Ald. Pat O’Connor (40), Chairman of the City Council’s Workforce Development Committee, sent out an email to aldermen yesterday reminding them that he plans to discharge an ordinance from his committee that would eliminate the Legislative Inspector General’s office and put the authority of policing aldermen under the jurisdiction of the City’s Inspector General, Joe Ferguson.

That ordinance, sponsored by Ald. Michele Smith (43) and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47), was deferred and published at last month’s city council meeting at the request of two powerful aldermen: Finance Chairman Ed Burke (14) and Budget Chairman Carrie Austin (34). After that meeting, Ald. Austin told Aldertrack she wanted to clean up the language of the ordinance and add a provision requiring signed affidavits for all complaints. “If you gonna tell on me, how come you don’t want to swear to it?” she had asked rhetorically.

The email Ald. O’Connor sent is a procedural Rule 41 reminder that the full Council meeting will have to vote on the matter at the City Council meeting scheduled for next Wednesday.

A working group of six aldermen created at the January City Council meeting to “clean up” the ordinance has met twice since then, said one member, Ald. Joe Moore (49).

Another member, Ald. Pawar, tells Aldertrack he and his colleagues are, “still working things through… people are still trying to figure out whether there are any tweaks,” but couldn’t offer up specific changes that have been proposed.

Ald. Moore stayed similarly tight-lipped, “We’re still working on stuff. Still working on some language.”

“There’s going to be a vote. That much we know,” Pawar said.

Ald. Will Burns (4), who sponsored, but raised concerns about the ordinance, and two Progressive Caucus members and supporters: Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), and Ald. Rick Munoz (22), are also part of the working group.

Before last month’s vote, Ald. Burns (4) suggested he’d like to see more protections from political attacks. "Sometimes when you tell people ‘no’ and you make difficult decisions over land use, over TIF funding, over public subsidies, CDBG, whether someone can purchase a vacant lot, you could anger those people and they could file complaints and use, or abuse, unfortunately, the ethics process to harass and to seek retaliation."

He suggested formation of a special City Council committee, similar to the State Legislature’s bicameral Legislative Ethics Commission, to “have some sort of oversight over whether or not the Inspector General conducts an investigation… as a check or protection against what can be fairly sweeping powers.” He said he worried that it would be politically difficult to change provisions of the ordinance in the future without it looking like aldermen were “watering it down.”

Another day of headlines for Chicago Public Schools:

• Gov. Bruce Rauner doubled down on his pitch for a state takeover of CPS;


• As part of another round of cuts, CPS officials announced they would end the pension pickup for union employees and eliminate $100 million from classrooms this year; and


• The Chicago Teacher’s Union said Gov. Rauner is a “madman” and CPS can’t be trusted, calling their latest actions “an act of war”.

All this comes as the district makes its second attempt to sell $875 million in general obligation bonds to pay off old debt and fund operations after an eleventh-hour decision last week to pull the offer. Details below.

Rauner Makes CPS Takeover Threat

The day after the Chicago Teachers’ Union’s Big Bargaining Team unanimously rejected a new contract with the Chicago Board of Education, and in the midst of a day-to-day bond issuance to prop up the district’s struggling budget, Gov. Rauner ramped up the pressure by again pushing a state takeover of Chicago Public Schools, telling reporters Tuesday morning he would “fight hard for it,” and was instructing the State Board of Education to plan ahead.

At a press conference on procurement reform in Springfield yesterday, Rauner said he has asked the State Board of Education to begin the selection process for an interim superintendent for Chicago Public Schools, and for the State Board to identify whether CPS meets certain financial conditions for state control. “The state should be able to take over the schools, manage those contracts properly, restructure things, and bankruptcy should be an option. There’s support for it. It’s the right thing to do. We need it around the state, and we’re going to fight real hard for it right now.”

Rauner alluded to CPS’ dire financial straits. In the past few weeks, the Board of Education has seen credit downgrades from two ratings agencies, an unusual “pulling” of its planned $875 million in borrowing, a round of administrative layoffs at its central office, and Monday’s dashed hopes of a new contract with the union.

The governor blamed CTU and the Mayor for proposing an unaffordable contract, painting it as more kick-the-can financing. “[Mayor Emanuel] was pushing off the day of reckoning and the teacher’s union still rejected that. The teachers’ union in Chicago has had complete control, they’ve been calling all the shots for decades, and it’s the reason the system there is so financially bereft, they’re so broke. I hope this rejection will wake up the Mayor, and the City Council, and the taxpayers there and around the state.”

But a state takeover would require enabling legislation from the General Assembly–something House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullertonhave opposed so far.

“He doesn’t have a budget, what is he going to take us over with?” CTU President Karen Lewis joked when asked about the governor’s plans by reporters later that afternoon.  “Please don’t pay any attention to the ravings of a madman.”

For CTU, one of the biggest concerns is over the state’s control of charter school expansion. It was one of the major reasons why the union rejected CPS’ contract offer on Monday. The union wants put a halt to expansion and a citywide moratorium won’t cut it, according to Lewis, because charter schools can get approval from a state-run board. “The critical issue for the contract is about support for public schools, and here’s a governor that has his name on a charter school. There’s no basis for trust there,” said Jesse Sharkey, CTU Vice President.

“What is he going to do, send in the National Guard?” he quipped.

