Moore Progressive Than Most

Last week, The Nation came out with its annual list of the Most Progressive individuals across the U.S. and Chicago’s own Ald. Joe Moore (49th Ward) made the list. Here’s what the magazine had to say about 2008’s Most Valuable Local Official:

In a city that has been rocked by corruption scandals of the ugliest sort, Chicago Alderman Joe Moore stands out as an example of the sort of steadfast and effective grassroots progressive who has fought the powerbrokers again and again and frequently prevailed. Moore refuses to be constrained by the supposed limits of local government. He has gotten the Chicago city council to oppose the war, defend civil liberties and take on chain-stores that batter local businesses.

When we caught up with Moore this afternoon he seemed a bit humbled by the accolades.

Continue reading »

Aldermen Zero In On Republic Windows TIF

The owners of Republic Windows and Doors are a sneaky bunch. First, they tried to leave Chicago for the pastures of Iowa on three days notice without paying severance and vacation obligations to more than 200 workers. A courageous six-day sit-in by the laid-off employees ultimately forced the hand of the company and its lenders.

But it gets worse.  As we’ve noted before, the city awarded Republic $9.6 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) dollars over the past 12 years on the condition that the firm would keep 610 workers on the payroll through 2019. By ditching town early -- citing “the fixed costs associated with being in downtown Chicago” (costs which the multi-million dollar subsidy was partly intended to mitigate) -- the company may have violated this agreement.

Aldermen Manny Flores (1st Ward) and Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) now want to see the city recoup the losses.

Continue reading »

Brookins Pleads For Wal-Mart

As we noted last week, Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th Ward) was the lone city council member to vote down Mayor Daley’s 2009 budget proposal on Wednesday, using his time on the floor to rail against Hizzoner for taking “many communities for granted.” Not to be outdone, Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. delivered a passionate address himself -- one having do with a familiar issue. The Reader’s Mick Dumke recounted the details:

“Out of all the retail stores, all of their profits are down except for Wal-Mart, whose third-quarter profits are up 10 percent,” Brookins said. He noted that Wal-Mart stores are thriving in suburbs that border on Chicago and cited studies estimating that tens of millions of dollars in spending and potential tax revenues were “leaking” out of the city. “Six hundred people could be employed right there in my community. Six hundred people!” he said. [...] “Had that Wal-Mart passed in our ward the city would have had an additional $21 million, by my estimate, by today’s date. Sixty-four million dollars would be spent with union tradesmen-plumbers, pipe-fitters, electricians, carpenters, right now, when the city of Chicago is experiencing a 29 percent decrease in commercial building starts.”

Despite Brookins’ wishes, the chances of Wal-Mart setting up shop in Chatham are slim. The retailer reportedly abandoned plans for the project in May and Daley, eager to garner support for the 2016 Summer Olympics, is wary of creating unnecessary beef with the city’s labor community.

Continue reading »

Ald. Ocasio: Daley Admin "Believes Everything And Everyone Is Expendable"

Yesterday, the Reader's Mick Dumke wondered which Chicago aldermen would stand up to Mayor Daley and vote against his 2009 budget.  Ultimately, only one did so during the full city council meeting today, Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th Ward).  In his floor statement, Ocasio not only gave an impassioned criticism of the budget, he also leveled the kind of broad criticism of the Daley administration -- saying it "believes everything and everyone is expendable" -- that rarely falls from the lips of Chicago aldermen these days (at least in public).  Courtesy of WTTW's Chicago Tonight, here's the video:

More like this please. 

Continue reading »

The Chicago City Budget: Preparing For Round Two

Yesterday, Mayor Daley and the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) reached a deal aimed at reducing the number of layoffs originally proposed by the city.  The Sun-Times lays out the details:

Union leaders have agreed to work-rule changes to reduce the city's overtime costs, the soures said. They have also agreed to drop their opposition to a partial shutdown of city government around the holidays.

In exchange, Daley has agreed to offer cash incentives — at least $5,000 and as high as $15,000 — for members of Laborers Local 1001 to induce retirements by eligible union members.

The City Council is expected to approve Daley's budget when it comes up for a vote tomorrow.  But members of the Independent Caucus, as well as the unions, appeared to take notice when the Tribune reported last Friday that the mayor's 2009 budget projections may be overly optimistic.  Reporters "City Hall soon will be scurrying to balance its books yet again" because Daley "is relying on revenue estimates that are rosier than what the city might expect given the dire economic prognosis."

Appearing on FOX last weekend, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward) and CFL President Dennis Gannon both seemed to anticipate dealing with further shortfalls early next year. 

Continue reading »

Obama And The State Economy

Like most Americans, members of the Chicago City Council were thrilled by Barack Obama's victory last Tuesday. Not only was it gratifying to see a biracial Chicagoan ascend to the highest position in American politics, but the aldermen also expressed hope that in true Chicago tradition, Obama night might help the city get some:

After the appropriate nod to the history made by Barack Obama's presidential election, Chicago aldermen quickly got to the bottom-line, City Hall style: What's in it for us?

