Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) resigned as chairman of the City Council’s black caucus Wednesday because he felt it is time for him to move on.
“Two years has been enough,” Burnett, who was elected to the post in 2009, told the Chicago News Cooperative. “One of the things that I’m most proud of is that I gave the organization some prominence.”
Burnett spearheaded an effort to select a black consensus mayoral candidate after Mayor Richard M. Daley announced last year he would not seek another term in office. Burnett said he was proud of that push, though it did burn him out.
“I put in a lot of man hours there, and I felt like I neglected a lot of the things that I had to do in the ward,” Burnett said, adding he wants to focus his attention on the ward remapping process the new City Council will take up in May.
Aldermen Latasha Thomas (17th) and Howard Brookins (21st) touted themselves as possible successors Wednesday. Brookins won re-election in last month’s general election. Thomas is fighting to retain her seat in the April 5 runoff election against former 17th Ward Democratic Organization field director David Moore.
“I would love to do that,” Brookins said of leading the City Council’s black caucus. “We need to focus on some issues of key importance to the African American community, namely the paltry number of contracts that African Americans and minorities are getting out of the city.”
Brookins said he also wants the next leader of the black caucus to focus on fundraising for caucus members so they won’t have to rely as heavily on outside groups for campaign contributions.
“It could make key members independent of everybody—the mayor, the unions, special interests, so we can truly work in the interests of the communities we represent.” Brookins said.
Thomas also said she believes a main area of focus for the next leader of the black caucus should be boosting the number of city contracts given to minority businesses. Thomas is a protege of Terry Peterson, the former head of the Chicago Housing Authority who also helped managed Daley’s 2007 re-election campaign.
Thomas said a vote on Burnett’s successor will not be taken until the election is over.