Claypool Outlines Further Cuts, Hopes to Restore Trust with CTU

Hours after Rauner’s press conference, officials from CPS held their own, saying they would work to restore trust and bargain in good faith with leaders from the union. But officials did not paint a rosier picture of the Board’s Finances. CPS CEO Forrest Claypool announced further cuts to classrooms, and said in 30 days, the district would stop putting in its 7% share of teachers’ 9% pension contribution.

“Together, the $45 million we cut from the Central Office a few weeks ago, as well as the $100 million in cuts to school budgets and the $170 million a year in savings from pensions - $315 million in total - are the serious steps we must, and will, take to close our immediate budget gap and make progress towards eliminating our structural deficit,” Claypool read from a prepared statement.

Officials released this briefing doc on the components of the proposed contract, this statement on Monday after no agreement was reached over the weekend, and this fact sheet on cuts announced yesterday.

An $875 million bond deal–part of which will help patch over a cash crunch at the district–will also head back to market tomorrow, Claypool announced. At about this time last week, the deal was pulled. CPS officials denied that investors were spooked by Gov. Rauner and Republican legislators’ moves toward enabling municipal bankruptcy for CPS. Earlier this week, Mayor Emanuel paid a visit to ratings agencies to discuss Chicago finances, but budget officials said the trip was pre-planned, and not in response to CPS’ bond offering.

Claypool said he had both “good momentum” and “strong interest” from investors going into this morning’s planned pricing, and that recent announcements of cuts were meant to signal that the district is doing everything in its power to right its financial ship.

Both Claypool and Frank Clark, the President of the Chicago Board of Education, reiterated that their end of the bargain with CTU was fair. “It would have raised teachers’ pay – both for seniority and cost of living adjustments. It would have prevented teachers from being laid off due to a lack of funding. It would have provided more autonomy for teachers. And it would have restricted charter school expansion,” Claypool said.

Clark said despite Monday’s blow, he’s confident CPS and CTU can reach an agreement.

CTU Officials Respond: "The problem is the lack of trust."

CTU President Lewis characterized the cuts as a “retaliatory tactic” to the union’s decision yesterday to reject CPS’ contract offer. She suggested Claypool's decision to make further cuts to the classroom in the middle of the school year further proves their point that CPS leadership cannot be trusted.

“The problem is the lack of trust. That’s what our bargaining team said,” Lewis told reporters when asked about ways the Board could address the union’s concerns.

Her comments about Governor Rauner and CPS were made at a late afternoon press conference the union called to give an official response to CPS’ newly announced cuts. “We are certain that everyone who works in our public schools is facing a clear and present danger,” she said in her opening remarks.

“CPS has a revenue problem based on debt service, those toxic swap termination payments, charter expansion and their underfunding of our pensions. This is a problem they created, not the teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians who work extremely hard every day under deplorable conditions,” Lewis told reporters.

The union, according to Sharkey and Lewis, believes the Board of Education is no longer bargaining in “good faith” because it announced these cuts and the decision to eliminate the so-called pension pickup for CTU members in the middle of ongoing contract negotiations. The union is seeking legal action with the state’s Educational Labor Relations Board.

If the board sides with CTU, the union would no longer have to wait out the 105-day fact-finding period required under ongoing contract negotiations and could call for a strike immediately. Lewis even joked that a significant number of her members have already bought red winter coats in preparation to strike at any time.

On a more symbolic note, Lewis announced the union would be withdrawing its money, about $1 million, from the Bank of America as a way to protest the hundreds of millions of dollars in swap agreements the district has paid out to the banks. The withdrawal is happening today. The union will also hold a rally downtown at 4:30pm today at the Bank of America on Lasalle and Adams.

TIF Surplus Moves Await Committee Action

Meanwhile, a resolution calling for a full the use of surplus Tax Increment Financing funds to offset the budget deficit at CPS will likely be called up in the Budget Committee’s meeting next Tuesday, according to Monica Trevino, Chief of Staff for the resolution’s sponsor, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35). The Mayor’s office told Trevino they believe it will be on the agenda. “We are just waiting to hear from Chairman [Carrie] Austin,” Trevino told Aldertrack.

Legislation in Springfield to allocate all TIF surplus funds to CPS, rather than among other local taxing bodies like Parks and MWRD, is currently sitting in the Rules Committee. Barbara Flynn Currie, the lead sponsor of the bill, is chair of the committee, but there’s no meeting currently scheduled.

In this week's episode, we talk Gov. Bruce Rauner's State of the State address, CPS' scrapped $850 million bond offering, a contentious Board of Ed meeting, and Sen. President John Cullerton's state school funding fix. Plus, we dive into aldermanic fundraising and expense accounts. Music: "Honey Money" by Spectacular Fantastic

Illinois Democratic Legislators, joined by Chicago Aldermen and the Chicago Teachers Union yesterday morning announced plans to introduce legislation in Springfield that would compel Chicago to declare an annual TIF surplus to fund the financially beleaguered Chicago Public Schools, and direct the city to conduct more transparent accounting of how much money in each TIF has been committed to projects.

But whether or not there are funds available to actually be declared surplus is up for debate.

At yesterday's press conference, chief bill sponsor and Illinois House Democratic Leader Barbara Flynn Currie asserted that the city has anywhere between $150 and $350 million in uncommitted funds that could be declared surplus. She said in this emergency situation, instead of those funds being dispersed to local taxing bodies like Parks and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, all of those TIF funds would be given to CPS. “The potential impacts of inaction to address CPS’ financial needs are potentially far greater than the impact of less TIF surplus to the various non-home rule taxing districts,” a press release from sponsors says.

