Lightfoot blocks effort to delay recreational marijuana sales in Chicago

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday shot down an attempt by the City Council's Black Caucus to delay sales of recreational marijuana in Chicago for six months to give African American and Hispanic people a chance to get a piece of the action.

The vote to block the six-month delay and sales in Chicago to begin as planned on Jan. 1 was 29 to 19. The vote followed a dizzying array of mayoral rulings, aldermanic appeals and procedural votes.

The tension was reminiscent of Council Wars, when 29 mostly white aldermen led by Edward R. Vrdolyak (10th) and Edward Burke (14th) blocked then-Mayor Harold Washington's every move.

It all started when Alderman Gilbert Villegas (36th) and Brendan Reilly (42nd) exercised the right of any two aldermen to delay the vote for one meeting. With that, Black Caucus Chairman Jason Ervin (28th) moved to adjourn the meeting.

Aldermen voted 32-16 not to adjourn. Minutes later, Villegas withdrew his motion to defer and publish the six-month delay.

"What you are witnessing today is a travesty in our community" because African Americans will not benefit from the first wave of licenses, Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) told his colleagues as debate began.

"The only reason he withdrew that motion is because he feels he has the votes to kill it. ... We need a piece of this. And if we don't get it, nobody should get it."

Normally, City Council votes are well-orchestrated. Mayoral allies know how many votes they can count on and how many aldermen will vote against the administration.

That was not the case Wednesday. There was genuine suspense. African American aldermen left the City Council floor to huddle in a backroom. Mayoral allies conferred with Lightfoot on the rostrum.

"I have no intention of Chicago being left behind," Lightfoot said. "It is unfortunate that the Black Caucus has chosen to remain on the sidelines."

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