Cook County was set to go to trial over a class action lawsuit brought against Sheriff Tom Dart and the County over the County Jail’s policy of bringing detainees who have been acquitted back to jail during processing. Last month, Cook County Commissioners voted, essentially, to take the case to trial. But that trial’s been put on hold, a staffer in Litigation Subcommittee Chair Peter Silvestri’s office said. “The judge struck the trial date in hopes that they’ll settle.”

The case is Otero v. Thomas Dart et. al. In 2011, Brian Otero was being held on Cook County Jail on a burglary charge, but was acquitted. Instead of going home, he was sent back to jail, told to put back on his uniform, and moved cell to cell for processing. He says when others found out he’d be going home, he was beaten, suffering torn ligaments in his hands and bruises on his face. Otero was released nine hours after his acquittal.

According to CBS Chicago, there are 60,000 others found not guilty or had charges dismissed or dropped, but still had to wait up to 30 hours for their release. Otero sued for unlawful detention in 2012, saying the County violated of the Civil Rights Act. The suit demanded a trial by jury. Otero and others are being represented by Myron M. Cherry & Associates, LLC, The Law Firm of Peter L. Currie, PC, Chavez Law Firm, P.C., and Foote Meyers Mielke & Flowers, LLC.

In a closed committee session on February 9th, Commissioners voted unanimously not to seek a settlement, Litigation Chair Peter Silvestri told Aldertrack, but, “there’s been new developments, so the State’s Attorney’s Office wants to update us.” The Litigation Subcommittee regularly moves into executive session during discussion of cases, then reconvenes publicly for a vote.

A settlement on a similar issue in Los Angeles more than a decade ago cost taxpayers there $27 million, NBC Chicago reports. Otero’s attorney, Mike Cherry (of Myron M. Cherry & Associates), told WBEZ in 2013 he hoped this case would be expensive enough to force Cook County to update what has been criticized as a “bureaucratic disaster of disappearing files and dinosaur age technology” - namely, the County Court System’s reliance on carbon copies of files that can slow down processing for acquittals, among other essential court functions.

Other Issues Up in Committee Today

Commissioners might get a broad view of the cost of compliance with the Shakman Decree today. Last month, Comm. Deborah Sims noted the “astronomical amounts” the county is paying for compliance at departments like the Recorder of Deeds and Assessor. “This is really ridiculous what we’re doing,” she said.

“For last three years we’ve been told this is coming to a conclusion,” Comm. Joan Patricia Murphy complained at the time. Comm. Silvestri noted that the Sheriff’s Office had come into compliance, and asked that Don Pechous with the State’s Attorney’s Office put together a list of the total number of cases and dollar amounts that the County has paid out over time for the next Subcommittee meeting.

“We can do that,” Pechous said.

Cook County’s Finance Committee will be voting to approve roughly $125,000 to pay for costs and fees of administrators who oversee compliance with Shakman Decrees at the County, Recorder of Deeds, Assessor, and Democratic Organization of Cook County today. Those recurring fees have added up. Each agenda item authorizing the payment includes a “paid to date” number. For the Recorder of Deeds’ Compliance Administrator, the total is $1.46 million. In the case of Shakman v. Democratic Organization of Cook County, et al., the County has so far paid out $7.83 million.

Commissioners will also vote on a resolution calling for the U.S. Congress to pass the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act, which “would help disabled and older Americans live at home” by offering more resources and options to unpaid family caregivers. AARP estimates 40 million Americans serve as family caregivers, worth an estimated $470 billion a year.

The Criminal Justice Committee will take up an ordinance amending the County Code allowing licensed firearm instructors with current registration from the state to use replica guns for education, instruction, and training on firearm safety within a business or classroom setting.

The full Board of Commissioners will meet today to vote on some of the above items and things we previewed yesterday. Here are some highlights from the consent calendar:

• 16-1895 (Comm. Larry Suffredin) - This amendment would allow applicants for property tax breaks to receive multiple breaks for the same piece of property.

• 16-1896 (Comm. Larry Suffredin) - By January 1, 2017, all municipalities and specialty districts would have to create Offices of Inspectors General. Specialty districts include Cemetery Associations; Drainage, Mosquito Abatement, River Conservancy, Sanitary, and Street Lighting Districts; and Water Commissions.

• 16-1898 (Comm. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia) - This resolution urges Mondelez, the parent company of Nabisco, to continue its relationship with the South Side of Chicago. The company plans to move 600 manufacturing jobs to Mexico.

• 16-0907, 16-1742, 16-1743 (Pres. Toni Preckwinkle) - Collective Bargaining Agreements between the county and the House Staff Association of Cook County, The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 399, and AFSCME Council 31.

Cook County Commissioners and officials from the Medical Examiner’s office gathered to announce the office achieved full National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) accreditation, what Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina called “the big prize”, years after the office was mired in scandal.  