A briefing document to muster support for Currie provided to Aldertrack earlier this week had claimed an even bigger surplus: $445 million or as much as $700 million.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), who is leading a charge for TIF accounting on the City side, told Aldertrack after a sit-down with the Department of Planning and Development, he figured the TIF in his ward, Milwaukee/Kedzie, had about $24 million alone that “could be” surplus. “There are a lot of tricks,” he said, what’s marked as “earmarked” might not really be earmarked.

And there’s sometimes confusion among aldermen about how TIF money is spent. Last week, for example, some Finance Committee members pushed back on spending $4.6 million in TIF money to be used for an athletic field for Jones College Prep and National Teachers Academy in the 3rd Ward. Aldermen were surprised to find that the field had already been built, and they were just reimbursing CPS. Not only that, the money was being “ported” to the contiguous Michigan/Cermak TIF from the 24th/Michigan TIF. The TIF money hadn’t been doled out yet at the request of local Ald. Pat Dowell, who wanted an MOU in place between “CPS, the Board of Education, the community, and the two schools” for open use of the field. Confused yet?

Budget officials with the city estimate the real surplus is far below what Currie, Rosa, and their colleagues estimate. Chicago Budget Office spokesperson Molly Poppe told Aldertrack yesterday that while the city has $1.38 billion in TIF accounts, only $140 million is not already committed to projects. Of that, “$113 million was surplused in the 2016 budget,” she said. The rest, Poppe says, is already committed to bond payments or in accounts with less than a million dollars in their balance. This past summer, the Mayor announced the City would freeze seven downtown TIFs, and estimated the move would free up $250 million over the next five years, half would go towards CPS.

The source of the dispute is that Chicago is only required to report TIF account funds once a year, and even then, a whole six months after the fiscal year is complete–providing an out-of-date snapshot. In addition, allies of Flynn Currie on the bill allege the city can say funds are “committed” without actually providing a contract, essentially budgeting for incomplete deals and walling them off from being surplused.

Flynn Currie’s proposed legislation would create a new classification, “obligated” funds, according to CTU Legislative Director, Stacy Davis Gates.

“[The legislation] only allows for ‘obligation’, things that are already contracted out or payments made to debt service. What the city has been successful at doing is obscuring the number because they have the loophole of anticipated [spending],” said Davis Gates.

CTU is optimistic the bill will pass the legislature, especially since Flynn Currie ranks second in the House to only Speaker Mike Madigan.

“We anticipate it will pass. We have a good sponsor,” said Davis Gates.

Yesterday, Ald. Rosa announced he has 30 aldermen co-sponsoring a resolution calling for the city to declare a TIF surplus so funds could be directed to CPS.

“We need to open the books and figure out what projects have been voted on by the City Council. If they’re not going to break ground for two or three years, that’s money that’s on the table and should be declared surplus,” he told Aldertrack last night.

A Council source also told Aldertrack that the Mayor’s Office is considering either holding an aldermanic briefing or a Budget Committee hearing on available TIF funds next week.

The 2014 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and its horrific circumstances are adding fuel to a steadily growing fire of anger and discontent with the city’s criminal justice system among Chicago’s Black community, according to African American activists, pastors and aldermen Aldertrack spoke with yesterday.

Fifty-three candidates filed ballot petitions yesterday with the State Board of Elections to run for Democratic, Republican, and Green Party Ward Committeeman for the first day of filing. While nearly half of the candidates who filed yesterday are incumbents (like Cook County Democratic Party Chairman and 31st Ward Democratic Committeeman Joe Berrios and 13th Ward Democratic Committeeman and Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan), there were a few newcomers.

The Committee on Housing and Real Estate will kick off the day with a 9:30 a.m meeting to discuss bridge improvements on South Lake Shore Drive. The only item on the agenda, O2015-7316, is a real estate agreement with the Chicago Parks District to revamp 5 bridges in the 4th Ward. The project includes reconstruction of a bridge for cars at East 31st Street and East Oakwood Blvd., the reconstruction and replacement of pedestrian bridges at East 35th Street and East 43rd Street, owned by the Park District, and construction of a new pedestrian bridge at East 41st Street.

Improvements to the three pedestrian bridges include ramps to accommodate bikes, wheel chairs, and emergency vehicles. The ordinance amends land rights with the Illinois Central Railroad and Metra, which own the railroad tracks the bridges cross over, according to a release from the Mayor’s office. The wheels for this project were set in motion more than 10 years ago, when the Chicago Department of Transportation recommended the City improve pedestrian and car crossing over and under Metra and ICR tracks along Lake Shore Drive. Federal funds will pick up 80% of the $42.5 million tab, with state money funding the rest. More from the Chicago Tribune.

The Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation meets at noon. The only agenda items for the committee are 8 reappointments and 7 new appointments to the Cultural Affairs and Special Events Advisory Council:

• Jeff Alexander, President/CEO, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, former Vancouver Symphony Society's President/CEO.

• Marshall Brown, Architect and Principal, Marshall Brown Projects, an architecture firm selected for this year’s Biennial. Brown’s name has been floated in Obama Library design talks.

• Graham Elliot, Chef and Owner, Graham Elliot Bistro in the West Loop. Elliot was also a Top Chef contestant and judge on Fox’s MasterChef. Mayor Emanuel designated Sep. 19, 2012 as Graham Elliot Day, when he was admitted to the Chef’s Hall of Fame.

