Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez speaking to reporters after giving her “State of the Clerk’s Office” address on Wednesday, the anniversary of her swearing-in. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez highlighted a rush of hew hiring reforms and the installation of a new in-office watchdog in a public address on Wednesday, saying she has “transformed” the office in the year since her controversial predecessor retired. She also hit back against critics who say her efforts at transparency fall short of what she promised.

The City Council Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation approved the nomination of Erin Harkey as the new head of the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Aldermen unanimously approved a measure to beef up city worker protections. The City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate approved four ordinances related to city land transactions. And a follow-up report from the city’s Office of Inspector General found that public health officials are making progress on improving security around the COVID-19 contract tracing program. 

The Latino Caucus and its supporters signed paperwork Thursday to put their ward map proposal up for a referendum vote next year. [Justin Laurence/Block Club Chicago]

Saying “it’s time for the voters” to decide, City Council’s Latino Caucus and its supporters signed paperwork Thursday to put their ward map proposal up for a referendum vote next year.

Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30) holds a copy of the rules committee ward map introduced on Wednesday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Aldermen blew past a critical Wednesday deadline to approve new ward boundaries, all but foreclosing any possibility of a new Chicago ward map until 2022 as a key aldermen called on her colleagues to “start over.” 

Ald. Carrie Austin (34) speaks during a City Council meeting on Oct. 27, 2021. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Ald. Carrie Austin (34), the City Council’s second-most senior aldermen and one of three sitting council members under federal indictment, will not run for reelection in 2023, she told The Daily Line on Wednesday. If she finishes her current term, she will have served 29 years in the body.

Erin Harkey’s confirmation as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events [YouTube/Design Museum of Chicago]

Aldermen are set to confirm a new commissioner to oversee the city’s cultural programming, tighten city labor regulations and dispense with a series of real estate transactions during a trio of virtual committee meetings on Thursday.

The Chicago City Council’s months-in-the-making push to redraw the boundaries of its 50 wards ground to a crawl on Tuesday, throwing the process into confusion hours before a critical deadline that could soon put the issue in the hands of voters.

Members of Asian Americans Advancing Justice speak during a news conference on Tuesday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

Advocates calling for aldermen to include the city’s first Asian American-majority ward in a new ward map made a final push on Tuesday for better representation in City Council. 

Fleet Fields at Lincoln Yards [Sterling Bay]

This article was first published in Block Club Chicago.

A collective of independent Chicago music venues wants the future Lincoln Yards development drawn out of the city’s 2nd Ward during the remap process currently underway at City Hall.

Ald. Michelle Harris (8) and Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) speak during a Monday Rules Committee hearing on ward mapping. 

An apparent plan to unveil a city-backed ward map proposal was scuttled Monday, just two days before a critical deadline to approve a new map as aldermen dug into each other in a fracas over the process by which the map is being drawn. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot offered an update on the city’s response to a new variant of COVID-19. Cook County released a Request for Proposals for off-site renewable power generation. And a meeting designed to put Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi face-to-face with Chicago aldermen was postponed until next month.

A map of Chicago's existing 50 wards. Aldermen have until Wednesday to approve a new 

Updated November 29, 7:52 a.m. The Chicago City Council is set to hold a flurry of public meetings this week to hammer out a new ward map — but the council's Caucus pulled back on special meeting it had called for Monday morning.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi outlined his reelection pitch in an interview on the CloutCast podcast. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Three years after Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi rode into office on a promise of reform and predictability, he’s facing a primary challenger trying to capitalize on what she’s calling three years of tumult and confusion.

Ald. David Moore (17) earlier this month proposed a measure that would establish an anti-littering campaign in the city. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

A proposal from a South Side alderman would direct the city’s chief sustainability officer to establish a citywide campaign to combat littering — an issue regularly broached by aldermen during city budget hearings.

Members of the Aldermanic Black Caucus announced their ward map proposal on Monday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Aldermanic Black Caucus on Monday unveiled its proposal to draw 17 majority-African American wards — a concession after caucus leaders had vowed to keep the 18 majority-Black wards drawn in 2012. But their plan still only maps out 14 majority-Latino wards, a setup the Latino Caucus calls “problematic.”