Asked what she expected an Obama presidency to mean to her West Side ward, Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) replied, “One word: money. You’re supposed to take care of home first, aren’t you?”

While not surprising, the aldermanic responses were both parochial and politically tone-deaf.  The expectation shouldn't be that Obama will give Illinois and Chicago special treatment, which seems unlikely.  Rather, as the country slips into recession, local politicians should be urging the president-elect to follow through on providing much-needed federal assistance to struggling states nationwide -- Illinois among them.

As we've written before, a second economic stimulus package that directs federal aid to state governments (which can't deficit spend) could be a crucial tool in staving off job losses and cuts to essential government programs. According to the New York Times, Obama agrees:

Continue reading »

Aldermen Raise Budget Concerns

Thirteen Chicago city council members -- many of them affiliated with the burgeoning Independent Caucus -- opposed Mayor Daley's 2008 budget, votes that would have been unimaginable just a few years prior. Facing a $469 million deficit and impending layoffs, the council doesn't seem to be sitting on its hands this year either:

Mayor Daley's plan to slow police hiring, shrink the size of city garbage crews and lay off 929 employees by cutting basic housekeeping services came under fire from all sides today.

As the City Council opened hearings on Daley's 2009 budget, it was clear that even the mayor's most loyal aldermanic supporters are not comfortable with his solution to Chicago's worst budget crisis in a generation.

Continue reading »

Midway Privatization: Yea Or Nay?

Earlier this week, Mayor Daley announced that Midway Airport could become the first privately-run hub airport in the nation, not to mention a major test case for a 1996 Federal Aviation Administration privatization pilot program. Today, Chicago's two major newspapers came out in favor of the deal.

The Sun-Times editorial board writes that government has other services that need more attention, especially in tough economic times:

We don't necessarily endorse rampant privatization, but turning to the private sector makes sense for these sorts of assets. Roads, airports and garages are outside the core responsibilities of government and likely will be managed better by private companies.

Continue reading »

Midway Privatization Concerns

Outsourcing government functions is a favorite pastime of the conservative movement. So when Mayor Richard Daley announced last year that he was entertaining the idea of privatizing Chicago's Midway Airport, right-wing think tanks rejoiced. Reason's Robert Poole and the Mackinac Center's David Bardallis are among the scholars who argue it's long past time American governments view airports as "potential profit-making enterprises rather than drains on the public purse." And with a $450 million deficit and a potential Olympic bid in his sights, Daley must be excited to get his hands on the $3 billion fee the airport deal may net.

But citizens should be wary of any privatization efforts, as the Tribune's Susan Chandler warned in yesterday's paper:

Because the phenomenon is so new, less has been said about what happens to consumers when they go from being taxpayers using public facilities to customers of a for-profit business.

It turns out they pay a lot more.

In her piece, Chandler includes some of those price jumps. Since the Millennium Park Garage was leased to Morgan Stanley in 2006, the price to park your car for an hour has risen 31 percent. The cost to drive across the Chicago Skyway is now 50 percent higher than it was in 2004, when Australian and Spanish investors secured a 99-year lease. By 2017, experts estimate the price will rise to a 100 percent increase from 2004. "The Skyway may look painless now but in 25 years or less, there will be people camped out in City Hall over these tolls," warned John Foote, senior researcher with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "In 25 years, the tolls won't be acceptable."

Midway's huge up-front payoff is enticing, but it won't solve the city's underlying financial instability. It might be more worthwhile for city legislators to pressure for sustainable changes -- like spending discipline and a more progressive tax code -- rather than gamble on a short-term revenue jolt.

Solis To Lead Hearing On Immigrant Rights

On the heels of a nationwide campaign "to end immigration raids without due process, correct inhumane conditions in detention centers, and get action on the backlog of citizenship applications," the Chicago City Council -- led by Alderman Danny Solis -- is investigating at least 30 complaints of racial profiling by Chicago police officers and violations of federal immigration law at Cook County Jail:

The allegations include that undocumented immigrants who have a detainer placed on them by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are being held longer than a required 48 hours. The time for federal agents to pick them up starts once they've been cleared for release from local law enforcement.

Last month officials at Cook County Jail - where three ICE agents are stationed each day - admitted that at least one immigrant inmate was held for ICE longer than 48 hours. Since then, the jail has established several reforms, including a hot line with updated information on the detention status of immigrants held on criminal charges, Cook County sheriff's police spokesman Steve Patterson said.


Solis, Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D-Chicago), and immigration advocates also allege that some Chicago officers have pulled over individuals who appear Latino and questioned them about their immigration status -- a move prohibited by a 2006 city ordinance. These officers have then reported the immigration status of individuals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Chicago police deny the allegations.

Close watchers of Chicago's approach to immigrant rights are thrilled with the oversight.

"It's always been seen as a place that's been more open and friendly to immigrants," said Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles and former Chicago immigration activist. "This particular announcement is a further step in making immigrants feel that their rights are going to be protected."

The City Council will hold a hearing on these issues next week.