• Carlos Hernandez, Executive Director, Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, formerly a Director of Economic Development for the City of Chicago Treasurer's Office, Director of the National Museum of Mexican Art's $7.3 million expansion, and program intern officer with the McCormick Tribune Foundation.

• Heather Ireland Robinson, Executive Director, Beverly Arts Center. Mayor Emanuel doled out $250,000, part of the surplus from the 2012 NATO Summit, to the arts center in 2013. The center owed Fifth Third Bank $4.7 million at the time, and is still fundraising. Ireland Robinson was formerly E.D. of the South Side Community Art Center in Bronzeville.

• Amanda Williams, Artist, AW | Gallery, another participant in this year’s Architecture Biennial, who painted buildings in West Englewood Ventra blue alongside Mayor Emanuel as part of this year’s One Summer Chicago.

• David Woolwine, Director of Reputation, Community Engagement and Public Affairs at Allstate, who leads the company’s efforts on employee volunteerism and strategic philanthropy. He and Mayor Emanuel both spoke at a Kaiser Permanente/Metro Chamber event about how to make Chicago a “go-to city.”

• Carol L. Adams, Retired CEO, The DuSable Museum (reappointment)

• Antonia J. Contro, Executive Director, Marwen (reappointment)

• Nora Daley (Chair), Executive Advisor, Metropolis Strategies (reappointment)

• Theaster Gates, Jr., Artist and Founder, Rebuild Foundation (reappointment)

• Marjorie S. Halperin, President, Marj Halperin Consulting (reappointment)

• Ra O. Joy, Executive Director, Illinois Arts Alliance (reappointment)

• Michael P. Thornton, Actor, Artistic director and Co-Founder, The Gift Theatre (reappointment)

• Angel M. Ysaguirre, Executive Director, The Illinois Humanities Council (reappointment)

The Committee on Zoning will meet at 1:00 p.m. to vote on the proposed Lucas Museum. It’s the only item on the agenda, as the committee is expecting a significant amount of public comment on the controversial proposal, and they only have one hour to meet before the next committee takes over the chambers. The Plan Commission approved a 99-year lease of lakefront property for the construction of George Lucas’ $400 million dollar futuristic-looking museum at their monthly meeting held last week.

Once Zoning is done, the Committee on Workforce Development and Audit, chaired by Ald. Pat O’Connor (40), will meet at 2pm to consider a resolution amending employee healthcare benefits. The resolution strikes the word “healthcare” from the municipal code replacing it with “health and welfare coverage”, in addition to changing how health care plans are approved. Instead of giving the Mayor’s office the authority to decide health plans, the resolution amends authorization, requiring a majority vote by the City’s budget director, comptroller, benefits manager, commissioner of Human Resources, and Ald. O’Connor’s committee.

The resolution also allows for the creation of a “working group” to meet “from time to time to consider and resolve questions pertaining to workers’ compensation and return of work.” The working group would consist of seven people, including the Mayor, Finance Committee Chairman, two designees selected by the Finance Chairman and three designees selected by the Mayor.

Black Caucus’ members demands to get rid of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy are real, aldermen, Council staffers and members of the administration told Aldertrack last night. The pressure has been building up for some time now, as aldermen are frustrated that McCarthy and district commanders he has appointed don’t return aldermanic phone calls, fail to consult with them on staff changes, and tend not to communicate plans big and small to address crime.

Virtually the entire Black Caucus attended a press conference outside Council chambers yesterday afternoon calling for McCarthy’s outster. Only Walter Burnett Jr. (27) Howard Brookins Jr. (21), Derrick Curtis (18) and Will Burns (4) did not attend. Scott Waguespack (32), Raymond Lopez (15) and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa(35) also joined. Burns penned a response opposing the Caucus’ call for McCarthy’s ouster, but more significant was that staunch Mayor Rahm Emanuel supporter and Budget Chair Carrie Austin (34) came out against him, and even had some angry words to share in the press conference.

“My concern is that my constituents get sick and tired of hearing about statistics and no action. You read the Trib - why don’t we own it? We own it every day,” Austin said.

“That’s right,” Caucus members responded.

“Every time somebody is shot, every time somebody’s been killed, we’re the ones knocking on the door,” Austin said, banging on the podium. “Everybody’s that’s standing here today works diligently to try to combat some of these things going on in our community.”

The timing is auspicious, as McCarthy appears before the Budget Committee this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Expect a packed gallery and no light touch from Ald. Austin as she chairs the hearing.

But Mayor Emanuel is unlikely to dump McCarthy, say administration insiders, since the two of them are tied at the hip on crime policy. Some insiders even think Emanuel admires McCarthy’s my-way-or-the-highway attitude, one of the biggest problems cited by Caucus members we’ve spoken to, who’ve called McCarthy “disrespectful” and “condescending,” both to brass and aldermen.

Mayor Emanuel, who does not have a history of bending when threatened, issued a statement late Monday supporting McCarthy: “While the mayor shares the concerns about rising gun violence, our focus must remain on the public safety challenge we face–reducing access to the illegal guns that drive violence in our communities.”

Ald. Anthony Beale (9) dismissed the idea the timing of the announcement was calculated to overshadow a vote on a hike in the property tax and garbage fees. “Spin it however you want to. We’re fed up, and we’re looking for change. We are demanding a better quality of life for our community.”  

