By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Chicago’s City Council has a larger Democratic Socialists of America-affiliated bloc than any other major U.S. city council, according to a City Journal article.
The article, read on air by co-host Jeannie Ives, identifies six Chicago aldermen as DSA members: Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, Daniel La Spata, Jeanette Taylor, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Andre Vasquez and Amira Rosa, accounting for about 12% of the 50-member council.
“Socialists have a larger presence on Chicago City Council than on that of any other large American city,” the article states, according to Ives. The article also says the aldermen “openly endorse revolutionary Marxism, including the municipal takeover of private enterprise and the total abolition of capitalist systems,” Ives said.
Ives, a former Illinois state representative, said the council bloc’s influence could extend beyond the city if Chicago’s finances worsen further. “There are about 30 state rep districts — at least 15 state Senate districts — that touch Chicago in some way,” Ives said. “That is a huge number of people that have an interest in making other taxpayers across the state bail out their failed programs.”
The article also argues that a federal or state bailout of Chicago’s finances would have consequences reaching beyond city limits, Ives said.
A caller identified as Roger, from Chicago’s South Side, said during the broadcast that he sees no accountability in how city government manages its budget.
The six aldermen named in the article are not up for election this cycle. The council’s budget negotiations, including Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed tax increases, are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
Ives said the council’s socialist bloc has grown since 2015, when Vasquez and other aligned aldermen first won election to the council. She said the trend has continued across subsequent election cycles, giving the bloc more influence over budget and housing votes even without a council majority.
