Ald. Carrie Austin Back At Work After Collapsing, Being Taken To Hospital During City Council Meeting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two days after she collapsed and was taken to the hospital during a City Council meeting, South Side Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) was back at work on Friday.
Austin attended a virtual meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee on Friday. While she made no mention of her health, a representative of her office told CBS 2 she was doing well after being taken to the hospital during Wednesday's meeting of the full City Council.
Austin slumped over in her chair Wednesday afternoon during the council meeting, prompting Mayor Lori Lightfoot to call a brief recess for a "medical emergency." The mayor and other members of the City Council rushed to Austin's side as staffers called for an ambulance.
Austin appeared to be conscious as she was taken to the hospital to be checked out.
She made no mention of the episode at the start of the Transportation Committee meeting on Friday when she said "good morning" to her colleagues. Ald. Matt Martin (47th) said "I'm happy that Alderman Austin is joining us today. It's good to have her with us."
Austin, the second-longest serving member of the City Council, has had a string of medical problems in recent years. She was hospitalized last year with COVID-19. Five years ago, she had surgery to repair a torn aorta.
Her late husband, Lemuel Austin, was her predecessor as alderman of the 34th ward, and died in office in 1994.
She is one of three sitting aldermen facing a federal indictment. Austin and her chief of staff were indicted earlier this year on federal charges accusing them of taking bribes from a construction company seeking Austin's support for a development in her ward. She later resigned her post as chair of the City Council Committee on Contracting Oversight and Equity, at Mayor Lightfoot's request.
