‘Corrupt’ City Council needs judicial oversight: McCarthy
Arguing that a “corrupt” City Council can no longer be trusted, mayoral candidate Garry McCarthy on Monday proposed transferring police misconduct settlements, taxincrement financing and the drawing of ward boundaries to a new review board “with judicial experience.”
McCarthy said the oversight could even include a consent decree — which he said is “ironic” considering the city is finalizing a consent decree outlining the terms of federal court oversight over the Chicago Police Department he once led while allowing a City Council that has seen one-third of its sitting members go to prison since 1972 to continue to operate unchecked.
Mayoral candidates and aldermen fighting for political survival have been tripping over each other to propose ethics reforms and get on the right side of the federal corruption scandal that threatens to bring down Ald. Edward Burke (14th).
But McCarthy’s proposal is clearly the most controversial and legally shaky.
Without saying how or by whom, he said he wants to create a “City Council Review Board” chaired by “officials with judicial experience, perhaps a retired federal judge.”
The board would be charged with drawing a new ward map to coincide with results of the 2020 U.S. Census without going through contortions to protect incumbents, McCarthy said.
In addition, the board would create a “truthful accounting of TIF spending” with an eye toward returning all surplus funds to taxpayers who, he claims, have been “defrauded in the past.”
Board approval would also be required for police misconduct settlements of $750,000 or more after a 10-day review period.
The $5 million Laquan McDonald settlement “was pushed through the City Council Finance Committee with misinformation,” McCarthy said. “And, at the end of the day, it was a bribe. It was a payoff to keep that video from being released.”
Under questioning at a City Hall news conference, McCarthy was asked how it was legally possible to transfer the powers of a duly elected body created by state law to a judicial oversight committee.
“It’s about their practices, not about whether or not they’re elected. Practices of this city government have to be reviewed. It’s criminal what’s happening here,” he said.
Pressed on what entity could legally create a City Council Review Board, McCarthy talked about the possibility of a binding referendum.
“This is not something that I think would happen on its own. It’s going to need some sort of outside influence,” he said. “Could that be the state attorney general? I don’t know. Could that be the DOJ?
Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot said she understands McCarthy’s desire to “break through the din” in the crowded field of candidates vying to replace Emanuel.
But McCarthy’s idea is just plain “goofy,” she said.