Made it into 'Things happen' in Money Stuff one time. Emergent Ventures winner. Writing about Chicago public policy in my free time at A City That Works.
Joined July 2009
- Tweets 1,652
- Following 334
- Followers 769
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66 Photos and videos
Conor Durkin retweeted
Jun 11
The author of the “study” the Mayor is citing here is a police abolitionist who has also been quite clear that the results do not support the Mayor’s conclusion.
Every single neighborhood that used to have those walkie talkies on poles has seen violence go down after they were removed. I'm not going to sell Chicagoans a false bill of goods just to enrich the interests of corporations. Any technology with a proven track record of driving down violence, I'm willing to explore. Accepting anything less than that would be a derelict of my duty as mayor.
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Jun 5
A reminder: This is fine.
citythatworks.substack.com/p…
Jun 5
Statement from Chairman George H. McCaskey and President & CEO Kevin Warren:
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Jun 4
Wherever you stand on the ShotSpotter debate, a worthwhile read on the latest data.
I support ShotSpotter based on the lived exps & recos of Supt Snelling & Ald Chico, but read the article & come to your own conclusion.
@CrainsChicago @acitythatworks
chicagobusiness.com/opinion/…
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Jun 2
I wrote about ShotSpotter over at @acitythatworks. Before we dig into the efficacy of the technology, it'd be helpful for everyone to be a little clearer about what whether they *want* police officers to rapidly respond to shootings in the first place. (1/6)
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Conor Durkin retweeted
May 28
Over at @acitythatworks: In 2024, CPS celebrated research that indicated the District's reading scores had rebounded quickly from the pandemic. Now we have better data - and the results are ugly. In reality, scores dropped more than almost any of our big city peers. (1/5)
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Conor Durkin retweeted
May 26
Over at @acitythatworks: @ConDurkin has a great piece breaking down the realities of our property tax regime. The short version - if you're mad about property taxes, you really need to be mad about spending. In Chicago, that (mostly) means CPS.
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Conor Durkin retweeted
May 12
All you have to do is not fund your pensions! No problems there! Nothing bad has ever happened from not funding the pensions!
May 12
🚨 When Mayor Mamdani took office, NYC had a $12 billion deficit.
It is now $0.
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May 2
Pensions shouldn't do this! Just buy the index! citythatworks.substack.com/p…
May 1
he wants to invest the pension funds for a below-market return, and then taxpayers will have to make up the difference through higher government contributions to the pension funds. pass.
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Apr 24
chicagoan perspective: DO NOT DO THIS EVER FOR ANY REASON NO NO NO
Apr 24
Deferring pension contributions is the Pandora's box of municipal finance, where a seemingly harmless action unleashes a legacy of complications. Once that seal is broken, NYC will start the descent into the same liability-fueled spiral that has hollowed out so many other cities.
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Apr 21
I didn’t think fare evasion was that big of a deal; the evidence from DC SF has definitely changed my mind.
Apr 21
The stats here are kind of remarkable. BART's new fare gates have led to a 1,000-hour decline in clean up time; 41% drop in crime; and $10 million increase in projected revenue. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0…
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Apr 23
New at @acitythatworks: Chicago's newest city-funded affordable housing projects are projected to cost $697,000 per unit to build - and that's almost certainly an underestimate.
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Apr 23
There are SO many variables - but @richsday math is fair.
When will we prioritize building more homes over building mini-affordable kingdoms?
How can we morally allow 1,107 families to wait for housing? 2/?
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Apr 21
Nice piece on our 30-year study: Property Taxes are Too High. Here’s Why. - by Conor Durkin citythatworks.substack.com/p…
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Apr 21
Seems like other transit agencies struggling with crime, disorder, and generally gross stations should consider something similar.
Apr 21
The stats here are kind of remarkable. BART's new fare gates have led to a 1,000-hour decline in clean up time; 41% drop in crime; and $10 million increase in projected revenue. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0…
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Glad to see this move forward, though we need to cut the red tape that causes these yearslong delays in development.
It’s essential that we build more housing, increase affordability, and grow Chicago!
Apr 16
A major funding package for the long-delayed Lathrop Homes redevelopment has cleared City Council. blockclubchi.co/4elRdoU
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Conor Durkin retweeted
Apr 14
Over at @acitythatworks: More than 600 sworn Chicago Police Officers, with badges and guns, are doing desk work. That means they're working as secretaries, paralegals, and data analysts instead of police officers. It's a problem - and a huge opportunity for the department. (1/4)
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Apr 10
Today at @acitythatworks: unpacking the City of Chicago's decision to pull a bond issuance last month, citing unfavorable market conditions.
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Apr 10
But there's a broader lesson here as well: in a higher interest rate world, our ability to get favorable bond deals done is going to get a lot harder. That's bad for our fiscal situation and is something we need to prepare for.
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