The upcoming selection of Zoning chair is setting up a proxy battle between the City Council’s Black and Latino caucuses, both who believe the coveted position should go to one of their members.

Mayor Brandon Johnson will be tasked with selecting his third zoning chair in August because of the departure of 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett. While the heads of the Black and Latino caucuses believe the spot should go to one of its members, vice chair Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th, who is white, has also indicated he wants the job.

For Johnson, the selection will be his third for zoning chair. Upon winning the mayoral election, Johnson installed Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, but the alderman was forced to step down in November 2023 after facing bullying accusations from four colleagues. He has denied the allegations.

Historically, the Zoning Chairperson controls legislation related to development and other land uses in Chicago. The position is among the most coveted positions among city council members, according to political consultant Don Rose.

“It’s the most prestigious and in a sense, the most powerful of the committees,” Rose said.

As for who he predicted Johnson would put forward, Rose said there is no clear-cut favorite.

“It’s hard to say with this guy,” Rose said of Johnson. “His previous department nominees would indicate that he’ll lean toward the Black Caucus but he may be trying to make more of an effort to reach out."

Of the 20 committees in City Council, 10 are chaired by members of the Black Caucus, 6 are headed by members of the Latino Caucus and the remaining 4 are headed by white aldermen.

After the departure of Ramirez-Rosa, Johnson had promised the Latino caucus that he’d select another Latino caucus member and attempted to install Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, but he failed to garner the votes for confirmation. Several city council members objected to Sigcho-Lopez, saying he was too divisive to hold the powerful role. After nine months of battling, Johnson shifted gears and tapped Burnett, who was confirmed. Now, with Burnett leaving city council at the end of the month, Johnson is forced to make yet another pick for the zoning chair.

Alderman Andre Vasquez (40th), a member of the Latino Caucus, said he believes that Johnson should revert back to his promise to the caucus and pick him for the role.

“The mayor had made a commitment to keeping that a Latino seat prior to Burnett being someone that everyone can find consensus on,” Vasquez said. “I think now that there’s an opening there, the caucus has articulated they want to see reflective representation,” he said, adding that the Latino Caucus members are united behind his push to be named Zoning Chair.

Vice chair of Zoning, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th), who is white, said he also hopes to be considered for the position and said he may be a safe choice for Johnson as selecting him would not favor either the Black or Latino Caucus.

“I hope so,” Lawson said of being the safe choice for Johnson. He added that while he believes he has more experience anyone who has been a vice chair and thinks his colleagues on city council would not have a problem with being named, “I know there’s more factors than go into it.”

Lawson has spent the last year pushing an ordinance through the committee that would legalize “granny flats” and coach houses in Chicago. That ordinance passed through the Zoning Committee on July 15 and was expected to be voted on by the full city council the following day but Aldermen Greg Mitchell, 9th, and Marty Quinn, 13th, used a parliamentary maneuver to prevent a vote. The next city council meeting is scheduled for September.

Alderman Stephanie Coleman (16th), who heads the Black Caucus, did not respond to several requests for comment, but told the Chicago Tribune that she “absolutely” expects the Zoning chair position to go to one of her members.

Johnson did not respond to requests for comment but in a press conference on Wednesday, said he trusts in the process to select the chair.

“We’ll go through a process, like we’ve always gone through, and the person that best reflects our ability to build the safest, most affordable big city in America,” Johnson said, adding that the most important thing is finding someone who “reflects my values.”