Rahm Can Fix It - City Council Meetings

Over the next few months - I will be offering advice to our newly elected, but yet to be sworn in, Mayor, Rahm Emanuel. As a lover of Chicago and an observer of most things political I have a short (well maybe not so short) list of things that need fixing.  Consider this a "honey do" list for Rahm.  When he is sworn it, I'll change it to a "suggestion  list" for His Honor the Mayor.

I'm starting with an easy one, City Council meetings - I attend most of them. I would suggest that until the meetings are improved we not allow teachers to bring their classes to observe.  We do not want our children to think that the behavior demonstrated here is a good example of how to act in public.

• To the casual observer - it looks like an adult day care center filled with ADD victims.  The Aldermen wander around, buzz with each other, pass out papers, talk on their phones, text and twitter - but only when the Mayor is not at the podium - which is often.  When he presides - they all sit in their seats like good  little girls and boys. As soon as he leaves its back to running around. Now don't get me wrong - they're all dressed nicely.  You could take them anywhere - most of them. They're just hyper.
• The 14th ward alderman  does not run around.  They all come to him and all but kiss his ring.  All the other white haired guys are doing the running around (they're the worst) - if they can do it, he can do it.  Either make him run around or tell the others to sit down.  A couple of them can't move too well - so they're okay.
• The proclamations are too long.  Shorten them and put them into plain language.  Whereas and therefore  are out of date and needlessly prolong the reading leaving the City Clerk out of breath. If they were shorter, maybe the Aldermen would actually pay attention instead of disrespecting the honorees by doing other things.

• After the well deserved proclamations honoring our brave firemen and policemen.  Limit the "I rise to support this proclamation" to 2 or 3 and tell your finance committee chairman to use his own words - not those of Jefferson, or Plato or  the Dali Lama or whomever  else he quotes all the time. A real time waster.
• Make everybody stay in the room while roll call votes are taken.  Saves them from piping up later.
•  As a public service, provide a list of the ordinances being voted on.  They are read (mumbled) so quickly and only mentioned by ordinance #9876-33000 - how is the public to know what that means?  It could be an ordinance to prohibit parking in front of your house or to allow gambling at your local tavern.  Also direct the public to the committee meetings. They are the meetings where actual decisions are made and the public is allowed to speak.
• On a final note:  Make them actually debate,think, and come up with new ideas. Rahm - they haven't had to do that in a very long time.