Mayor Lightfoot calls for police, aldermanic accountability in City Club speech

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke to the City Club on Tuesday. On the eve of her first City Council meeting, Lightfoot discussed priorities for her first 100 days and how the dozens of shootings that happened over Memorial Day weekend highlight the city's need to get a handle on violence.

While dealing with violence remains a top concern, Lightfoot also announced a new push for accountability for police officers and aldermen alike.

"It's long overdue that the City Council act swiftly in the first 100 days to pass the ordinance proposed by the Grass Roots Alliance for Police Accountability, or GAPA, to create civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department."

That idea is sure to meet some stiff resistance from the Fraternal Order of Police, whose president, Kevin Graham, called GAPA a bad idea and a waste of taxpayer money.

"In the first 100 days, we'll push for more sweeping ethics reforms making sure no elected official can monetize their position for personal gain," she said.

Lightfoot is also looking to shake up City Council, having already signed her executive order eliminating aldermanic prerogative. She expressed confidence that her picks to chair committees will get the needed votes.

"I don't want to be overconfident, but I feel like we're heading in the right direction for sure," she said. "And I don't like leaving things to chance, so as you might imagine my team has been working diligently on this for quite some time."

Lightfoot said she planned to meet with Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Tuesday to address issues after a violent Memorial Day weekend that she called "unacceptable."

"I think the plan that we have will bear fruit, but it's not going to be instantaneous that we're gonna see things turn around, particularly because a lot of what we're seeing out there are crimes of poverty," she said, adding the need to invest in the South and West Sides.