Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer
April 22, 2026
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Summary and audio linked here.
-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
“The business model for convention centers everywhere is that they lose money,” said Larita Clark, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. “I look at it as we bring in $1.9 billion in economic impact, but the convention center might lose $50 million or $60 million. It’s a great investment.” MPEA also collects about $160 million a year in tax revenue from hotels, restaurants, auto rentals and taxis, which is used finance debt service on $4.4 billion in bonds issued for capital projects such as the hotels and Wintrust Arena.
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Audio and summary Illinois bill would override local law to allow homeless living in all public parks – Wirepoints
April 14, 2026
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If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago Fiscal Crisis Worse Than Pre-Bankruptcy Detroit, HIV Surge and Public Health Threat From Open Borders Goes Unreported
April 10, 2026
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Summary and audio linked here.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago pension buyout plan mostly shifts debt rather than eliminating it, property tax surge doubles inflation over three decades
April 3, 2026
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Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Good luck with that. Chicago’s reputation is international, and it ain’t good.
Economic impact isn’t profit, it’s revenue. And let’s say the average business has a profit rate of 8%. That means local businesses increase profits by $160 million on that $1.9 billion whilst McCormack place loses $40 – $50 million and then collects $160 million in taxes from the private sector. Still sounds like a bad deal for Chicago businesses.