Highly-credentialed political anthropologist commenting on the hot mess that is Illinois politics
Oak Park, IL
- Tweets 14,957
- Following 180
- Followers 3,505
- Likes 4,343
Pinned Tweet
Your friendly reminder Brandon Johnson cheated to be elected Cook County Commissioner in 2018. #ChicagoVotes #ChicagoElection #BrandonIsBetter
citizenvsmachine.wordpress.c…
9
54
148
42,702
Why is the highest salary in the city of Chicago a staff assistant to an alderman? 🤷
118
216
1,130
214,726
REMINDER: JB pays half of his staff's total salary out of his private LLC, so you can never really tell if they're working for the state or him.
ALT https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_f82549e4-8de2-11ec-8128-ab760347be99.html
66
330
1,037
104,341
Every Chicagoland basement should have shuffleboard linoleum.
ALT 1438 Clinton, River Forest
27
35
675
37,712
And from 2003 to 2023, the residential property tax in Chicago went up 89%.
Listen: A new WBEZ investigation finds that rents in Chicago are rising much faster than the median household income. From 2000 to 2023, rents rose more than 28%, but income only went up 9%. WBEZ's Reset digs into the data. trib.al/g4u39m1
22
172
710
94,263
While the @texasdemocrats are visiting Illinois, can they explain how their Texas Majority PAC is led by Chicago employee Jason Lee who recently certified *yet again* that he lives in Houston?
Because Chicago employees are legally required to live in Chicago. 🤨
NEW: Dozens of Texas Dem state lawmakers head to Illinois to prevent a quorum - with redistricting map and flood assistance at stake. @GovPritzker to welcome them to suburban Chicago. #TexasDems
21
321
731
31,142
JB spent $240,000 on private jet services last quarter.
Illinois' transition to a carbon-free future doesn't just protect our environment and combat climate change. It creates jobs.
For those in Joliet, Lion Electric's investment in our state and EV technology means 1,400 jobs in a fast-growing field right here at home.
42
183
616
103,477
Brandon proposed a 3.5% city income tax for anyone earning $100K+.
The group that wrote Brandon's plan said it "would force these wealthy yuppies to pay their fair share."
Brandon earns $180K/yr yet can't pay his water bill.
The cognitive dissonance is palpable and insulting.
Brandon Johnson, who made $160k+ last 4 years, owes the city thousands in unpaid bills/fines and fees. His campaign: "These fines and fees are on a previously established payment plan, and are on schedule to be fully resolved before Brandon Johnson takes office as our next mayor”
22
152
565
75,454
UPDATE: Now 5 of the 7 highest salaries in the City of Chicago are staff assistants to aldermen.
Something's weird here. Perhaps they're trying to squeeze in a bonus in a roundabout way of jacking up gross salary for one pay period instead of a separate check? 🤷
59
154
582
131,810
For nearly 50 years, CTU owned a 224-unit high rise on the north side. Never once did they offer up any units to unhoused students. Nor did they ever consider converting it into affordable housing for CPS families.
When it was *their money, CTU did not care.
Just another reason why CPS educators are demanding housing for our students and their families in our next contract.
20
116
568
44,862
JB spent $240,000 on private jet services last quarter.
Two years ago today, we delivered the boldest climate action plan in our state's history.
I couldn't be happier to say we're on track to move to 100% clean energy by 2050 — and proud of it.
Creating thousands of jobs, meaningful reform, and a brighter future.
40
157
471
36,930
It doesn’t. For some reason, the list separated Brooklyn from NYC. Combined, NYC is about the same as Chicago.
14
4
430
12,672
Hot damn, @CTULocal1 paid Stacy Davis Gates' brother $26,265 to work on three school board candidate campaigns for 4 months. 🤣
From South Bend! 🤣🤣
38
116
435
45,892
On Google street view, the alley view of Brandon Johnson's home shows a manned police vehicle in the alley and also the installation of what appears to be a police camera pole across the street.
