“When you take a group of people that have paid no taxes, can’t vote and you put them in front of the voters? We’re gonna show you how we feel about the Democratic National Convention. If you think you’re gonna have a peaceful Democratic National Convention while our people are starving, stay tuned!” Ald. Ray Lopez said.

It reads, in part, “…We understand that the City selected this site and holds the lease and is therefore frustrated it cannot move forward. The State shares that frustration. But while the City might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the State is not. This site will not move forward as a shelter with State involvement.”

Days after announcing his resignation from the public-private job growth agency known as World Business Chicago, Michael Fassnacht explained, “We cannot overstate the importance of O’Hare. When I talk with corporations, O’Hare Airport is one of the key reasons why corporations love Chicago, why they stay here, why they expand and relocate. O’Hare Airport is not just an economic engine but also a long-term competitive advantage.”

John Busch, Chicago-based tech entrepreneur and former fellow at World Business Chicago: First, we must realize as a business and civic community that we are involved in competition. The biggest winners of this trend are not stakeholder groups in Chicago, but the other cities vying for our momentum in Indianapolis, Columbus, Nashville, Austin and Miami. Second, all the city’s stakeholder groups exist within the same ecosystem.

The American Tort Reform Association moved Cook County up the rankings this year from No. 5 to No. 2 on the threat posed to employers, businesses and Illinois residents from the state’s encouragement of “no injury” lawsuits. The report said this trend is seen most clearly through class action lawsuits flooding courts in Cook County and elsewhere in Illinois under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act.

“Among the homeless, more than 20,000 are our students… While the CTU has proudly bargained to win supports for these students, broader efforts are necessary to meet their needs. That’s why we joined the coalition behind the Bring Chicago Home campaign.”

“Here’s a thought: Violent crimes are surging in Chicago and sending businesses packing, so let’s cut the number of cops on the street. That’s some brilliant, progressive thinking, right?”

The Chicago Housing Authority is formally an independent government body with its own board responsible for providing oversight. But the agency has been under fire in recent years for its slow pace of housing construction — and deals to sell off parcels of land — while homelessness increases. It was recently reported that nearly 500 of the CHA’s scattered-site properties are empty while more than 200,000 people are on the agency’s waiting lists for housing.

“What we have seen in Brighton Park, however, does not show members of your administration as being either serious, deliberative or collaborative in addressing this issue. Taxpayer funds are now wasted after a failed attempt to build on highly cancerous soil, without permits, without true community engagement, without a plan that is respectful to those whom so many performatively articulate sanctuary for in our city,” reads the letter from Ald. Anthony Beale, Ald. Raymond Lopez and Ald. Anthony Napolitano to Mayor Brandon Johnson.

According to manager Roderick Sawyer, the Downtown Hyde Park tax levy collected more than $295,741 in 2021; these funds were spent last year. In the past, SSA 61 has worked on improving auto and bike transit accessibility, small business advertising, facade improvements, and other beautification initiatives. There are currently 57 local commercial tax districts in Chicago.

Former University of Illinois at Chicago political science professor Dick Simpson said, “The city needs more money. The state has less to give. So there’s tension.”

Community activist Kim Tee blasted Mayor Brandon Johnson. “He is not doing the right thing for the taxpayers. Wasteful spending. He did this on his own. Now the taxpayer has to suffer the consequence,” said Tee.

“There is no way that could possibly pass legal muster if someone sued,” legal expert David Bernstein said of Evanston Township High School’s two programs to offer separate Algebra 2, pre-calculus, Advanced Placement Calculus and English seminars for Black and Latino students.

“While he’s (Mayor Brandon Johnson) said the right things at times in terms of wanting a relationship with business that works for both the city and the private sector, his actions have spoken far more loudly. Still, the opportunity to select new leaders at World Business Chicago is another chance for him to reset and demonstrate he understands how critical economic growth is to the city’s health, as well as his agenda. A stalled local economy means less in tax and fee revenue to pay for the progressive initiatives on which the mayor campaigned.”