Inside Chicago Government

Latest Episodes:

7/11/13: "As schools starve, Mayor Emanuel finds $5 million for hot dogs" Jul 18, 2013

Show notes

The intended investment payoff of tax-increment financing; why CPS would misrepresent property-tax increase caps; and why it makes sense for the Vienna Beef plant to move. Length 4.8 minutes.

6/27/13: "How Chicago's five-year school plan was dead on arrival" Jul 11, 2013

Show notes

What motivated the administration to issue its plan; the PR plan claims investment, belied by the capital plan; and why CPS's tax levy has increased while it cuts its budget. Length 5.5 minutes.

6/13/13: "The madness behind Mayor Emanuel's methods" Jun 17, 2013

Show notes

Who really pulls the mayor's strings; why the CTU gave up its former practice of cutting a deal with the administration; and where some of the best reporting in Chicago currently comes from. Length 5.5 minutes.

6/6/13: "How Mayor Emanuel locked the parking meter deal in place" Jun 12, 2013

Show notes

Why other journalists don't report on the city's contradictory stance; the mayor's clear message that investors can still buy city assets; and the fallacy that Chicago will save on future meter true-up costs. Length 5.4 minutes.

5/30/13: "Rahm's new TIF program looks a lot like the old TIF program" Jun 06, 2013

Show notes

How the General Assembly's "ladies of the lake" resisted pork; the mayor's interference in the free market of property development; and who owns the property on the land where the city wants to build an arena. Length 5.2 minutes.

5/23/13: "Rahm's latest plan: close the schools, build an arena" May 30, 2013

Show notes

How an almost-dead TIF district can rob from its younger neighbor; what makes the arena/hotel plan a tax-losing proposition; and Mayor Daley's last-minute raid on the area's TIF funds. Length 5.2 minutes.

5/16/13: "Mayor Emanuel's FOIA policy: don't ask because we won't tell" May 22, 2013

Show notes

CPS's statutory obligation to retain policy-related records; whether the Emanuel or the Daley administration responded better to records requests; and the chances of aldermanic efforts to strengthen the inspector general. Length 5.7 minutes.

5/9/13: "The school model that's good enough for Pres. Obama and Mayor Emanuel" May 17, 2013

Show notes

How one might get one's kids into the Lab School; why Lab teachers didn't join the Chicago Teachers Union; and whether Mayor Emanuel and others involved in school policy should explain why their kids don't attend public school. Length 5 minutes.

5/2/13: "In the Chicago public schools, promises are made to be broken" May 07, 2013

Show notes

How Lincoln Park H.S.'s diverse set of programs created an integrated student body; parents' perception of the International Baccalaureate "brand"; and when the mayor chooses to supercede a contract. Length 11.9 minutes.

4/25/13: "Welcome to U.S. Cellular Field, home of the sweetheart deal" May 06, 2013

Show notes

The multiple freebies and discounts the Sox organization gets while using the ballpark; the nobility of rainmaker Gov. Thompson; and whether the White Sox could survive financially without taxpayer subsidies. Length 14 minutes.

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