106
57
411
94,795
Has anyone figured out where Mayor Brandon Johnson's senior advisor resides yet?
Because just last week, Jason Lee certified he lived in Houston, TX...again. 🙄
Jason Lee has been the Campaign Treasurer for Texas Majority PAC since Jan 2023.
On every campaign finance report, the Texas Ethics Commission requires the campaign treasurer to disclose their street address (Residence or Business).
Each time, Jason reported Houston, TX. 😬
16
154
378
19,326
UPDATE: There are now 4 alderman staff assistants with salaries over $300,000 working for the City of Chicago.
Still wagering this is a backdoor year-end bonus: rather than cut an additional check, temporarily pump up base salary for one pay period. 🤷
UPDATE: Now 5 of the 7 highest salaries in the City of Chicago are staff assistants to aldermen.
Something's weird here. Perhaps they're trying to squeeze in a bonus in a roundabout way of jacking up gross salary for one pay period instead of a separate check? 🤷
56
102
381
119,216
The village of Broadview has not posted their financial statements since fiscal year end April 2022. As of that time, the village had a negative net position of $6.6 million.
23
163
372
17,024
Kim Foxx asks, "What if we became willing — strategically and morally — to absorb some harm in service of a greater good?" 🤔
Now that she's out of office, she says the quiet part out loud. 🙄
57
55
346
61,641
Schakowsky being primaried by a carpetbagger who doesn’t even live in the district yet and works for a Soros-backed media conglomerate is 🔥
44
69
318
100,545
By now you all know Brandon Johnson was a CPS teacher. How could you not?
But did you know he that even though Brandon only taught for 4 years 🧐
He has accumulated 15 years of pensionable service in the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund? 🤨
How is that possible?🧵
18
83
295
65,116
Over just a mine month timeframe last year, JB’s campaign spent over a half million dollars on private jet services, the most environmentally-harmful mode of travel.
My administration delivered the boldest climate action in Illinois' history, moving us to 100% clean energy by 2050 with no one left behind.
With a $430M pollution reduction grant from the Biden Administration, the third largest in the nation, we’re well on our way.
24
98
275
20,351
Pretty neat that the election of Eileen O'Neill Burke over Clayton Harris has lead directly to a precipitous drop in murders in Chicago.
Looks like working families made the right choice. Keep up the good work, Eileen! 👏
BREAKING: #Chicago finished this past month with the fewest #murders of any April since 1962, a @WBEZ analysis has found. The month’s 19 murders make 115 so far this year, the lowest January-through-April tally since 2014.
wbez.org/cpd/2025/05/01/chic…
22
26
275
20,093
What possesses a low-level school worker in Ohio to contribute $5,000 to the sinking campaign of the mayor of Chicago? 🤷
26
23
275
16,551
Growing up in Chicago burbs, we had no where to go. No arcade, no mall, no community center…just a couple gas stations, church parking lots, poorly lit courts to hang.
We’d get loud, but never once did we damage property, jump on cars, rob people. Stop justifying jerks.
19
11
260
27,593
Douglass Academy High School in Austin - the CPS school with a total enrollment of 27 students - has a chronic absenteeism rate of 66%.
In other words, 18 of the 27 total students miss 10+ days.
Only 4 students in the entire school aren't classified as truant (miss 5+ days).
22
70
272
18,724
So @CTULocal1 just filed its most recent 990 and already I see a glaring error: both 2022 and 2023 forms have the same prior year data.
Took me only a couple minutes to notice. Meanwhile, this flew right past super-prez SDG who signed off.
How bad those audits must be...🙄
25
62
245
15,482
In September 2023, Jason Lee contributed $50 to Delia Ramirez's campaign. Jason's city is listed as Chicago **BUT**
If you download the transaction detail, Jason's street address is Brandon Johnson's home. 🤦
@byaliceyin @royalpratt
🚨BREAKING: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s senior advisor Jason Lee cast his vote for president in Texas this year.
