Category: politics

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— The city is coming to collect — and this time, it says it’s bringing a helping hand too.

As a December budget deadline looms, the Johnson administration is going in depth on its two-track plan: ramping up collection of money owed to the city while offering debt relief to residents who can’t pay their bills.

City Comptroller Michael Belsky says a large chunk of unpaid vehicle debt dates back to 2021, when the city took what he called a more compassionate approach to fines and fees during COVID. Now the tab is being called in: the city says it has collected 75 percent of outstanding debt over the last three years, and collection efforts are up 15 percent year over year since Mayor Brandon Johnson took office. Thirteen new tax auditors have been brought on to find delinquent entities — including large corporations — and bring missing revenue back into the city.

But Belsky says the administration is also giving struggling residents a way back. The Utility Billing Relief program offers penalty relief, rate reduction and debt forgiveness on water and sewer bills — 35,200 households have enrolled, 90 percent completed their payment plans, and $52 million has come back in. The Clear Path Relief program lets low-income drivers pay off only the original fine amount for tickets issued in the last three years, with all older debt waived — 106,500 residents have participated since 2022, bringing back $51 million.

“If it is making a choice between food and medicine or paying vehicle debt, the Johnson administration will always side with the health and safety of our citizens,” Belsky told FOX32 Chicago.

Collect from the corporations, give the people a path. That’s the pitch. Chicago’s budget gap will be the test.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the budget fight unfolds.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— President Donald Trump is back at it with Chicago — this time with an offer, a warning, and a flourish.

On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Chicago is suffering an unprecedented and particularly violent crime wave that is getting worse by the day,” and said the federal government could “extinguish it quickly and completely” — but only if Mayor Brandon Johnson or Gov. JB Pritzker asks. “What is wrong with them? Why aren’t they asking?” he wrote. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Trump has already played this card elsewhere: he deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and sent personnel to Memphis for the same stated purpose.

Here’s the rub. Chicago Tribune data shows the city’s homicide numbers are actually down slightly — 328 homicide victims through Oct. 3, five fewer than the same period in 2025. Homicides have declined every year from 2022 through 2025 after the pandemic-era spike. Most of this year’s victims were killed by gunfire, and the Austin neighborhood leads the city with 28.

Johnson has an answer ready. Back in July, he told Trump to stop offering troops and start investing: put money into affordable housing and the cost of living, and violence would go down. Pritzker, for his part, has said there is no emergency that justifies federalizing the Guard or sending active-duty troops into Illinois, and has pointed to state and local police as the ones doing the daily work.

An offer on the table, a refusal before it’s even made, and a city caught in the middle. Whether this ends as cooperation or a courtroom battle is the question.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as this fight unfolds.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Chicago is on the verge of one of the largest police misconduct payouts in American history — and it’s for crimes the city’s own detective allegedly committed decades ago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is proposing a $260.8 million global settlement to resolve 16 lawsuits brought by 17 people who say they were framed for murders by former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara. All 17 were exonerated after their convictions were thrown out, and together they spent more than 383 years behind bars — most of them from Humboldt Park, caught up in cases from the 1980s and 1990s.

The City Council’s Finance Committee took up the proposal Monday at 10 a.m. If it clears committee, a final vote by the full Council could come as soon as October 14. City attorneys say settling now would spare taxpayers an estimated $300 million to $400 million more in trial verdicts, legal fees, and defense costs — and note that the payout would be made over two years starting in 2027.

The deal was delivered by retiring Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry on her way out the door, after the Council pressed the Johnson administration for a package deal like the $90 million settlement that resolved the Ronald Watts cases. Finance Chair Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) said bundling the cases together gets a better result for taxpayers.

But make no mistake: this is a bill for broken justice. Decades of alleged misconduct, dozens of stolen lives, and now the people of Chicago foot the bill — while the system that allowed it has yet to fully answer for itself.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the Council moves toward its final vote.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— The polls are open, Chicago. Early voting for the November general election began Thursday at 9 a.m. at two downtown locations, and it expands to all 50 wards on October 19.

The ballot is a big one. Chicago voters will weigh in on the Illinois governor’s race, a U.S. Senate seat, U.S. House races, Illinois attorney general, comptroller and treasurer, and Cook County Board president. Voters will also elect school board members and decide two non-binding advisory questions — one on whether the city should replace its gunshot detection system, and another on whether Chicago should build a permanent home for festivals and large events.

Not registered yet? You can still register online through the Illinois State Board of Elections website until October 18. After that, same-day registration will be available at any early voting site and on Election Day at your polling place. First-time voters should bring two forms of identification, and election officials recommend everyone brings an ID.

The message here is simple: decisions get made by people who show up. If you want a say in how this city and this state run, get to the polls early and make it count.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for full election coverage. For early voting locations and hours, visit ChicagoElections.gov.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILYCHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— The fight over Chicago’s next budget is taking shape, and a bloc of City Council members is drawing its lines early: no property tax increase, no corporate “head tax,” and no relying on state revenue Springfield hasn’t approved yet.The self-described City Council Budget Accountability Coalition sent a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson this week as the city begins its fiscal 2027 budget process, confronting a projected $882.4 million deficit — down from last year’s roughly $1.2 billion shortfall, but still one of the largest gaps in recent Chicago history. The coalition is demanding spending cuts and permanent savings before any new taxes.The head tax fight isn’t new. A separate letter signed by 29 aldermen pressed Johnson to rule out reinstating a per-employee corporate head tax — something his office said could bring in $100 million a year for public safety, but which the Council locked out when it passed an alternate 2026 budget. Johnson campaigned on no property tax hikes, though he did propose a $300 million property tax increase in 2024, and he’s been reluctant to touch property taxes since.The administration says it’s pursuing “progressive” revenue measures while protecting essential services. The Council’s message: find the real savings first.Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the budget battle develops.Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— City Hall is headed for a heavyweight fight over money, and the lines have already been drawn.

