Alderman resigns as Mayor Johnson's City Council Floor Leader

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Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa of the 35th Ward resigned as Mayor Johnson's City Council Floor Leader after an unprofessional interaction during a City Council meeting on Thursday.

The special meeting was held to find solutions for Chicago's migrant crisis, as thousands are currently unhoused and in need of support. Tensions rose between Ald. Ramirez-Rosa and those who were opposed to Mayor Johnson's migrant plans—resulting in the Alderman supposedly threatening his peers. According to WTTW, Ald. Nicole Lee was one of the peers shaken up by this encounter.

"I was very shaken by the interaction," Lee told WTTW News. "I'm not accustomed to getting threatened like that."

Ald. Ramirez-Rosa released a statement saying, "I feel awful about everything that happened. I have reached out to my colleagues to apologize directly and seek to make amends. I made mistakes, and I learned valuable lessons. I take full responsibility for what I've done."

On Monday, Oct. 6, Mayor Johnson also released a statement. "It is not lost on me that Thursday’s events occurred during a time of heightened tension at City Hall. In recent months, the forces of division have preyed on our city, pitting us against each other in the most destructive ways. I am confident we will find a way to move forward and regain the trust and respect necessary to have a functioning legislative body.

Let us all recommit ourselves to the principles of respect and civility upon which our work and our democracy depend. Together, we can and will build a better, stronger, safer Chicago for all.”