Ald. Lopez said the timing might seem calculated, but the fatal shooting in his ward last week cemented his stance, “I was having these feelings last week when the grandmother and pregnant mother were both shot and killed in Back of the Yards. That kind of crystallized it for me, and whatever the timing, I think the end result is the same: we need change.”

So, what comes next?

Caucus members are well aware Emanuel won’t fire McCarthy anytime soon, we’re told off the record. There was talk of a meeting of Caucus members with Emanuel set for tomorrow morning, but we’re told no meeting has been scheduled. However, there is an expectation that at some point, some pound of flesh will be extracted by the Black Caucus.

“One thing is for sure,” one old administration hand told us, “Mayor Daley would never have let a press conference like that happen. He would have talked to people first.”

And that’s probably the biggest problem Mayor Emanuel has. His credibility as someone to take your problems to has suffered enough that aldermen feel they have to take it to the media instead.

THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The Budget Committee blazed through hearings for the Office of Disabilities in an amazing seven minutes. Short of a couple comments from aldermen thanking Comm. Karen Tamley for her work stretching out Community Development Block Grants, there were few questions. 

Submitted written testimony. 

Attendance: Chair Carrie Austin (34), Leslie Hairston (5), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Scott (24), Jason Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Anthony Napolitano (40). 

INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY

Administrator Scott Ando trumpeted his organization’s ability to get out from IPRA’s case backlog, reducing pending cases from 2,200 in 2011 to 410 this year. Safer Report standards have called for 90% of cases to be resolved within 18 months, IPRA is at about 80% within 18 months.

Attendance: Chair Carrie Austin (34), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Roderick Sawyer (6), David Moore (17), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott (24), Jason Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Scott Waguespack (32), Emma Mitts (37), Anthony Napolitano (40), Brendan Reilly (42), Michele Smith (43), John Arena (45), Joe Moore (49), Ameya Pawar (47).

Submitted written testimony. 

Ando was asked in a number of different ways from aldermen about the status of the case with former IPRA investigator Lorenzo Davis and the merits of his charges that he was asked to make changes to reports. Answering Ald. Jason Ervin (28) he said, “I firmly believe that every allegation put forth in that lawsuit and put in the media is absolutely without merit.”

In an hour of questioning, aldermen were generally supportive of IPRA and Ando’s work during the Q&A session, focusing their questions on procedure.

Some other facts and figures from the Q&A session:

• In 2015 IRPA recommended 8 officers be separated and recommended 6 others for criminal prosecution.

• In 2015, IPRA attempted 76 mediations, it was accepted in 68 cases - 89.5%.

• Since 2012, around 450 cases have gone to mediation for a penalty.

• The city averages about 50 incidents where an officer shoots at someone each year.

• Before cases are allowed to go to mediation, all four top IPRA officials review it.

• The number of allegations this year are down about two-thirds than this time last year.

CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS 

Breaking a trend, Chair Austin asked Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Comm. Michelle Boone to read her whole testimony, adding ten minutes to the hearing. Most of the aldermen focused on ways to promote events and to manage permitting in their wards. 

Attendance: Chair Carrie Austin (34), Leslie Hairston (5), Anthony Beale (9), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), David Moore (17), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott (24), Jason Ervin (28), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39), Anthony Napolitano (40), Brendan Reilly (42), Tom Tunney (44), John Arena (45), Ameya Pawar (47), Harry Osterman (48), Joe Moore (49)

Submitted written testimony.

  Some facts and figures revealed during the Q&A session:

• The Chicago Fire Festival - initial commitment was to support the festival for three years, this is the third and final year. The new location on Northerly Island worked well - and this year the houses burned. But there is no allocation in 2016.

• The Taste of Chicago had a $320,000 profit this year. First profit since 2013, which made just over $200,000. Boone believes it’s because there are more dining options offered.

• Special Events is working with CDOT to brand the various rapid transit stops drawing attention to city art. For instance the one on south side of Washington Ave. by Daley Plaza might be labeled the “Miro Stop”.

• DCASE is seeking a city-wide sponsor for the city’s Jumping Jack inflatables.

• Street festivals are not allowed by law to charge for access to the public way.

AVIATION 
by A.D. Quig - [email protected]

A lengthy Department of Aviation hearing with new Commissioner Ginger Evansfocused on a popular topic at budget hearings and constituent meetings–minority hiring and airport noise, with many aldermen complaining Evans wasn’t communicating proactively.

The proposed budget for CDA at O'Hare and Midway are $1.14 billion (up 8.3%) and $258.8 million (down 5.29%), respectively. 

Attendance: Joe Moreno (1), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Roderick Sawyer (6), Michelle Harris (8), Anthony Beale (9), Sue Sadlowski Garza (10), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), George Cardenas (12), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Matt O’Shea (19), Willie Cochran (20), Ald. Howard Brookins (21), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott Jr. (24), Jason Ervin (28), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carrie Austin (34), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39) Anthony Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Tom Tunney (44), John Arena (45), Ameya Pawar (47), Joe Moore (49)

Submitted written testimony. 

The roughly 3 hour meeting focused mostly on the intricacies of the RFP process for O’Hare’s modernization program, and on changes to flight patterns and how that would affect noise.

Ald. Marge Laurino (39), a northwest side alderman, echoed a popular refrain from airport noise complainers, “I didn’t move next to O’Hare airport, O’Hare airport moved next to me,” she said, asking what steps Evans was taking to give simple, clear answers about the airport’s new runway configuration.

