By Illinois Review
On Monday morning, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s City Council Floor Leader Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) resigned after bullying Ald. Emma Mitts (37th Ward) last Thursday during a special meeting to discuss a referendum regarding Chicago’s sanctuary city status. Ramirez-Rosa also resigned from his position as chairman of the Zoning Committee.
Reports revealed that Ramirez-Rosa was physically blocking Mitts from entering the council chamber floor to prevent a quorum of 26 council members who were going to vote on a measure that would create a referendum on whether or not Chicago should remain a sanctuary city. The vote couldn’t take place until 26 members were on the floor, which Ramirez-Rosa, who serves as Mayor Johnson’s floor leader, was trying to prevent.
Mitts, a female member of the Black Caucus is one of the most respected Democratic members on the City Council.
Witnesses also revealed that Ramirez-Rosa was threatening council members that if they entered the chamber floor to vote on the proposed measure, that he would use his position as chairman of the Zoning Committee to punish them – and effectively block any future requests for help from his committee.
Late Thursday, just hours after the alleged incident took place, Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward), who witnessed the event, issued a statement on X, writing,
“For all asking about my comments pertaining to @ChicagosMayor Floor Leader @CDRosa’s assault of Ald Mitts in the council chamber annex: Yes it happened & yes I can confirm this because I had to physically position myself between him and her, physically pushing him back until she was able to break free, allowing us to walk into the chambers together declaring “Now we have 26.” #RosaResign”
Over the weekend, the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus issued a statement asking Ramirez Rosa to resign as floor leader and as chairman of the Zoning Committee and publicly apologize for his “blatant mistreatment and disrespect towards Alderwoman Mitts.”
“The bullying by Floor Leader Ramirez-Rosa to Chairwoman Emma Mitts, City Council’s current longest-serving woman, was unprofessional and unbecoming of his role. Alerman Ramirez-Rosa’s actions of physical and verbal harassment have let down our council and the people of Chicago.”
On Sunday, five Latino Alderman issued a joint statement calling on Mayor Johnson to request the resignation of Ramirez-Rosa as his floor leader and as chairman of the Zoning Committee.
“We are truly disheartened and disappointed by the actions displayed by Mayor Brandon Johnsoon’s appointed Floor Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards, 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa.”
The letter continues that if Mayor Johnson did not request the alderman’s resignations, they would “have no choice but to expel Ramirez-Rosa from the City Council…”
In Chicago, streams of buses carrying illegals are dropping people off all over the city day and night, straining resources and forcing the city and state to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to address the surge.
It’s estimated that over 20,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago in the last year, costing more than $400 million – with 25 buses arriving each day dropping off an average of 1,250 migrants around the city.
Several weeks ago, Gov JB Pritzker (D) wrote a letter to President Biden asking for help, including federal aid, as the migrant crisis spirals out of control, writing,
“Unfortunately, the welcome and aid Illinois has been providing to these asylum seekers has not been matched with support by the federal government…Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois.”
With a lack of funding and resources, and with temperatures dropping below freezing late at night, Democratic leaders are in panic mode as they try and figure out how to get a handle on the migrant crisis as many sleep outside on sidewalks in tents – including women, children and babies.
The City Council is debating whether or not to put a referendum on the ballot asking voters if Chicago should remain a sanctuary city given all the chaos that the city is experiencing as buses drop off migrants all over the city.
In his resigantiaon, Ramirez-Rosa wrote,
“Much has been reported about last week’s incidents at a special meeting of the Chicago City Council. Tensions were high at a chaotic meeting, and I let that get the best of me, leading me to act in a way unbecoming of a leader. I sincerely apologize to my colleague, Alderwoman Emma Mitts, for the disrespectful interaction outside of Council Chambers.”
The embattled alderman concluded his statement with,
“Because the position of Floor Leader especially requires the confidence of our colleagues, and because through my actions I lost that confidence, I have informed the mayor that I will be stepping down from that position. Furthermore, I am resigning as Chair of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards effective December 1st, to allow time for an effective transition.”
