Journalists Dave Glowacz and Ben Joravsky evaluated the Chicago City Council's "unfinished business" that was in evidence at its January, 2022 meetings.

In the standard version of the episode, Dave played audio from the latest push by 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale to establish a parliamentarian and legal staff for the council, which took place at the Jan. 26 meeting of the full council.

The premium version of the episode features the full drama that unfolded on Jan. 26 around Ald. Beale's effort to establish council legal staff. In that drama, many of Beale's colleagues went on the record about where they stand—including a revelation by one alderman who said they'd been working behind the scenes on a competing proposal.

Additionally, premium users can hear the entire debate in a separate audio piece that appears after the episode's premium version.

Also in the premium version of the episode, audio revealed the fate of an emergency spending measure for which Mayor Lori Lightfoot had tried, and failed, to get aldermanic approval. Audio excerpts from the Jan. 26 council meeting showed that the discussion got both confusing and heated.

Finally, the premium version depicts some serious frustration by aldermen with the mayor's nominee, Andrea Kersten, to head the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. That nomination hit a wall in the Jan. 21 meeting of the council's public safety committee.

Length 9 minutes standard, 53.5 minutes premium.

Music: "Kelli's Number" by U.S. Army Blues

Standard audio:

Premium audio:

Full debate on legislative counsel: