In a way, it's about as purely democratic as you can get.
Paul Lencioni owns the fabled Blue Goose Market in St. Charles. Blue Goose has a liquor license. That set of circumstances presented a problem for Lencioni's ambition to serve on the St. Charles City Council.
Why? Because St. Charles has an ordinance that prohibits any owner of a liquor license from serving as an elected official in St. Charles.
That problem became a bit more acute when Lencioni, who has (understandably) long opposed the ordinance, went and got himself 58% of the vote in the city's 3rd Ward. What to do?
Well, the city council decided that, discretion being the better part of valor, the law should be changed. As a result, immediately upon the council's 6-4 vote removing the ordinance on Monday, Lencioni was eligible to serve.
He will be sworn in next month.
Lencioni will still feel the effect of his liquor license, however. A state law forces him to recuse himself from any liquor-related issues brought before the council.
So, Mr., er, Alderman Lencioni, cheers!