, laborers, municipal workers and teachers.
The treasurer also helps promote financial education.
The city’s pension funds have been severely underfunded for decades. The city treasurer helps steer the funds’ financial health by handling investments and serving on the pension funds’ boards. The treasurer also helps secure the financial stability of the city and serves as a reflection of the city’s values in how it invests its money, such as banning investments in fossil fuels.