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Mayor Harold Washington acknowledges an ovation from supporters after his introduction May 2, 1983, at his first council meeting at City Hall. He adjourned the meeting shortly afterward.
Ernie Cox Jr. / Chicago Tribune
Mayor Harold Washington acknowledges an ovation from supporters after his introduction May 2, 1983, at his first council meeting at City Hall. He adjourned the meeting shortly afterward.

Chicago’s Council Wars pitted defiant white aldermen against a reform-minded Harold Washington

By | mmather@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
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Angry supporters of Mayor Harold Washington jeer the council proceedings after Ald. Ed Vrdolyak seized control of the podium on May 2, 1983. Vrdolyak had taken control of the meeting after Mayor Washington left, and had himself elected vice chairman of the committee.
Angry supporters of Mayor Harold Washington jeer the council proceedings after Ald. Ed Vrdolyak seized control of the podium on May 2, 1983. Vrdolyak had taken control of the meeting after Mayor Washington left, and had himself elected vice chairman of the committee.
Mayor Harold Washington acknowledges an ovation from supporters after his introduction May 2, 1983, at his first council meeting at City Hall. He adjourned the meeting shortly afterward.
Mayor Harold Washington acknowledges an ovation from supporters after his introduction May 2, 1983, at his first council meeting at City Hall. He adjourned the meeting shortly afterward.
Mayor Harold Washington arrives at Chicago City Hall on May 5, 1983.
Mayor Harold Washington arrives at Chicago City Hall on May 5, 1983.
Aldermans Edward M. Burke, left, and Edward R. Vrdolyak at City Hall on May 7, 1983, in Chicago.
Aldermans Edward M. Burke, left, and Edward R. Vrdolyak at City Hall on May 7, 1983, in Chicago.
Attorney William Harte, center, advises a group of aldermen battling Mayor Harold Washington for control of the City Council on May 6, 1983. Leaders of the coalition against Washington were Roman Pucinski, 41st, from left, Fred Roti, 1st, Edward Burke, 14th, and Edward Vrdolyak, 10th.
Attorney William Harte, center, advises a group of aldermen battling Mayor Harold Washington for control of the City Council on May 6, 1983. Leaders of the coalition against Washington were Roman Pucinski, 41st, from left, Fred Roti, 1st, Edward Burke, 14th, and Edward Vrdolyak, 10th.
Picketers parade in front of the Conrad Hilton Hotel on May 25, 1983, where Ald. Edward Vrdolyak and others in support of the controlling city council bloc attend a fundraising dinner for the Cook County Democratic organization.
Picketers parade in front of the Conrad Hilton Hotel on May 25, 1983, where Ald. Edward Vrdolyak and others in support of the controlling city council bloc attend a fundraising dinner for the Cook County Democratic organization.
Aldermen Timothy Evans, left, and Eugene Sawyer, center, talk with Ald. Roman Pucinski during a contentious City Council meeting on May 11, 1983. Pucinski was a member of the “Vrdolyak 29,” a bloc of white aldermen hostile to Mayor Harold Washington and his supporters, who included Evans and Sawyer.
Reporters and photographers crowd Chicago City Council chambers during a meeting on May 11, 1983, in the first few weeks of the Council Wars.
Reporters and photographers crowd Chicago City Council chambers during a meeting on May 11, 1983, in the first few weeks of the Council Wars.
Ald. Bernard Stone, a member of the “Vrdolyak 29,” yells during a City Council meeting with Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, to his right, on May 11, 1983, during the Council Wars.
Demonstrators supporting Mayor Harold Washington picket against the “Vrdolyak 29” outside City Hall before a City Council meeting in August 1983.
Spectators outside City Council chambers, some bearing signs supporting the “Vrdolyak 29” and others showing their opposition, gesture to those going into a City Council meeting May 7, 1983.
Aldermen Edward Burke, center left, and Edward Vrdolyak, center, yell for a point of order on May 11, 1983, during a contentious City Council meeting in Chicago.
Aldermen Edward Burke, center left, and Edward Vrdolyak, center, yell for a point of order on May 11, 1983, during a contentious City Council meeting in Chicago.
Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, right, with Ald. Edward Burke, behind him, speaks during a City Council meeting on May 11, 1983. Ald. Wallace Davis Jr. is at left, with his back facing the camera.
Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, right, with Ald. Edward Burke, behind him, speaks during a City Council meeting on May 11, 1983. Ald. Wallace Davis Jr. is at left, with his back facing the camera.
Aldermen Bobby Rush, from left, Timothy Evans, Edward Burke and Lawrence Bloom hold hands and pray at a City Council meeting in 1983. The original caption said, “They can hold hands together but they can’t work together.”
Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, 10th, talks to the press while Ald. Joseph Kotlarz Jr., 35th, and Ald. Bernard Stone, 50th, wait patiently for the City Council negotiation session to begin at the Bismarck Hotel on May 19, 1983.
Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, 10th, talks to the press while Ald. Joseph Kotlarz Jr., 35th, and Ald. Bernard Stone, 50th, wait patiently for the City Council negotiation session to begin at the Bismarck Hotel on May 19, 1983.
Ald. Wilson Frost, left, gets off a few good jokes before the start of a negotiation session at the Bismarck Hotel on May 23, 1983, between a group allied with Mayor Harold Washington and the “Vrdolyak 29.” No agreements were made during the meeting.
Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, 10th, after his unsuccessful attempt to stop Mayor Harold Washington from reorganizing the City Council committee structure on June 6, 1986, in Chicago.
Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, 10th, after his unsuccessful attempt to stop Mayor Harold Washington from reorganizing the City Council committee structure on June 6, 1986, in Chicago.
Fierce foes Ald. Timothy Evans, left, and Ald. Edward Burke listen during a Finance Committee meeting on Oct. 3, 1986, in Chicago. The two were principal combatants during the Council Wars, which ended in 1986.
Fierce foes Ald. Timothy Evans, left, and Ald. Edward Burke listen during a Finance Committee meeting on Oct. 3, 1986, in Chicago. The two were principal combatants during the Council Wars, which ended in 1986.

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