Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal

Latest Episodes:

Never heard a kind word about the alderman: the Seventh Ward Feb 07, 2019

Show notes

Ben and Maya look at an unpopular alderman who faces a strong challenge from a young activist, in a ward in serious need of economic development.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

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Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

Writing off the activists: the 37th Ward Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

The leading City Council proponent for putting the unpopular police academy in her far west-side ward faces a tough race, and Ben and Maya are excited.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

Why does it look so weird: the First Ward Feb 05, 2019

Show notes

A classic political operator in the Bucktown/Wicker Park/Logan Square area leads Ben and Maya into a discussion of their relationships with Chicago's aldermen.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

The front-man on all those TIF deals: the 40th Ward Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

The public face of some of Chicago's worst deals—the Olympics, ongoing TIF deals, and the parking meter sale—is City Council's new finance committee chair, and Ben and Maya have plenty to look at in the ward bound by Clark Street, Lawrence Avenue, and the Chicago River.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

You have to pass the bill to know what's in it: the 33rd Ward Feb 02, 2019

Show notes

Ben and Maya discuss Albany Park's powerful and well-connected alderman Deb Mell and her exciting DSA-backed challenger, Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

I'm falling asleep even saying it: the 47th Ward Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

Ben and Maya look at the North Center / Ravenswood neighborhood and outgoing alderman Ameya Pawar's pragmatic, thoughtful progressivism.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

The Joe Moore Show: the 49th Ward Jan 31, 2019

Show notes

The former progressive champion turned mayoral rubber-stamper faces a tough race, and Ben and Maya are all about it.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

The latest Fast Eddie: the 14th Ward Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

The indictment of the head of City Council's finance committee, who shook down a fast-food joint and kept a passel of guns in his office, offers plenty for Ben and Maya to consider.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

A kid takes on the machine: the 13th Ward Jan 29, 2019

Show notes

Marty Quinn, close ally of Michael Madigan, has accrued a lot of power in the 13th ward, but Ben and Maya are more interested in what his 19-year-old challenger means for the machine politician.

http://www.chicagoreader.com

***

Chicago Reader's Back Room Deal is produced by Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Ben Joravsky & Maya Dukmasova

Recorded and mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz, Mondo Machine

Special thanks to Lumpen Radio WLPN 105.5FM

Theme music by Jim R. S. Bjorklund, courtesy FreeSound.org

Shotgun objections: the 20th Ward Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

Things get complicated in the ward set to tie for the most-aldermen-in-jail award, so Ben and Maya share their insights.

http://www.chicagoreader.com