Man or woman, City Hall’s Fifth Floor will be a different place next year, and so will the Council Chambers. As many as 20 aldermanic seats might be open in February’s municipal election, and the new Council won’t just face major budget woes and constituents angry over parking meters, they’ll be operating within a new power structure. To learn more about what we might expect from the next Council, we turn to Dick Simpson, head of the Political Science Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He’s also a former aldermen of the 44th Ward.

Music Button:  Bostich + Fussible, “Must Love”, from the CD Bulevar 2000, (Nacional)