Gilbert Villegas

Yeah, I can't speak to why the mayor in particular wasn't as involved, although my understanding is that the corporation counsel, Mary Richardson Lowry, was very involved in assisting the alders with their negotiations.

But my understanding is that it was a process really led by a few alders, including Alderwoman Pat Dowell, Nicole Lee, Alderman Scott Waguespack, Ed Burnett, and Gil Villegas, who really stepped up to hammer the deal out.

In terms of That involvement, I think this is sort of, uh, reflective of a pattern we've seen more and more over the past few years under the Johnson administration, where city council is just taking a much more active role in how the city itself is governed.

I'm sure that is much to the frustration, uh, of the mayor and of probably future mayors to have a more active city council that just won't do whatever the mayor's office would like.

So who gets the credit for this deal?

Well, this was negotiated by some of Mayor Brandon Johnson's opposition leaders, Alders Pat Dowell, Nicole Lee, Gilbert Villegas, and Scott Wagaspak, who was on the council and voted against that original 2008 deal.

And then one ally, Alderman Walter Red Burnett.

The mayor himself took a back seat, but his widely respected chief legal officer, Mary Richardson Lowry, was at the table.