Board President Toni Preckwinkle appointed Cina to the ME’s post in July 2012 to replace Dr. Nancy Jones, who announced her retirement after a series of bad headlines describing bodies piled up in the morgue’s coolers and poor administrative control. Preckwinkle brought Cina on during an overhaul of the department that included the firing of four, the disciplining of eight, and a new Executive Director, Daryl Jackson. She entrusted Cina with “reshap[ing] the Medical Examiner’s Office into a model facility.”

According to the Tribune, Cina approached the County, saying he was interested in righting the ship. He was previously associate medical director and chief administrative officer of the University of Miami’s Tissue Bank, Medical Examiner for Broward County, and well-versed in the politics of the job, telling commissioners at his confirmation, “Florida politics is not trivial, so I have been exposed to that… Cook County is legendary." After that staffing sweep, Comm. John Fritchey warned that turning around the ME’s office would fall squarely on President Preckwinkle’s shoulders.

Cina got a roughly $70k pay bump, an extended, five-year appointment, and a promise he could fill five vacancies and add three more medical positions. At the time, he was one of the highest paid ME’s in the country, making $300,000 a year.

He made staffing a priority at the outset, and thanked Preckwinkle and commissioners Tuesday for dedicating resources to turning around the office. The County has ramped up its spending on the morgue since Cina’s appointment, from $6.8 million in FY12 to about $11 million planned in FY16. In that time, commissioners have approved fee hikes for services like storage and cremation at the morgue. Spending has gone toward the beefed up staffing Cina called for, renovated “state-of-the-art coolers” ($1.4 million) and a “cutting-edge, cloud-based case management system” for tracking decedents ($900,000).

Other improvements include emergency preparedness, rehabbed policies and procedures, and increased staffing capabilities to handle more death scenes and process multiple shooting victims. “If a [shooting victim] hits the doors by 6 am, the family can claim that decedent by the end of the day,” Cina told reporters.

When he entered the office, Cina said, it had 27 deficiencies under the NAME requirements, but he won’t allow the office to lose the title under his watch.

The morgue will be up for review annually each January. Aside from prestige, the NAME-certified designation means more open doors for grant and fellowship money.

The 13th Ward continued on a tear yesterday, with 21% of all early votes submitted in the city so far. 5,972 early votes have been submitted across the city since ballots were first accepted on February 17, with 1,267 in the 13th. 
Also, a correction from the Board of Elections, The 11,003 total reported yesterday was actually the cumulative ballots cast since Feb. 17, not the one-day total for Feb. 29. The one-day total for Feb. 29 was 9,279.

Early Voting - Unofficial Ballots Cast by Ward - Feb. 17 through March 1
As of 5:47 p.m., March 1, 2016

Ward	Ballots
1	260
2	312
3	548
4	525
5	443
6	382
7	496
8	462
9	483
10	297
11	457
12	177
13	1267
14	165
15	85
16	131
17	326
18	471
19	723
20	235
21	434
22	128
23	413
24	168
25	210
26	163
27	293
28	232
29	341
30	137
31	148
32	223
33	220
34	589
35	143
36	172
37	267
38	348
39	333
40	279
41	537
42	356
43	402
44	339
45	325
46	280
47	385
48	359
49	269
50	269

 

In an attempt to dismiss claims that Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to increase taxes on tobacco products is a regressive policy that would hurt small businesses and fuel black market sales of loose cigarettes, particularly in communities of color, a coalition of African American doctors and religious leaders assembled at a South Side hospital yesterday to counter that African American communities would reap the most benefits.

“African Americans are bearing the brunt of big tobacco’s relentless marketing and our community must take a stand for the health of our young people, ” said Dr. Javette Orgain with the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. “I’m disappointed when business owners and aldermen say that selling tobacco is good business, and therefore good for their ward. I say no, we should not take pride in building an economy including products that are addictive and harmful.”

Yesterday’s press conference at Mercy Hospital in Bronzeville was the latest salvo in the ongoing debate over the Mayor’s plan to raise the city’s smoking age to 21, impose new taxes on tobacco products like cigars, cigarillos, and chewing tobacco, as well as prohibit the use of coupons or promotional sales of tobacco.  

It was an effort by proponents to squash claims by business interests and aldermen who say the Mayor’s plan is about imposing burdensome taxes, not public health. That message got lost at a day long City Council committee meeting held last month, where all anyone wanted to talk about was the unencumbered and lucrative sale of loose cigarettes. Yesterday, proponents took the public health angle a step further, framing it as an issue that specifically impacts black youths more than any other group.

“Our youth actually deserve good health, and they deserve to be free of addictive substances….substances that will indeed kill them,” urged Rev. Dr. B. Herbert Martin, pastor of Progressive Community Church in Bronzeville, as he characterized the fight to curb smoking among youths a “moral imperative,” not a political or socio-economic issue.

