-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Find links to both the report and a data map.
Marc Morial: “Like many cities in the 1990s, New Orleans was plagued with violent crime, and the murder rate was at an all-time high. Even worse, the city’s police force was so corrupt that officers both good and bad were seen as protectors of an irreparably broken system. I had watched well-intentioned leaders fail because they lacked a clear vision or a plan to bring that vision to life.”
“Rampant violent crime, out of control taxes, residents and businesses fleeing in droves, and Chicago elects a mayor who wants to defund the police and raise Chicago’s already too high taxes. If this is the type of dangerous and socialistic governance the DNC wants to showcase as a model for the country as a whole, they chose well,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined the coalition of 24 Attorneys General that filed an amicus brief Monday urging the U.S. Court of Appeals to suspend the controversial ruling that essentially cut off essential access to medication abortion. Illinois was one of 18 states that filed a lawsuit to preserve access to mifepristone prior to the Texas decision.
Pension spending increased in all of the 10 largest American cities over the last decade, with a few cities experiencing a doubling or even tripling of their expenditures in 2021 dollars. A worsening market environment for pension funds will necessitate increased pension expenditures by cities in 2023 and beyond, exacerbating pressures to limit or reduce employment and, thus, city services.
“I think it just sends a signal that, you know, it talks about sort of the fact that this is seen as a town made of working people,” said Democratic political strategist Pete Giangreco. It doesn’t hurt that Chicago is a union town – something the Democratic Party wants to highlight.
“An emergency waiver for summer E15 would give consumers the option of lower cost fuel during the warmer months,” Illinois Corn Growers Association President Matt Rush said in a statement.
A 2022 report by Wirepoints showed that the amount of carjacking incidents has increased year by year. In that same year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker allocated $250 million to help address the issue.
“If luxury property values keep dropping, soon there will be no $1 million properties being sold, so the Mansion Tax threshold may have to be lowered,” Jim Kinney, former president of Illinois REALTORS, surmised. Kinney also believes the next Chicago housing crisis will come in the ongoing battle over rent controlin the Illinois General Assembly.
Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, a cosponsor of the bill, said she has concerns that edTPA is so rigorous and intensive that it could deter some people from ever trying to become a teacher.
The new Bally’s casino could bring in as much as $200 million for the city and the money has been earmarked for first responders’ pensions. But the casino taxes are a pittance compared to the city’s $48 billion in unfunded pension debt.
Retires police chief Tom Weitzel: “Most fair-minded people want a criminal justice system that’s adversarial, in which prosecutors and police must present their cases and defense attorneys are allowed to cross-examine, object and introduce their evidence. But in the grand jury process, prosecutors decide what evidence does or does not get presented.”
Under the banner of the Illinois Latino Agenda, 26 leaders from Latino organizations have written a letter to Brandon Johnson stressing the needs of their communities. They want to see an emphasis on community development and Chicago as a sanctuary city; The leaders also want equitable Latino representation in the Mayor’s Office itself.
The Democrats’ national convention will take place at the United Center in downtown Chicago from August 19-22 in 2024. Republicans will gather in Milwaukee from July 15 to July 18 largely at Fiserv Forum in the city’s downtown.
Matt Paprocki, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “What union boss wouldn’t want to sit across from one of their own at the bargaining table? Winning the mayor’s office in Chicago is the perfect way to cut out the middleman.”
“For the state, the loss of these revenues is easily accommodated in an almost $50 billion annual state budget…For Chicago and other cities, that amount is much more significant. And importantly, it is not a one-shot revenue source but a continuing and growing participation in the strength of the state’s economy.”
The 186-page bill wouldn’t guarantee the wind farm’s construction, but it would enable the state to apply for federal infrastructure funds. The bill that passed the House requires the developer to reach at least one community benefits agreement with local organizations and ensures jobs generated from the project go to Black and Brown residents of the community in which it’s built, state Rep. Marcus Evans said.
Don Schaefer, executive vice president of the Mid-West Truckers Association, said regulators see truckers as easy pickings. “Truckers are not against a clean environment. Not at all,” Schaefer emphasized. “We don’t want regulators coming after the industry with a sledgehammer. Let’s be reasonable about it and we can work it out.”
When asked, Pritzker did not deny a potential presidential bid, but he affirmed that Biden is “running for reelection.” Pritzker said he will remain an active financial contributor to Democrats. “I’m supporting candidates all over the United States with my resources. You might think that’s good or bad, but it’s not just supporting me — it’s about electing Democrats up and down the ticket in every state in the United States,” he added.
President Joe Biden called Gov. JB Pritzker to tell him about Chicago’s selection on Tuesday morning before leaving for Ireland. Pritzker told him, “You know that Chicago is your kind of town. We’re going to throw a huge party, and it’s going to be a real big celebration of all of your successes.”
Jim Dey: “The federal-aid issue has been a source of contention between the governor and financial analysts at Wirepoints and Truth in Accounting. Critics have argued that the many billions in federal aid the state has received since the pandemic broke out has papered over its revenue problems. Pritzker has rejected that claim, citing revenue growth from traditional sources.”
Robert “Wes” Wheeler Jr. says the Chicago bureau has a “very collaborative” environment with the Chicago Police Department. “The type of impact I want us to make is to attack a criminal enterprise that can remove criminals and the architecture of their organization that’s committing violent crime. We want to dismantle that. That’s not always one arrest at a time. That’s a longer term investigation that requires a lot of resources and rigor.”
He said, in this Q-and-A-style report, “Mayors have used the City of Chicago budget to hide, obfuscate and misrepresent actual City spending and commitments for years. The City budget – and the budget presentation – is convoluted by design. Leadership means telling people the truth. The truth starts with greater budget transparency, especially in the release of information to the press and the public.”
Said Faye Jones, of the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Memorial Law Library at the University of Illinois, “Local control by the library board and director with input by library users is a much more effective way to shape collection decisions. As voters, we choose local library trustees so we all can participate in shaping our local library’s policies and services. I’d hate to see local control diminished.”
Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson’s primary focus on crime is on “root causes,” with little-to-no emphasis on containing today’s out-of-control violence. It’s a strategy doomed to failure. Tackling root causes is important, but they take a long time to address. What Chicago requires immediately is deterrence.
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