Lightfoot's empowering shutdown of Eddie Burke

But I'm Eddie Burke...

Mayor Lori Lightfoot's shutdown of indicted machine boss, Ald. Eddie Burke at yesterday's council meeting was a joy to behold. As a veteran WGN cameraman put it, “Somewhere In heaven, Harold Washington is laughing his a** off.”

I don't know about Harold, but my biggest laugh came from watching Burke play the feminist as he and his toadie Ald. Ray Lopez tried to block the mayor's rule changes by bringing up the issue of gender-neutral wording in the new rules. Lightfoot saw right through Burke's play as we all did.

Burke raises a "serious flaw". Says several of the rules are not "gender neutral" and presiding officer, Lightfoot, is clearly a woman. When was he concerned about this stuff before?

— Fran Spielman (@fspielman) May 29, 2019

In the end, the mayor's proposed rule changes, her first big test of strength in the Council, were adopted with only 3 anti-climatic NO votes. They came from Burke, Lopez and 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale,  the group I will lovingly call, "The New Vrdolyak 3".

Lightfoot's smackdown of Burke was certainly empowering for those of us who've been at war with the vile machine for more than 50 years. I imagine it was even more empowering for women -- especially women of color -- watching the city's first black, gay woman mayor boldly deliver the blow to last remaining dregs of the old Vrdolyak 29.

Lightfoot deftly handles early skirmish with Burke. She swats him down like a pesky fly and the rules she drafted are adopted by voice vote.

— Fran Spielman (@fspielman) May 29, 2019