A 29-member bloc of aldermen calling itself the City Council Budget Accountability Coalition sent Mayor Brandon Johnson a letter this week setting three non-negotiable lines for the upcoming budget: no property tax increase, no corporate head tax or any levy that punishes job growth, and no counting on state money that Springfield hasn’t approved.

“A great city should court employers, not punish them for the act of putting people to work,” the aldermen wrote. “We will not support a head tax, or any levy that makes it costlier to keep and create jobs for Chicagoans.”

The stakes are massive. Chicago faces a projected $882.4 million budget gap for fiscal year 2027. The mayor is expected to present his budget proposal in mid-October, with a final adoption deadline of December 30 — and a February mayoral election raising the pressure on every vote.

On Tuesday, the Council also voted 32-15 to raise the vote threshold for approving new borrowing from 26 to 30 members — a move supporters say will curb reliance on one-time debt fixes.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for continuing coverage of the budget battle.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—The fight over Chicago’s budget is on, and City Hall is drawing lines in the sand.

A 29-member Budget Accountability Coalition sent Mayor Brandon Johnson a letter Monday laying down three non-negotiables for the fiscal year 2027 budget: no property tax increase, no corporate head tax or any levy on job growth, and no counting on money from Springfield that hasn’t been approved.

The city faces a projected $882.4 million shortfall — down from the roughly $1.2 billion gap last year, but still one of the largest deficits in Chicago’s recent history. Johnson has said he’ll pursue “progressive” revenue options to protect essential services, but the coalition is demanding real, recurring savings first — and it wants the city to collect debts and revenue already owed before raising a single tax.

The clash spilled onto the council floor Tuesday, when aldermen voted 32-15 to raise the threshold for approving new borrowing from 26 votes to 30 — a move aimed at curbing one-time debt fixes. It fell three votes short of the 34 needed to survive a mayoral veto.

Johnson must present his budget proposal by mid-October, with a December 30 adoption deadline — and a February mayoral election adding pressure to every move.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the budget battle heats up at City Hall.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—Chicago’s most infamous parking deal just got a sequel.

The City Council approved the $2.53 billion transfer of the city’s parking meters to Stonepeak Partners, a New York investment firm — but the road to the vote was pure City Hall drama.

Mayor Brandon Johnson secretly entered the bidding himself, submitting four offers topping out at $3.2 billion — nearly $700 million above Stonepeak’s winning bid — without consulting the council. Then he abandoned the offer after deciding the risk wasn’t worth the reward, and the council learned of his bids only after he dropped out.

This time, the tables turned. Council leaders led by Finance Chair Pat Dowell and former chair Scott Waguespack negotiated better terms in confidence, keeping a firewall between the council and the mayor’s office. Johnson was briefed only after the deal was done.

“We delivered to all of Chicago a better deal than we delivered in 2008,” Dowell said. “This deal is 10 times better than the deal in 2008” — the original 75-year lease that has haunted Chicago taxpayers for a generation.

The approval landed at the same Tuesday meeting where the council voted 32-15 to raise the borrowing threshold to 30 votes, three shy of veto-proof — the latest volley in the $882.4 million budget standoff between Johnson and the council.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for every vote that shapes your wallet.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— The City Hall budget war just escalated on both fronts.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday he will not propose a property tax increase in his 2027 budget, answering the Budget Accountability Coalition — the 29-alderman bloc that sent him a letter Monday drawing three hard lines: no property tax hike, no corporate head tax or any tax on job growth, and no reliance on state money that hasn’t been approved yet.

Johnson said he welcomes engagement “in good faith” but wants to see concrete solutions, not just a list of what the council won’t do. He didn’t close the door on taxing corporations more, even after the council rejected his per-employee head tax in this year’s budget fight.

Meanwhile, the City Council took direct aim at the city’s credit card. Aldermen voted 32-15 to require 30 votes — up from 26 — for future borrowing, a move backers say will curb the city’s reliance on one-time debt fixes. Three votes short of a veto-proof majority.

The fight centers on a projected $882.4 million deficit for fiscal 2027 — smaller than last year’s roughly $1.2 billion hole, but still one of the largest gaps in Chicago’s recent history. Johnson is expected to deliver his budget address in mid-October, followed by departmental hearings ahead of the December 30 deadline.

Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as this budget battle plays out. Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.

CHICAGO URBAN DAILY

CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—City Hall’s budget battle just got its opening shot.

Twenty-nine members of the Chicago City Council signed a letter Monday warning Mayor Brandon Johnson not to propose a corporate employee head tax again in the 2027 budget — a move his progressive allies have pushed for after his failed attempt this year.

“A great city should court employers, not punish them for the act of putting people to work,” the letter reads. “We will not support a head tax, or any levy that makes it costlier to keep and create jobs for Chicagoans.”

The letter also demands no property tax increase and no reliance on Springfield revenue that hasn’t been approved — all as the mayor prepares his fourth budget address next month to close a projected $882 million gap.

The Power Shift

The 29-member coalition is the same one that rejected Johnson’s head tax and pushed through an alternative budget — and 29 votes is not veto-proof. The mayor’s office said it welcomes “good faith engagement” but wants alderpersons to come “with concrete solutions” to the shortfall.

Election-year politics, a massive deficit, and a council flexing muscle like the old Council Wars. Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as this fight heats up.

Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.