“Everywhere I go I turn on the radio and I hear [reports] of who died the night before, who was murdered, either at the hands, sometimes of the police, unfortunately, or other African American men. But that pales in comparison to the number of African Americans who die every year from tobacco related diseases,” said Carol McGruder, co-chair of the African American Leadership Council. According to statistics provided by the council, in Chicago, African Americans’ rate of death from stroke is 61% higher than whites, and their rate of death from heart disease is 23% higher.

Leadership Council members argued that fighting “Big Tobacco” in predominantly lower-income, minority communities is on par with addressing other social justice and economic issues.

“We have to deal with these things, we have to multi-task, we can't wait and deal with police brutality… we can’t wait to deal with the blight… and say one day say we’re going to deal with tobacco. We have to deal with those things at the same time, because that is our number one killer,” McGruder added, saying premature deaths of parents and grandparents who were lifelong smokers are detrimental to establishing stable homes in minority communities.

McGruder also made a point to address the issue of loosies. Invoking Eric Garner, who suffocated to death when a New York City Police officer attempted to restrain and handcuff him for illegally selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island, McGruder said, “We were all appalled… but that’s a symptom of a problem, not the cause of a problem, and there are many cases of men being killed by the police.”

Pushing the argument that this ordinance is geared specifically toward curing youth smoking, Dr. Orgain ended the event to respond to a common refrain used by opponents who say that higher prices won’t curb sales because smokers can buy cheaper products in the suburbs or Indiana.

“It’s not typical for youth to cross the borders to [buy] tobacco products. Mostly adults. So our target, particularly as we speak today, are youths. And so if we can stop that, in regards to our legislation, I think we’ll do a good job.”

A coalition of African American leaders who support Mayor Emanuel’s plan to raise the city’s smoking age to 21 and increase taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco related products is holding a press event at 10 a.m. this morning at Mercy Hospital.

The so-called Tobacco Control Leadership Council includes: Dr. Javette Orgain (Illinois Academy of Family Physicians), Dr. Phoenix Alicia Matthews (University of Illinois-Chicago) Rev. Dr. B. Herbert Martin, Sr. (Progressive Community Church). The American Cancer Society Action Network, Mercy Hospital, and Trinity Health System are also part of the coalition.

The choice to hold the event at a hospital on the city’s South Side is likely in response to the fact that most of the opposition to the tax is from South and West Side aldermen who argue it would fuel the underground market of tobacco sales and eat into profit margins for locally-owned shops and gas stations that rely on tobacco sales to bring in customers.

This is the second press conference related to the mayor’s controversial tobacco plan since alderman blocked a vote on it last month. Last week, a group of business industry lobbyists, small business owners, and aldermen opposed to the Mayor’s tobacco plan held a press conference at City Hall to reaffirm their concerns.

The Chicago Board of Elections reports a new record for the first day of early voting with 11,032 votes cast. One especially big turnout: 1,003 votes in the 13th Ward, where Democratic Ward Committeeman and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is rallying forces to combat primary challenger Jason Gonzalez.

The Board of Elections has also provided this history of early vote turnout. Below are unofficial ward-by-ward turnout numbers for yesterday as reported by the Board of Elections.

Unofficial Ward-by-Ward Early Voting for Feb. 29, 2016

1	162
2	226
3	386
4	391
5	273
6	239
7	313
8	319
9	284
10	172
11	293
12	115
13	1,003
14	97
15	51
16	76
17	202
18	274
19	419
20	156
21	258
22	80
23	241
24	104
25	157
26	112
27	201
28	162
29	227
30	83
31	98
32	132
33	133
34	356
35	82
36	106
37	153
38	216
39	218
40	181
41	333
42	275
43	296
44	224
45	200
46	177
47	226
48	216
49	159
50	180
	11,037

The Cook County Board’s Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee meets today to vote on several appointments to the Board of Ethics, the Cook County Department of Human Rights and the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, including Chief of the Bureau of Human Resources.

Board President Toni Preckwinkle appointed Velisha Haddox to Chief of the Bureau of Human Resources. She is currently listed as Bureau Chief on the County’s website. Haddox previously worked as Associate and General Counsel in Gov. Pat Quinn’sadministration from 2010 to 2013, where she managed legal issues for the Departments of Labor, Children and Family Services, Corrections, Human Rights, and several others. She also reportedly helped overhaul State’s Worker’s Compensation Act. She also serves on the Board of Directors for South Central Community Services, and has worked at various law firms in Chicago and Philadelphia.

