At one point, in the midst of the City Council’s tense city budget debate, the whole chamber went quiet. Every aldermen held their breath, Clerk Susana Mendoza and Mayor Rahm Emanuel froze at the podium and every reporter in the press box stilled themselves to see what would happen next.

Aldermen David Moore (17) had voiced an objection to Finance Committee Chairman Ed Burke’s (14) motion to suspend the rules of the Council.