Cook County Commissioner Sean M. Morrison penned a letter to the mayor and expressed his concern and pointed out the safety and security of Treasury Bonds writing in part, “U.S. Treasuries are the safest, most liquid instruments available.”

“Bring me an idea that we can debate. Right now, nothing has been brought before me,” Johnson said.

The suspect, Scott Loeffler, 35, was charged with felony armed robbery by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Loeffler was permitted inside Harmon’s Chicago office, as staffers believed he was a constituent.

Ald. Brian Hopkins is questioning the timing, as folks will be hearing about these higher taxes just as their second installment Cook County property tax bills arrive in the mail. “People will open their tax bill and they’ll get angry, and they’ll call their elected official and they’ll say, ‘what’s going on here? Why did my bills go up?’ They don’t want to hear that elected official say, ‘well, you know, we’re going to tax you even more this year, but don’t worry about it.’ That’s a very hard sell in an anti-tax environment like we’re faced with right now.”

A total of 5 percent of the casino’s revenue is distributed among local communities, mandated in the law creating the license. “A lot of the municipalities are underfunded, so they use that money for their pension plans,” said East Hazel Crest Village President Thomas Brown.

A September city council ordinance has expanded affordability requirements, property tax relief, and tenant protections. Real estate groups raised concerns about unintended consequences.

“Per state law, Chicago voters elect three citywide officials. First is the mayor. No big-city mayor is granted more authority than Chicago’s. And in comparison, the other two citywide offices are meaningless. One is the clerk, who is elected citywide but has almost no policy authority. … The other is the treasurer, who is responsible for managing the city’s cash and investments in a purely custodial role. … It functions like a politically active bank teller with a press team.”

Lawndale resident Thomas Worthy received a bill this week that was $977 more than what he paid last year. “We understand utilities are going up a things of that nature, but it’s a valuation issue,” he said. “We don’t have the schools we need. It’s economics that are not here, but we’re being charged for economics in different communities.”

The city argues funds have been mismanaged under the current park district board and director. Markham’s city administrator, Derrick Champion, said the park district has failed to provide audits and financial reports for years.

That would hold funding for domestic violence at $21 million, on par with 2025, after Johnson had initially earmarked only $12 million for services next year. About $4.5 million of the overall funding still relies on the passage of a controversial corporate head tax.

The challenges embody the fight within the Democratic Party between centrists and progressives, said Melissa Mouritsen, a political science professor at the College of DuPage. “Until one side wins, multitudes of candidates are likely to seek office,” Mouritsen said.