It's against the law for Chicago city government employees to live outside of city limits.
illinoispolicy.org/senior-ad…
23
49
235
34,455
Good job, @AssessorCook!
Probably doesn't help business operations when your property taxes jump from $99K to $622K in one yar. 🙄
Blommer closing Chicago chocolate factory ow.ly/K9K0105n21R
20
39
223
217,897
“all of a sudden everybody wants to be an accountant.” 🤔
That’s him admitting he’s doing something wrong, no? I mean, that’s the kind of thing someone doing wrong would say.
Like Exxon after the oil spill saying, “Now y’all are marine biologists?!”
WATCH: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to critics of his push for more debt at Chicago Public Schools, the largest municipal junk bond issuer in the country.
“You put a Black man in charge of a city and all of a sudden everybody wants to be an accountant.”
Yesterday a majority of City Council members signed a letter opposing Johnson’s push for more borrowing, including 10 members of Chicago’s Aldermanic Black Caucus. The SEIU is also opposed, as higher borrowing costs will likely lead to layoffs for their members.
The school board is scheduled to vote later today on the CPS budget. Johnson wants that budget to include a $200M high-interest loan in order to fund a one-time pension payment from the schools to the city.
The district’s chief budget officer said that borrowing would trigger a “downward spiral” of credit downgrades, higher borrowing costs, and cuts to the classroom.
The reckless borrowing of the past is not a justification for reckless borrowing today.
25
27
240
19,406
Pretty sure I found a CTU employee guilty of PPP fraud as well but can’t get anyone in the media to bite. 🤷
ICYMI: State officials say they've found at least $7.2 million in PPP loan fraud by state employees who didn't really own businesses that the COVID-era program was designed to help.
cwbchicago.com/2024/11/state…
20
33
212
17,003
Privileged LA guy cheering the destruction of affordable housing in flyover country is beyond parody.
m.startribune.com/minneapoli…
4
22
173
Not only did Brandon Johnson just appoint a CTU employee to school board…
But that same employee is collecting a $70,000+ pension. 🤦
Part-time grievance writer, full-time pensioner. 🙄
Can’t make this sh*t up. Broke on purpose.
7
47
203
18,887
Tom Madden hasn't paid state income taxes on his currenlty $93,000 Chicago teacher pension for over 20 years.
Letter to the Editor:
After 55 years of watching capitalist wealth in Chicago balloon while kids in poor Chicago neighborhoods continue to be shortchanged, I can only say: “We need some socialism here, and we need it badly.”
trib.al/ars2yRY
11
24
213
21,891
Berlin employees should pool their savings and buy the bar. Then they can pay themselves whatever they want.
6
6
195
12,931
Funny that Chicago not only had the worst growth of millionaires among the largest cities in America over the last 10 years, but that growth was 3x worse than the national average.
Mayor 6.6 dishes out one heck of a confused word salad when asked to give a specific example of a source for "progressive streams of revenue" to close the budget gap.
Watch his initial reaction. He is completely flustered and it's priceless.
The man is utterly clueless.
10
36
200
15,474
I like that a Cook County elected official sets up their business in Indiana.
Makes sense. Steele should know first hand how onerous Illinois' taxes are for businesses.
A first-term Cook County elected official was arrested and charged with drunk driving Sunday on the North Side, Chicago Police records show.
trib.al/R9mCxSv
9
48
189
19,618
The dude held a “full-time” job at CTU while working a part-time job as county commissioner while campaigning to be mayor.
Family time, schmamily time. He didn’t care back then. Now he has one full time job and he cares?🤨
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson explains how he’s too busy with his family to deal with the border crisis crippling the city.
37
19
184
15,943
In 2013, after Toni was in office for a few years, Cook County's net position was negative $3.8 billion. That is, county liabilities exceeded county assets by $3.8 billion.
In 2023, Cook County's net position is negative $13.6 billion.
But, sure, keep "balancing" that budget.🙄
"This year’s $9.9 billion balanced budget and our strong financial position aren’t by chance. They are the product of smart policies year after year. We avoid using one-time revenues for recurring expenses, don’t borrow more than we need, and don’t spend more than we have."
