- Credibility:
LINCOLN SQUARE — With the new City Council in place, Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) is trying again to enact legislation blocking alderpeople from having side hustles.
City Council members are paid six-figure salaries and have access to a city expense account for renting an office and other costs, but they are considered part-time employees who can take outside jobs to supplement their income.
City Council members’ salaries range from around $115,560 to $142,776, according to city data.
“For that amount of pay, we expect this amount of labor. It’s a very fair conversation to have,” Vasquez said. “If you’re fortunate enough that taxpayer dollars are going to pay your salary, you should focus on that job.”
Vasquez tried pushing a similar measure last year, but other alderpeople sent it to the rules committee, known as a graveyard for legislation. But with a new term, new mayor and new City Council members, Vasquez thinks the new ordinance has a better shot at passing, he said.
Vasquez introduced the ordinance at the end of last month. If approved, it would designate alderperson as a full-time job and ban those from collecting another paycheck from the city of Chicago.
It also would block alderpeople from doing paid work in real estate developments in the city or paid legal work on behalf of any Chicagoan or Chicago-based business, the ordinance states.
There would be exceptions for alderpeople who are landlords with fewer than five buildings. There would also be carve-outs for council members awarded pay through court order for pro bono legal work or members who represent a relative in the handling of an estate, the ordinance states.
Vasquez said he’s talking to city departments and doing outreach to figure out which alderpeople would be affected in an attempt to avoid the same pushback he received in the previous iteration of the ordinance.
Vasquez also is exploring how to “grandfather in” City Council members who have had second jobs for years without issue and possibly setting a future date from when the ban on outside employment takes effect to give people time to prepare, he said.
“Nobody should feel like they’re being penalized because they have a second job before they got into City Council. I don’t want people to feel that way either. I think this new measure strikes a balance,” Vasquez said. “So that way when someone’s done with their terms and leave, they’re fine. But anybody new coming in to City Council can’t have two jobs. No.”
The proposal is waiting to be reviewed by City Council’s committee on ethics and government oversight, chaired by fellow progressive North Side Ald. Matt Martin (47th).
Martin said he’s still waiting to hear from Vasquez on his outreach and wasn’t sure yet when it would appear on an agenda for his committee.
Were it to be approved, the ordinance would go into effect May 15, 2024.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoThe city’s current policy has led to trouble for some City Council members.
Former Ald. Ed Burke (14th) served as a real estate attorney for much of his more than 50 years in office. Burke was charged in 2019 with racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion by federal prosecutors, who said he used his elected office to steer work to his law firm.
He chose to retire and not run for another term.
Watch our “On The Block” TV show on The U, CW26 and MeTV.
Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast”:
