As my mother used to tell me, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Wonderful words of wisdom that she herself rarely practiced, though often preached. So I was tempted not to write a word about 14th Ward alderperson Ed Burke, who decided not to run for reelection after over 50 […]
Tag: TIFs
Posted inOn Politics
Hocus-pocus
As the years roll by, mayors and aldermen come and go but the great Tax Increment Financing scam stays forever. Oh, TIFs, TIFs, TIFs. Haven’t written about them in awhile. But they’re always on my mind, to paraphrase the great Willie Nelson. They’re particularly on my mind as I follow the falsehoods advanced by both […]
Posted inOn Politics
Footing the bill
In the last few weeks, Mayor Lightfoot has revealed several important details about the casino she’s pushing so hard to develop, including . . . Where it will go—near Chicago and Halsted on the city’s near north side. Who will run it—Bally’s Corporation. And why we need it—to raise money to pay police and firefighter […]
Posted inOn Politics
The “fuckton” twins . . .
I was fired up to excoriate Mayor Lightfoot for her recent “fuckton” comments, when . . . John Catanzara released a video of himself holding a sign that read: “John Catanzara for mayor 2023.” And immediately I was overwhelmed with an urge to excoriate him. As Johnny C has come to Lightfoot’s rescue with his […]
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Preserving the status quo
A modest proposal to turn Chicago into more of a boss-o-cracy than it already is
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Chicago’s plan
The shooting of Adam Toledo shows that not much ever changes in Chicago.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
The last bastion
Maria Pappas reveals the dirty not-so-secret inequity of TIFs.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Cops in schools
For years the schools of Chicago have been pawns in the mayor’s budget games.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Pie crumbs
Chicago is really bad at fairly slicing the economic development pie.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
The good old TIF mayonnaise jar
To settle the teachers’ strike Mayor Lightfoot should scrape some more “mayonnaise” from the TIF slush fund.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Lori’s Gettysburg Address
Look for the mayor to blame the budget deficit on Rahm but not Lincoln Yards.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
A modest proposal
As long as Chicagoans don’t care about TIFs, let’s turn the city into a giant TIF district to pay our bills.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Race to the bottom
The great debate: Was Mayor Rahm worse than Mayor Daley?
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Let’s make a deal
If corporate Chicago wants money for One Central, it should drop its fight against Pritzker’s Fair Tax initiative.