13
44
185
16,305
Cook County Commissioner and CTU employee Tara Stamps, who is also campaign chair for Mayor Brandon Johnson's grossly mismanaged PAC, has totally mismanaged her own PAC as well.
❌ No Q4 2024 filing
❌ Just filed Q2 2024 which included $113K in previously unreported expenses
❌ Ending Q2 and Beginning Q3 balances waaay off
Simply a complete disaster and utter embarrassment for CTU members to be represented by such people. No matter where you look, everything CTU touches reeks of fiscal mismanagement. 🤦 @illinoissbe
11
63
186
20,748
Byron Sigcho Lopez: "We have 120,000 millionaires who live in the city of Chicago who can pay their fair share." 🤔
According to the IRS, there were only 33,090 tax returns filed w/ AGI exceeding $1 million across the entire state of Illinois. 🤦
Tensions flared at a City Council meeting on Friday as residents and aldermen continued to clash over how the city allocates taxpayer money for migrant care. fox32chicago.com/news/chicag…
27
27
180
56,915
Jason Lee is listed as the Campaign Treasurer of the Texas Majority PAC as of 10/28. 🤨
NEWS: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s senior advisor Jason Lee voted in Texas last month despite city law requiring him to be Chicago resident. He denies misleading Houston or city officials though records note he showed Texas ID. Story with @byaliceyin chicagotribune.com/2024/12/0…
13
57
177
21,113
Congratulations, Sheila Bedi. 🥳
To think it only took a very reasonable monthly installment plan of $100/mo over 30 months to land this very lucrative job.👏
A civil rights attorney with a history of suing the city over alleged police misconduct has been been chosen to serve as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s director of strategy, a move that one pro-police council member called a “serious conflict of interest.”
trib.al/cqKejL1
11
53
182
23,983
FUN FACT: Illinois already has a "Chief Homelessness Officer". Enacted just this year. Pays ~$150K/yr.
All Brandon Johnson is doing is copying someone else's homework...again.
ALT https://www2.illinois.gov/IISNews/24096-IDHS_Announces_Appointment_of_Christine_Haley_as_State_Homelessness_Chief.pdf
Today, I signed an executive order to establish the first Chief Homelessness Officer for the City of Chicago to support our unhoused.
We will now have a critical point of leadership to coordinate efforts and leverage the full force of government to provide shelter for all.
25
42
164
25,556
Many folks know Brandon Johnson was a CPS teacher for 4 years.
But did you know Brandon has accumulated 15 years of pensionable service in the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund? 🤨
How is that possible?🧵
15
42
159
38,421
Damn, check out the monthly salaries for campaign workers for #BringChicagoHome.
campaign mgr: $10,000
deputy campaign mgr: $9,000
ops dir: $8,500
social media mgr: $7,500
comms dir: $7,000
phone/text dir: $7,000
field work: $6,200
organizer: $6,000
Homelessness pays.
16
43
160
14,059
Attendance stats for Juarez High School students:
Chronic Absenteeism = 74%
Chronic Truancy = 79%
Attendance = 77%
All numbers far below the district avg.
ALT Chronic truants include students subject to compulsory attendance who have been absent without valid cause from such attendance for 5 percent or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days.
These are horrifying federal threats to students.
We're hearing that Juarez High School is at 58% attendance today, and it's just the beginning.
CPS has to do as much as possible to protect students.
11
25
159
24,952
Fun Fact: Keith Kelleher, the Tesla protestor in question, is a retired SEIU guy.
When he retired in 2018, SEIU gave him a golden parachute of $412,000, nearly 3x his regular salary. 🪂
Truly a man of the people. 🙄
12
21
158
11,046
Of the 32 individual contributions over $1,000 made to Kat's campaign in the second quarter, 7 were from Illinois residents.
Got a question for me? Want to know something about the campaign?
