City Council Holds First Virtual Meeting Amid COVID-19 Crisis; 'Something New And Something Different That We Have To Do'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- For the first time in its history, the Chicago City Council on Wednesday held a meeting entirely by video conference; allowing the mayor, aldermen, and members of the public to participate while observing social distancing practices amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot chaired the meeting from her office on the fifth floor of City Hall, while 48 aldermen attended the meeting via the Zoom video chat app. Members of the public were allowed to call in to submit comments by phone, or to send them by email.

The meeting lasted less than an hour, as the agenda was limited to formally amending the City Council's rules of order to allow for remote attendance of future council and committee meetings. Lightfoot said the city's Law Department reviewed state law, Illinois Supreme Court rulings, and Gov. JB Pritzker's emergency order allowing for virtual government meetings to make sure any actions taken during virtual meetings are legitimate.

"I can assure you that our proceedings in this manner are completely legal," she said.

Ald. Michelle Harris (8th), who chairs the City Council Rules Committee, noted an emergency order issued by Pritzker last month waives a requirement of the Open Meetings Act requiring members of a public body to be physically present for a government meeting, and allows them to attend by video.

"We are in emergency times. This is an emergency for our city. This is an emergency for our state and the nation. So this is something new and something different that we have to do in order to move our government forward," Harris said.

Other than setting the date for the next City Council meeting for April 22, aldermen did not take any other actions during Wednesday's meeting, but did hear from several constituents who called in to provide public comment.

One Lakeview resident urged the mayor to lift her order closing the Lakefront, arguing that it has actually hurt social distancing efforts in the neighborhood, because of the high-density population.

"We're all cramped on the really narrow sidewalks," she said. "There's no physical possibility to maintain anywhere near the recommended 6 feet of distance."

At least five other people who called in to speak during the meeting urged the mayor and aldermen to close General Iron Industries, a scrap yard along the Chicago River between Lincoln Park and Bucktown.

A doctor who lives near the scrap metal recycling plant said it creates a "cloud of pungent odor" in the area, and said it's "absurd" the city is allowing the facility to continue emitting pollution during a respiratory pandemic.

A 40^th Ward resident who spoke during the meeting urged the city to do more to protect construction workers during the outbreak, and asked the city to put more restrictions in place on what types of construction can continue for now.

"Why are luxury condominiums considered essential infrastructure?" he asked.

Wednesday's meeting was a continuation of the March 18 council meeting when Mayor Lori Lightfoot called an immediate recess because only three aldermen were present after Pritzker ordered a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people.

Next week's meeting will deal with more substantive matters, including the confirmation of Lightfoot's appointment of former Dallas Police Chief David Brown as the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

The Public Safety Committee will hold Brown's confirmation hearing on Monday by video conference.

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• Chicago City Council