As a result, a mayor typically unafraid to take a victory bow offered a more subdued reaction after a lopsided City Council vote to create a new police misconduct investigation agency with broader powers and empower a new watchdog to make sure the new system doesn't go awry.
"I would consider this the beginning of a journey, not the end," Emanuel said after the 39-8 tally. "This is not the end, but it is an important step forward on the improvements that we all seek."
That's an acknowledgment that many of the thorniest police reform issues remain unresolved, even as the U.S. Justice Department continues its own investigation into Police Department tactics and training that could result in Emanuel being required to make additional changes.
The vote itself underscored the mayor's difficulties. After months of African-American aldermen publicly blasting the administration's police reform efforts, most of them voted for the ordinance thanks to changes Emanuel made along with behind-the-scenes cajoling and arm twisting.
West Side Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th, had been one of the loudest critics before voting for the ordinance Wednesday, citing concessions from the administration. Mayoral ally Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. echoed sentiments voiced by several black aldermen that it was time to start showing progress on the police oversight issue even as some questions about the specifics remain unanswered.
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