Fill out this form to join my virtual office hours stream this afternoon at 1 CT: docs.google.com/forms/d/15rr…
27
34
160
18,030
Over the first six months of this year, Bernie Sander's campaign has spent over $450,000 on private jet services. 
6
19
159
7,721
In a sign of solidarity with Brandon Johnson, @CTULocal1 splurged on $175 worth of glam services for each of its school board candidates.💄
Ha, @CTULocal1 spent $32,000 last year on "Image Consulting" from Denise Milloy. 🧐
Yes, that's the same person who Brandon Johnson has paid around $40,000 to do his makeup (Makeup Majic). 🤣
Lucrative gig. Good for Denise.
But imagine having to subsidize Stacy's vanity.
32
47
156
20,196
Jason Lee has been the Campaign Treasurer for Texas Majority PAC since Jan 2023.
On every campaign finance report, the Texas Ethics Commission requires the campaign treasurer to disclose their street address (Residence or Business).
Each time, Jason reported Houston, TX. 😬
Jason Lee, Chicago's shadow mayor, helps Brandon Johnson weather the political storm, remaining unbothered by the intense pressures of cutthroat politics. trib.al/13gwfR8
9
35
145
31,730
The largest and 3rd largest individual contributors to Arizona state politics this election cycle are George Soros's son and JB Pritzker. 🤨
18
66
142
10,049
So FedEx and UPS are adding $4-6 delivery surcharges to Chicago's downtown, River North, and...Austin?! 🤨
38
29
134
43,255
Has any reporter asked Brandon Johnson why he got into teaching later than normal? He's in his upper 40s. Began teaching in 2007. That means he entered (and exited) the profession in his early 30s.
What was he doing before teaching? Seems to be a big gap in work history. 🤷
22
17
141
32,070
That would be Debby Pope, a retired CPS teacher collecting a $77,000 pension while working as a CTU part-time grievance counselor for $40,000 and also getting paid $12,000 to be a CTU delegate.
The joke's on you, folks.
Board members all left without answering questions … CTU organizer turned board member Deborah Pope could be heard saying “happy holidays everyone,” before walking out
7
37
139
9,346
How’d this turn out?
7
11
135
11,469
Since 2020, @CTULocal1's parent org AFT has paid Jan Schakowsky's husband nearly $100,000 for consulting services.
Don't let Jan profit off your children's education.
As Illinois state lawmakers prepare for the upcoming veto session, I led @RepNikkiB, @RepCasten, @RepDannyDavis, @rep_jackson, @CongressmanRaja, and @repdeliaramirez in a joint statement calling for the sunset of the Invest in Kids program.
Students in Illinois deserve better.
16
50
137
16,799
You know what I didn't forget?
2020: Illinois State Rep Delia Ramirez says health care for undocumented seniors (HBIS) will cost Illinois $2 million per year. Actual cost?
2021: $67 million
2022: $134 million
2023: $211 million
2024: $211 million
I swore an oath to protect the Constitution, the same oath that Secretary Noem took. Clearly, she has forgotten it.
So I had to remind her in committee today.
11
45
140
13,029
Where have we seen her before? 🤔
NEW: New Orleans Police Superintendent says she had no clue that New Orleans had sidewalk barriers to defend against terror attacks, which are now being used today.
What a total embarrassment.
Reporters seemed shocked when Anne Kirkpatrick bizarrely admitted that she was unaware of sidewalk barriers, something that would have likely saved lives had they been installed on New Year's.
According to video footage, the New Orleans terror attack suspect appeared to get around police barricades by going on the sidewalk.
13
27
134
30,117
"she claims that she didn’t know the man who was driving her car and just picked him up from a bus stop"🤔
Need a ride? Better yet, you drive!
2
1
142
9,979
Tesla is one of the Top 10 Domestic Equity Holdings of the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund. 👏
17
13
136
13,939
2020: Illinois State Rep Delia Ramirez says health care for undocumented seniors (HBIS) will cost the state $2 million per year.
