Study says City Council growing more independent

The City Council is making "glacial progress" toward shedding its reputation as a rubber stamp because Mayor Rahm Emanuel is "undeniably weaker" and the city's recalcitrant problems are requiring more painful solutions, a new study shows.

There's almost nothing that angers Emanuel more than being reminded that he's been "weakened politically" by being forced into Chicago's first mayoral runoff and by his handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting video shortly after being re-elected.

But that's the unmistakable conclusion of the new study released Wednesday by the political science department of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

It shows that there have been 67 divided roll call votes - roughly three per month - in the two years since the new City Council was sworn in. That's twice as many as there were during Emanuel's first term.

Only five aldermen voted with the mayor 100 percent of the time, with 22 more sticking with Emanuel 90 percent of the time. That's four votes short of the number needed to pass legislation.

A year ago, 28 aldermen were 90 percent supporters of the mayor.

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