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* From a few days ago…
Can the City Council force the mayor or his administration to show up for a hearing?
No. The City Council lacks subpoena power and would simply be requesting the mayor or his administration show up.
“We just don’t have that direct subpoena power like, say, Congress or the New York City Council does,” [Ald. Scott Waguespack] said. “So we really just have to ask and hope that they show up. My guess is that they would not.”
* Turns out, Wags was partly wrong…
NEW: Ahead of special city council committee of the whole meeting today re: CPS, Several alders tell me they plan to invoke little used state law to subpoena board of ed members to testify before City Council at a future date on why they resigned.
— Paris Schutz (@paschutz) October 9, 2024
In municipalities of more than 500,000, the corporate authorities may investigate the enforcement of the municipal ordinances, rules and regulations, and the action, conduct and efficiency of all officers, agents and employees of the municipality. In the conduct of such investigations the corporate authorities may hold public hearings. Each member of the corporate authorities shall have power to administer oaths, and the clerk of the municipality, by order of the corporate authorities, shall issue subpoenas to secure the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books and papers relevant to such investigations and to any hearing before the corporate authorities or any member thereof.
Any circuit court of this state upon application of the corporate authorities, or any member thereof, may in its discretion compel the attendance of witnesses, the production of books and papers, and the giving of testimony before the corporate authorities or any member thereof, by attachment for contempt or otherwise in the same manner as the production of evidence may be compelled before the court.
In other words, state law gives the city council the power to investigate “officers, agents and employees” of the City of Chicago. School board members and appointees are not city officers, agents and employees. But, if the council officially investigates someone at the city connected to this mess, it could then conceivably subpoena the current and future CPS board members as witnesses.
I kinda doubt they’ll go through with it, but expect a court challenge if they do.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 10, 24 @ 2:04 am
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