“I am personally meeting with ONCC [the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission]... we have also increased the amount of data we’re disclosing,” Evans said, “but we’re almost burying people in numbers.” She says CDA should distill, analyse, and simplify that data, including expanding the use of single page white papers to explain existing and upcoming changes. A night time noise pattern agreement is also in the works with surrounding communities, she says. 

Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41), whose ward encompasses O’Hare, backed Laurino up, as would be expected. But Evans seemed caught off guard by Ald. Leslie Hairston (5) and Ald. Willie Cochran (20), who said their South Side wards were also being impacted by airplane noise, and weren’t getting the kind of attention from CDA that North Siders were. “You’re the commissioner! All I know is when I’m impacted… I should not have to sit up here and guess,” which airport the noise is coming from, Hairston said.

Aldermen had several questions about whether CDA was reaching out to minority aldermen about upcoming requests for proposals during multi-million dollar upgrades at both airports. Evans said there have been briefings with all aldermen before and during the development of recent RFP, and held a “speed dating” networking event for contractors. Evans also singled out Tiffany Green as a contact. Green is Deputy Commissioner of Concession for CDA, and is responsible for the accounting, auditing, and contract compliance for concessionaires, including the O'Hare Modernization program.

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) called minority hiring in top management dismal. “You can do a better job than that, commissioner.”

Evans agreed, “It’s something that I’ve held as a high core value throughout my career… We really need minority and women in leadership positions in order to attract that young talent that we need to be successful--”

Dowell interrupted, “I will be here next year, and I’m going to be looking at this next year.”

Black aldermen in particular expressed disappointment that minority and women owned businesses were getting “crumbs” in the bid processes at both airports. Minorities make up 35% of the contract spend at both airports, according to CDA numbers. Ald. Beale called for the unbundling of big contracts, and Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) reiterated that an ordinance regulating a minimum for W/MBEs, “the goals that are set in the ordinance are the floor, not the ceiling. We should encourage vendors... that they should be more reflective of constituents.”

Aldermen also asked about how security will be handled when rideshare vehicles will be allowed to pick up from airports on January 1. “We will provide a separate staging facility for the rideshare drivers, separate from our taxicab staging facility, and then basically we will manage the curbside so those two services are basically physically separate.”   

Some facts and figures from CDA:

• The much-hyped airport rapid transit solution could come from CDA in 8-10 months. Evans says it requires significant coordination with Metra and CTA.

• CDA insulated more than 19,000 homes and 164 schools to protect against airport noise.

• The Midway Terminal Modernization touted by Evans and Mayor Emanuel will cost $248 million and create 1,700 new jobs. The bid will be proposed to City Council in 2016.

• While many aldermen said CDA should focus on minority hiring, few mentioned the domination of male employees department-wide, which CDA estimates is 79%. There are similar numbers among upper management and new hires (81 and 82% respectively). 6 out of 7 interns, however, are female.

Drawing the most energized crowd yet, yesterday morning’s budget hearings focused on changes to taxi and rideshare regulations, while the afternoon’s Police Board, Fire Department and Animal Control hearings moved swiftly with considerably less aldermanic attendance and questioning.

Morning Attendance: Joe Moreno (1), Pat Dowell (3), Will Burns (4), Leslie Hairston (5), Roderick Sawyer (6), Gregory Mitchell (7), Michelle Harris (8), Anthony Beale (9), Sue Sadlowski Garza (10), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Marty Quinn (13), David Moore (17), Howard Brookins (21), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Scott Jr. (24), Walter Burnett Jr. (27), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Deb Mell (33), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39), Anthony Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Michele Smith (43), John Arena (45), James Cappleman (46), Harry Osterman (48), Joe Moore (49). VIce Chair Jason Ervin (28) chairing.

BUSINESS AFFAIRS

In a raucous hearing marked by cheers and catcalls from the gallery, proposed regulatory changes for rideshare companies took the majority of the morning, with calls for more strict enforcement of Airbnb regulations running as a secondary theme. But everything ground to a screeching halt shortly before the lunch break, when Budget Committee Chair Carrie Austin gave a pointed speech excoriating aldermen for asking “silly questions” and to the overflow gallery audience for rowdy behavior.

Speaking after television cameras had left and there were few reporters present, Austin’s speech praised Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Comm. Maria Guerra Lapacek for her work, and took just about everyone else in the room to task. Austin, who arrived around 11:00 a.m. and had let Vice Chair Jason Ervinconduct business for the morning, took the microphone for two minutes around noon.

“But if they was having any other problems, why didn’t they come to us before today? But to use this chambers as place for them to have some...oops, calm down Carrie,” the chamber was blanketed in silence as she seemed to compose herself before launching again.

“All of this handclapping like, in my community the taxicabs didn’t come and Uber don’t either! So I don’t know why everybody’s so gung ho on either one. Cause anything on the far South Side Alderman Beale and I haven’t see them. Be it a taxi cab or be it an Uber driver.”

Austin continued for another minute defending Commissioner Lapacek, “Everybody want to showboat!...The next time you come into this chambers to attack you, they’re going to have to deal with me.” Then she slammed down the microphone.

Comm. Lapacek’s written testimony.