2021: HBIS costs $67 million
2022: HBIS costs $134 million
2023: HBIS costs $211 million
2024: HBIS costs $211 million
Who's stealing? 🤨
ALT https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/politics/state/2020/05/28/illinois-to-become-1st-state/1141572007/
ALT https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Performance-Special-Multi/Performance-Audits/2025_Releases/25-HFS-HBIS-HBIA-Perf-Digest.pdf
7
26
132
6,028
Remember those student walkouts back in March to protest Paul Vallas that were promoted by @CAARPRNow?
Turns out The Chicago Alliance was paid $15,000 in March by Brandon Johnson's campaign sponsor United Working Families. 🤨
Not an ethical bone to be found.
10
38
127
13,441
New CPS school board president Sean Harden is also CEO of Concessionair Retail Solutions. 🧐
Concessionair has been in NOT GOOD STANDING status w/ @ILSecOfState for nearly two months. 🤦
Chicago board of Education President Sean Harden outside CTU headquarters today where contract negotiations are happening: “we felt it was important to come here and support our team, make sure we move forward and there’s no pause in contract negotiations.”
22
18
126
11,228
Winner: Four
Stacy Davis Gates collected 4 union paychecks in 2023:
CTU: $175,878
IFT: $77,444
AFT: $1,200
Chicago Fed of Labor: $4,500
Good job!
How many union paychecks did @CTULocal1's Stacy Davis Gates collect in 2023? (answer tomorrow)
12
42
125
11,882
"Ethics laws forbid city contractors to donate to sitting mayors..."🤔
So they bypass it by contributing to an "independent" political action committee like "Leaders for Tomorrow" who then makes a contribution to the sitting mayor.
And, of course, GMA's address matches L4T. 🙄
This is an incredible story and people need to know what’s going on with the Mayor’s ‘affordable’ housing project.
He will spend far more per unit to build (and nearly 6X the cost to acquire) a low-rise, income-restricted project on the far west side (4500 block of W Washington - a place not exactly known for expensive real estate) than it would cost to build a Class A+ high rise on Michigan Ave or West Loop.
He will enrich his buddy contractor (who donated to his campaign) with a cost-plus contract to the tune of at least $1.16M. This means the contractor is incentivized to go over budget, because he will earn a percentage of the total cost.
Furthermore, Brandon’s longtime church formed a non-profit to oversee this project and they will earn $1.7M in “Developer Fees.”
What does a church know about development? Good question.
Will Brandon see some of those juicy fees being paid to the church or contractor? Better question.
This entire project is being paid for by taxpayers (through TIFs, HUD, and bonds) and raises the question of whether the real reason it is happening is to funnel fees to Brandon or his allies.
This smacks of corruption and demands an investigation.
@FBI @EileenCookCnty @JBPritzker @ToniPreckwinkle @FBIChicago @RaymondALopez @AldReilly @Andrefor40th @AttyDanKirk @NDILnews @MaryAnnAhernNBC @Williamjkelly @ChicagoOIG @TheJusticeDept @byaliceyin @jus10chi
4
34
124
13,129
What the?! 🤨
In 2023, @GovPritzker said GardaWorld would eat the cost of the construction of the failed toxic migrant tent camp in Chicago.
But the 2026 state budget includes a line item to pay off a $1.3 million debt GardWorld owes the state?!
Make this make sense. 🤦
12
38
130
5,804
In 2013, after Toni was in office for a few years, Cook County's net position was negative $3.8 billion. That is, county liabilities exceeded county assets by $3.8 billion.
As of 2023, Cook County's net position was negative $13.6 billion.
Four more years, eh?
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is not ready to retire.
On Monday, her 78th birthday, Preckwinkle announced she’ll seek a fifth term to lead the nation’s second-most populous county.
Why she's running, and the challenges ahead:
wgntv.com/politics-3/cook-co…
4
45
125
5,923
CTU owned a multi-million dollar apartment tower in a toney neighborhood for decades.
