Johnson's Fourth Veto Kills Debt-Threshold Ordinance; Override Vote Looms Next Week
Chicago is a city in Cook County, Illinois. Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday used the fourth veto of his tenure to kill an ordinance that would have required at least 30 City Council votes to approve new city borrowing. The measure, sponsored by Ald. Marty Quinn, had passed the Council 32-15 on Sept. 29 and was designed to give alderpersons more control over city debt. Quinn says he will try to override the veto at next week's Council meeting.
An override requires 34 votes — two more than the measure received. Quinn is counting on three alderpersons who were absent for the earlier vote — Daniel La Spata, Chris Taliaferro and Andre Vasquez — and believes at least two of the three will back the override.
The fight comes against a backdrop of rising local debt: according to the Civic Federation, net debt across Chicago's local governments grew 32.8% between 2014 and 2023, reaching $29.2 billion. Supporters of the ordinance say a higher approval threshold would restrain borrowing; the mayor's side argues it would tie the city's hands on financing and budget planning. By comparison, passing the city's annual budget takes only 26 votes.
With budget season about to begin, the debt-rules clash is seen as another flashpoint in the fiscal standoff between the mayor and the Council.
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times)
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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