Sure, speak your truth, but make sure to listen like you might be wrong. @CivicFederation
Joined September 2021
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Jun 12
Einstein said “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” This new @CivicFederation piece lays out some possible elements and comparisons as a start towards sanity in City of Chicago budgeting.
What can Chicago learn from New York City’s budget practices?
A new Civic Federation analysis compares how major U.S. cities prepare budgets and examines New York City’s requirements for structural budget balance and multi-year financial planning: civicfed.org/what-chicago-ca…
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Joe Ferguson retweeted
"You can't win every day. But you have to show up consistently, and when you look back over weeks, months, years, you can see progress." — Sean Garrett, President and CEO, United Way of Metro Chicago
Our 2026 Annual Civic Awards was a resounding success. This year's theme—Everything is Connected—was reflected in President @JoeFergChicago's call for greater cross-sector collaboration and echoed throughout a candid fireside chat between our honorees, Sean Garrett and EY Chicago Managing Partner Kevin Cole.
Thank you to the leaders from across the business, nonprofit, and civic sectors who joined us to celebrate two individuals whose leadership, partnership, and commitment continue to strengthen Chicago and our region.
#EverythingIsConnected
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Statement from the Civic Federation following the Bears' announcement today
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Jun 2
Sins of the past, challenges of the present, opportunities for the future.
CPS is projected to spend more than $629 million on debt service in FY2026.
A new Civic Federation report finds the District’s debt burden is among the highest of major U.S. school districts and warns that long-term fiscal challenges cannot be solved through one-time measures alone.
Read the report: civicfed.org/understanding-m…
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Joe Ferguson retweeted
Read President @JoeFergChicago statement following the conclusion of Illinois' General Assembly session last night. ⬇️
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May 31
Superb @Austin__Berg #thelastward analysis on how a peer city handles “teen takeovers.” Per @kambucknerchi in this week’s superb @fspielman podcast “accountability is not the opposite of love …. [It] is part of love and we ought to start acting that way.” open.substack.com/pub/thelas…
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May 31
Superb @Austin__Berg #thelastward analysis on how a peer city handles “teen takeovers.” Per @kambucknerchi in this week’s superb @fspielman podcast “accountability is not the opposite of love …. [It] is part of love and we ought to start acting that way.” open.substack.com/pub/thelas…
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May 31
Interesting side note — the approach taken by @MayorBowser in essence *reduced* arrests vs status quo
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Chicagoans pay some of the highest consumer taxes in the country and many of those costs continue to rise through incremental changes to fees, sales taxes and digital taxes.
The Civic Federation’s updated Chicago Consumer Taxes report examines how those taxes impact affordability, consumer costs and Chicago’s competitiveness.
Read the report: civicfed.org/what-chicagoans…
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"People shouldn't panic yet"
While the $732 million deficit is substantial, President @JoeFergChicago explains that CPS still has options and levers it can pull before resorting to classroom cuts.
More coverage on the pending CPS budget last week from Fox 32 Chicago in the link below.
🔗 fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-o…
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May 14
As a former Chicago City Council alderman, I can attest that @Austin__Berg is exactly right. I’ve lived all over the country, and nowhere else have I encountered the kind of political dynamic I’ve seen in Chicago... and it's not healthy.
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May 13
Maybe City Hall is the wrong place to experiment with European-style governance....
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Cook County property taxes are up 182% since 1995, far outpacing inflation and wages.
Our latest recap connects new findings from the Treasurer with Civic Federation research showing why Illinois’ property tax system is too complex, inequitable, and in need of reform.
Read more: civicfed.org/blog/cook-count…
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Apr 20
This pod featuring @heerjeet @JoeFergChicago and the the late, great @TADurkin is worth a listen thenation.com/podcast/politi…. The current debate on reauthorizing 702 is a window onto the practical implications of Trump's shredding the constitution. And moreover: x.com/LizaGoitein/status/204…
Apr 15
So everyone is clear: Trump falsely claims FISA 702 is simply foreign collection.
He leaves out that the government “incidentally” collects huge volumes of Americans’ communications under this program and then searches them without a warrant.
That’s why Section 702 is the most dangerous part of FISA for ordinary Americans. Title I at least requires individualized court orders—even if those were abused against him.
A “clean” extension skips any meaningful safeguards for our rights. Tell your representative to vote NO on reauthorizing FISA 702 without a warrant requirement.
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Joe Ferguson retweeted
Our FY2027 budget analysis series continues with a look at federal funding.🔍
Uncertainty in Washington can create real fiscal risks, we look at how Illinois is accounting for these challenges.
📖Read more: civicfed.org/how-Illinois-FY…
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Joe Ferguson retweeted
The Governor's FY2027 budget proposal offers an early look at the State's fiscal priorities and constraints.
We're releasing a series of short analyses examining key components of the budget. First a "maintenance budget" and what that means.
Read more: civicfed.org/a-maintenance-b…
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Mar 18
Is raising the nation's highest hotel tax even higher really the best way to attract more tourists? Asking for a friend.
chicago.suntimes.com/city-ha…
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Mar 15
The latest from @citythatworks : it is far too quiet to have full confidence that we are on the right track in standing up the new Chicago regional public transit agency at the level of knowledge and experience suggested here.
Mar 13
Over at @acitythatworks: Asian and European transit agencies are run by subject matter experts. American ones are run by local elected officials and community advocates. If we want the new Illinois transit reforms to succeed, we're going to look outside the US. (1/2)
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Mar 15
Everyone else sees it, so it can’t be that we don’t, which leaves the question: do we care and if so (and I believe we do) are we going to do something about it? If the Mayor won’t that means you Chicago City Council. washingtonpost.com/opinions/…
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