Rideshare

Nonetheless, the morning was filled with clapping, cheers and boos, as a group of aldermen (Anthony Beale (9), Scott Waguespack (32), Antonio Munoz (22), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Harry Osterman (48), Nick Sposato (38), Pat Dowell (3), John Arena (45), David Moore(17)) pressed Comm. Lapacek on the state of taxicab regulations. As the questioning continued, the administration’s position on rideshare became clear: Industry evolution can’t be stopped and the administration is taking a hands-off attitude.

In one back-and-forth between Ald. Anthony Beale (9) and Comm. Lapacek, Beale was attempting to make the point that unregulated rideshare companies have decimated the value of regulated taxi medallions. In her answers, Comm. Lapacek revealed that in 2014, there were 100 private party medallion sales. In 2015, only 12.

Beale said, “Doesn’t that tell you that we have a problem?”

Lapacek responded, “That WE have a problem?”

Her comment was followed by derisive laughter and applause from large gallery section of taxi drivers.

Despite the charged atmosphere, most of the discussion focused on requiring rideshare drivers to have the same licensing as taxi drivers, for both safety and city revenue reasons. Assuming 30,000 drivers and $200 annual fee, many aldermen focused on a $60 million annual revenue estimation. Comm. Lapacek retorted that the revenue would likely be significantly less and the number of new staff required to manage rideshare licenses would mean “not a net gain” in city revenue.

Ald. Joe Moreno (1), Joe Moore (49) and Howard Brookins (21) took the side of the rideshare companies, with Moreno giving a fiery speech: “These Uber drivers, mainly Hispanic and African American, are earning money they couldn’t do before Uber and rideshare came here… The taxicab industry didn’t innovate because they didn’t have to… I got your back on rideshare,” said Moreno, followed by battling catcalls and cheers from the gallery.

Some other facts from Comm. Lapacek and her staff from the Q&A session on rideshare:

• There are about 20,000 Uber drivers and another 10,000 Lyft drivers in Chicago. It’s unclear how much is overlap.

• 60-80% of rideshare cars are within five years of age.

• Taxicab industry fees brought in $4.6 million last year, while rideshare companies brought in $3.1 million last year.

• It costs $200 to obtain a taxi driver license, of which the city only keeps $15. The rest goes to City Colleges for training expenses.

• About 6,000 taxi rider complaints are registered with the city a year. Last year, only 13 rideshare complaints were registered, but most rideshare complaints likely go to the rideshare companies, not the city, according to Lapacek.

Vacation Rentals/Airbnb

On another topic, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) and Michele Smith (43) pressed Comm. Lapacek to increase enforcement of Airbnb regulations passed earlier this year. Ald. Reilly asked why there are, “about 3,000 nightly vacation rental units advertised in the city of Chicago, yet only about 200 of them are licensed?”

Comm. Lapacek claimed that she does not have the manpower to enforce the law. Reilly suggested requiring a permit number for anyone advertising a location. Those advertisements could just be checked using an internet search, resulting in approximately $1.5M in missed revenue.

POLICE BOARD

The first official meeting between new Police Board Chair Lori Lightfoot and the full City Council was sparsely attended Friday afternoon, as Vice Chair Jason Ervincontinued to conduct hearings while a handful of aldermen and staffers stayed in the cloakroom after lunch instead of sitting for Lightfoot’s testimony, which lasted under an hour.

Afternoon Attendance: Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Anthony Beale (9), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carrie Austin (34), Gilbert Villegas (36), Nicholas Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39), Anthony Napolitano (41), Michele Smith (43), John Arena (45), James Cappleman (46)

Vice-Chair: Jason Ervin (28)

The Police Board is one of several law-enforcement related budget hearings this month (the Police Department and the Independent Police Review Authority also have their own budget hearings). The Police Board is a civilian body that decides disciplinary cases about allegations of police misconduct, nominates candidates for Superintendent of Police to the Mayor, and adopts rules and regulations for the governance of the Chicago Police Department.

Lightfoot’s submitted written testimony.

Lightfoot’s July appointment hearing in the Committee on Public Safety was markedly testier than Friday’s Q&A with aldermen. At July’s committee meeting, new aldermen Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41), Ald. Chris Taliaferro (both former officers), and Ald. David Moore (17), pressed Lightfoot on improving police/community relations, increasing diversity within the CPD, and how the board would handle a police officer caught lying under oath.

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) was one of six aldermen who had questions for Lightfoot, admitted she doesn’t follow the board, but asked whether police were being adequately punished for misconduct.  

Lightfoot said that impression is one she’s working to correct, and the Police Board is a unique model for civilian oversight in the country. “I can tell you in the two months that I’ve been Police Board President, we’ve had three cases that have come before us that have been fully litigated, if you will. And of those 3 cases, involved a total of 4 officers, we’ve recommended termination in every single one of those instances.”

Those officers have a chance to appeal to Circuit Court. Lightfoot says part of her new role is to publicize the Board’s work and, “disabuse the misnomer that police officers can do whatever they want with reckless abandon.” She says police haven’t gotten away with much in any of her various roles with CPD and law enforcement.

Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30) asked about Dante Servin, an officer recommended for termination by IPRA for shooting into a crowd, killing Rekia Boyd. Superintendent Garry McCarthy could send the case to the Police Board. “It’s not to us [sic], but I can pledge if that case does come to us with a termination recommendation, we’re going to treat it very very seriously. The commitment I made to [Rekia Boyd’s] family is that we make sure we give them information at every step of the process.”

