Chicago City Wire

Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration has recently reversed a contentious alteration to the seating arrangements for the public at City Council meetings.

On Tuesday, according to the City Clerk website, the Johnson Administration deferred the proposed seating rules "until further notice."

The previous week, in reaction to repeated disruptions from the public during intense City Council debates, City Hall declared that individuals would need to present government-issued identification and make reservations 48 hours before sitting in the 2nd Floor viewing room during meetings. All others would be relegated to an enclosed viewing area on the 3rd floor.

The Better Government Association (BGA) criticized these rules as unfair and potentially unlawful.

"The Better Government Association believes the new rules violate the spirit and likely the letter of the state’s Open Meetings Act and calls on city government to reverse these changes. The new rules discourage public participation in council meetings, and the City Council’s longstanding rules provided for safety and decorum at council meetings if responsibly enforced by the Council Sergeant-at-Arms," BGA officials wrote in an open letter posted online.

They continued, "The new rules were not voted on by the City Council, which means they may violate the Open Meetings Act, which requires public bodies to vote on rules governing access. The Act guards the public’s rights to attend, record and address public officials face-to-face during meetings of governmental bodies."

Daniel LaSpata, a Logan Square Alderman and ally of Johnson, also expressed criticism towards these seating rules that were scheduled to take effect Wednesday.

"Requiring an ID to participate in democracy is something we always condemn. To see it in Chicago is embarrassing," LaSpata said on X.