Talking about the Jussie Smollett scandal and having broader discussions about racial and identity politics in Chicago is important, but it’s distracting from an even more pressing problem: the Windy City’s impossible financial math.
Ted was on The Chicago Way with John Kass last week talking about Chicago’s fiscal issues. Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot are fighting to become Chicago’s next mayor. What awaits the winner is an unprecedented budget and pension crisis.
Click here to listen. Ted’s interview starts at 24:40.
Read more about Chicago’s financial crisis:
New Trier High School made national headlines nine years ago as a “canary in a coal mine” for political indoctrination in public schools. The canaries lived.
Among the consequences of economic growth that badly lags national averages are billions of lost revenue every year. Yet denial reigns in Illinois, fueling the vicious cycle of demand for higher taxes.
The LA Times piece on Lightfoot sounded like a generic pre-printed form letter. Or it could have described a scene from the movie “Widows”. It says Lightfoot will clean up the police dept and push for more transparency. And, oh yeah, the city has billions in unfunded pension liabilities and a huge budget deficit next year.
https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-chicago-mayor-election-lori-lightfoot-toni-preckwinkle-20190402-story.html