In her prepared testimony, and in response to questioning from Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), Lightfoot said she’s focused on getting cases wrapped up sooner, and says since she started in her role, the average time from filing charges until a decision has dropped, to seven months.

She also pushed back against the Chicago Justice Project’s comparison between the Superintendent’s recommended disciplinary action versus the Police Board’s decision. CJP’s numbers suggest the two rarely agree. Lightfoot says those estimates don’t paint an accurate picture, because the Superintendent and the Police Board work off different information, often from different points in an investigation. “The number’s low, it’s not accurate.”  

ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL

Attendance was bigger and questioning was more spirited during Animal Care and Control Executive Director Sandra Alfred’s hearing than during the Police Board’s moments before. Aldermen complained about raccoons, thanked Alfred for removing snake eggs, praised dog and cat adoption events, and asked the Commissioner whether she’d heard of the now-famous missing rare parrot.

Attendance: Pat Dowell (3) Leslie Hairston (5), Michelle Harris (8), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), George Cardenas (12), Raymond Lopez (15), Willie Cochran (20), Howard Brookins (21), Walter Burnett Jr. (27), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carrie Austin (34), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Anthony Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), John Arena (45), Vice Chair Jason Ervin (28)

“I have some special issues on the Northwest Side,” namely deer, Ald. Marge Laurino (39) told Alfred. She responded, “Yes, we had one ward that was leaving Whole Foods type of food out for deer… First of all it’s illegal to feed deer in Illinois.”

“Well that’s good to know,” Laurino said.

“I’m seeing more raccoons, possums, I’ve even seen a coyote in my ward,” Ald. Dowell (3) said, “They’re having babies, so we need to have some kind of response. I raise this every year, we do this every year.” Alfred said increased construction is likely leading to more wildlife sightings, and wants to work with aldermen to identify wildlife hotspots.

CACC has received more than 36,000 service requests so far in 2015. Their budget is $5.7 million in FY2016.

Other figures:

• 1,385 animal bite reports submitted to CACC in 2015

• 2,504 Municipal Code violations issued by CACC in 2015

• $75,677 in revenue from dog licensing since 2011

• 453 specimens submitted to CDPH for rabies testing

Of all the wildlife stories about roosters, “more raccoons than I can mention,” and bats, Ald. Brendan Reilly’s (42) questioning provided the most amusing bit of the hearing: “Are you familiar with this parrot that went missing in Lincoln Park?”

“This what now?” Alfred asked.

“A parrot. A pet parrot.”

“A pet parrot?”

“Parrot. A bird.”

“A bird.”

“Yeah.”

Reilly asked whether CACC dealt with lost pets. Alfred said yes, but mostly cats and dogs, and said people are free to inquire whether the department had found lost pets.

“Keep an eye out for the parrot,” Reilly told aldermen before asking about, and praising a conversion of several full-time positions to part time positions. Alfred said the shift helped with students and part-time applicants who wanted more flexibility. Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) also brought up an issue from his Clerk’s testimony about pet licensing through veterinarian’s offices.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

A quick and mostly laudatory hearing for the Chicago Fire Department closed out the day, with a few aldermen asking about overtime pay for CFD firefighters, which the Office of Inspector General says has increased “significantly.” “While some use of overtime is expected, excessive overtime or inequitable distribution of overtime may indicate that personnel assignments have not been optimized.” Fire Comm. José Santiago told aldermen overtime has actually gone down.

Attendance: Joe Moreno (1), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Gregory Mitchell (7), Michelle Harris (8), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Willie Cochran (20), Howard Brookins (21), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Scott Jr (24), Walter Burnett Jr. (27), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carrie Austin (34),

The Fire Department has exactly $30 million budgeted for overtime in 2016, up from exactly $20 million in 2015. Santiago says overtime is actually down by a third from last year, when the Department spent over $57 million.

“We had some litigation in the past that prevented us from hiring, but now we’re catching up and we’re continuing to hire.” Santiago told Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30).

Santiago told Ald. David Moore (17) vacancies and a collective bargaining agreement that says a minimum amount of people have to man a truck are driving those costs. “When we have a position that’s open, we have to put someone in that.”

16% of expenditures from the City’s corporate fund go toward Fire–the third biggest expense after Police and the Finance General Fund. It’s budgeted personnel costs for this year are more than $592 million, and its overall budget is up by roughly $29 million.

Other figures from Santiago’s testimony:

• The entire Chicago Fire Department ambulance fleet is now rated and certified for advanced life support, with 2 licensed paramedics on every ambulance

• CFD responds to roughly 700,000 calls for service each year

• The Department’s Public Education Unit has reached out to 55,000 for drills, training, and education on fire safety

• Fire deaths in Chicago are among the lowest in major cities, which it says is from a robust smoke detector program entirely funded through corporate donations and grants. The majority of deaths are in homes with no smoke detectors

Ald. Willie Cochran (20) pushed Santiago on salary raises and upcoming lieutenant promotions. There are nearly 20 lieutenant promotions planned that will open up vacancies at the firefighter and engineer level. “We are going to hire in November at the firefighter level, so we can fill those vacancies, thus reducing overtime.”

Ald. Carrie Austin (34) closed testimony by thanking the first responders who, “I could almost say saved my life…It was for their fast action that I sit here today, along with the prayers that people prayed for me.” She also said, along with other aldermen, she’d be interested in a round of fire training, though she admitted, laughing, she couldn’t carry equipment up three stairs.