NEVER did they offer up even one unit in that building for affordable housing for CPS families. Nor did they take the proceeds from selling it to invest in affordable housing.
“…1000s of lower-income renters in Chicago are trapped in unsafe buildings, paying rising rents…landlords…allowed to shirk responsibilities to keep buildings safe, warm, & free of rats.”
Another reason why CTU is bargaining for housing for our students
injusticewatch.org/project/t…
2
30
121
17,027
The migrants are not from Texas. 🤦
Six buses of migrants from Texas have arrived in Wilmette in the past week, leading to them being rerouted or the riders having to disembark and ride into Chicago on the Metra. trib.al/Zyh4bB5
6
14
122
8,694
#PACservations: Brendan Reilly just blew the caps off the Cook County Board President race.
11
20
125
19,570
Me when I realize I get to watch a new #BetterCallSaul today versus me when I realize I will never get to watch a new #BetterCallSaul after today.
2
13
108
Let’s not forget Jason Lee recently voted for his sister to replace his mother in Congress.
From his residence. In Houston.
Where his PAC is also registered. From his home. In Houston.
The mayor’s top advisor, Jason Lee, will also bring some firsthand experience. His mother, the late Shelia Jackson Lee, served three decades in Congress.
3
27
122
7,381
At the intersection of sadness and reality.
DePaul University acknowledges "sad reality" of crime in Chicago after several students are robbed on campus.
cwbchicago.com/2023/09/after…
7
28
116
13,333
It took every normie in Cook County to get Eileen O’Neill Burke past a no-name tankie and she still only barely won. Can a white male centrist Dem unseat a firmly established Black female incumbent with a political army? Odds are against it. 🤷
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, in office since 2010, raised $281K and spent $291K last quarter, ending with $621K cash.
Her challenger, Ald. Brendan Reilly, raised $912K and spent $200K, closing with $1.4M, more than double the 15-year incumbent.
17
9
117
9,403
That’s great! Are they also helping the tamale cart vendors file sales tax returns?
Chicago cyclists are buying out tamale carts to keep vendors home and safe from ICE. blockclubchi.co/42KQ57O
8
7
117
4,434
5 1/2 years ago, @GovPritzker doubled the gas tax. Today, it’s nearly 2.5x higher than it was in 2019.
Yet what efficiencies have come of this? Are we building better and faster? With materials that will last far longer?
This bloat is unacceptable for the price we’re paying.
NEW: Kennedy Expressway construction delays aren't finished yet. IDOT now says problems w/gates are forcing closure of Ontario Street feeder ramp indefinitely.
Earlier this month, we told you how IDOT misled the public about problems with the project: wgntv.com/news/wgn-investiga…
6
30
104
6,378
His incompetence was easy to hide as a county commissioner where 16 of 17 are Democrats and his vote is just a rubber stamp of the county boss.
He's a "show up to the strike/protest with a bullhorn" guy. Nothing more.
1
2
106
6,070
Oof, they're demo-ing this?! What a waste.
estatesales.net/IL/Chicago/6…
4
10
98
161,614
Over just a mine month timeframe last year, JB’s campaign spent over a half million dollars on private jet services, the most environmentally-harmful mode of travel.
Illinois is one of the best states in the nation when it comes to tackling the climate crisis.
Today, we're continuing that progress with a further half a billion in federal grants to create jobs, sustainable infrastructure, and a brighter future for our children.
ALT Governor Pritzker and Senator Dick Durbin answer questions from the podium at the Clean Energy Grant Announcement.
6
35
104
4,511
Ha! Chicago firefighters got snowed.
By structuring their increase 2.5% 2.5% 5% 5% instead of 5% 5% 2.5% 2.5%, they cost themselves $6,000 over that 4 year span.
Union rep should know this. Get rid of him.
The agreement includes significant backpay — which the city has already budgeted for and may not hit until 2026 — and annual raises similar to the FOP.
chicagobusiness.com/politics…
17
16
107
26,606