Board of Ethics:

• David Grossman - Founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, a communications consultancy

• Professor Juliet Sorensen - Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Northwestern’s Center for International Human Rights

• Thomas Szromba - Principal Senior Counsel, Litigation at The Boeing Company

Cook County Commission on Human Rights:

• Gia Orr - Director of Community Rights, Relationships and Resources, Chief Results Officer and EEO/AA Officer, State of Illinois

• Amber Smock - Director of Advocacy, Access Living

Cook County Justice Advisory Council:

• Edith Crigler - Associate Executive Director at Chicago Area Project

• Lisa Stephens - Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

• Dia Weil - former President and Chief Operating Officer of Mercantec, Inc.

The Labor Committee will also meet to vote on a collective bargaining agreementbetween the County and the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) representing Deputy Sheriffs in the Cook County Sheriff’s office with a term from December 1, 2012 through November 30, 2017.

And the Workforce, Housing & Community Development Committee will vote on the allocation of four Community Development Block Grant loans totaling $9 million. Loans will cover partial costs of the following projects. The first three are qualified as “Disaster Recovery”:

• $1.3 million to BEDS Plus Care of LaGrange, Illinois for new construction of 20-units of permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless.  

• $2 million to the Hines Veterans Residences Limited Partnership for new construction of a 52-unit multi-family rental housing project in Hines, Illinois.

• $3.2 million to Ford Heights Cooperative, Inc. to support renovation and flood mitigation of a 100-unit single-family rental cooperative housing project in Ford Heights.

• $2.5 million to Related Affordable, Inc. This project loan will be utilized to support HOME-eligible project costs incurred during the rehabilitation of a 145-unit multi-family rental housing project in Park Forest, IL.

Ald. Will Burns (4) sent his resignation to City Clerk Susana Mendoza yesterday, dated Feb 10, putting an end to his time on City Council with a couple sentences: “I am writing you to tender my resignation from the Chicago City Council effective February 29, 2016. It has been my great honor and privilege to serve the people of the Fourth Ward and the City of Chicago.” Burns’ new job as senior advisor and director of Midwest policy at Airbnb starts today.

Rather than preserve his account for posterity, or re-direct followers, Burns simply deleted his @Ald4_WillBurns Twitter account. His Facebook page is still active, but his most recent posts are auto-shares of his newsletter, the latest of which has a simple copy and paste of a press release from the Mayor’s office detailing how his replacement will be found. No personal note. Burns' final appearance as alderman in the Council Chambers was before the Zoning Committee last week, to advocate for a new billboard that seven residents signed up to oppose.

His only formal press statement announcing his departure was on February 1st, a paragraph outlining some of his legislative accomplishments: new housing, retail, improved infrastructure, job creation, a higher minimum wage, and making neighborhoods the mid-South Side and South Loop safe and walkable. It ended, “I can look back at the last five years and see the change that we have created together, and I believe that our momentum will continue in the future.”

Few believe this marks Burns’ permanent exit from elected office, and several alluded to that fact during his official goodbye at the full City Council meeting last month, which was overshadowed by a debate over changes made to an Inspector General oversight ordinance and President Obama’s visit to Springfield. “You will come back to public life because it’s part of your calling,” Mayor Emanuel told him.

While many aldermen were surprised at the timing of Burns’ announcement, a few said privately that Burns didn’t have much of a taste for the job. During their goodbyes, some aldermen joked that they often disagreed with him, but knew they’d see him in 366 days, referring to the city’s revolving door restrictions.

“I think you’re going to be a millionaire,” Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Burns’ neighbor said, to laughs, “Don’t forget your friends.”

“It’s not over,” Ald. Walter Burnett (27) said of Burns’ political career during his goodbye on the council floor. “Will and I spar sometimes in the boxing ring. Will can take a punch and Will can give a punch… He never gives up, he bobs and weaves, and he makes things happen. I look forward to sparring with you in the future.”

Ald. Ed Burke said of his in his 47 years in City Council that Burns was “one of the best.”

Burke will soon know if Burns’ replacement will be one of the best: the search committee tasked with finding the new Fourth Ward alderman must submit their top three picks to Mayor Emanuel by this Friday.

Ald. Michelle Harris (8) raised more money than anyone else on the City Council in February, adding roughly $166k to her personal campaign fund as she runs for Clerk for the Circuit Court of Cook County. Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) trailed far behind in second place, reporting about $27K in new money over the same period. Meanwhile, two aldermen received donations from a construction company that has been doing business with the city since 2001, and one alderman reported a $50k donation from one individual, which is significantly higher than the $5.4K cap imposed on individual contributions to personal campaign funds.

Notable Individual Contributions:

• Ald. Carrie Austin (34) reported a $50k contribution from Patrick Heneghan, a business litigation partner at the law firm of Schopf & Weiss, LLP. That amount is well beyond the $5.4k cap imposed on individual contributions to personal campaign funds. (Aldertrack called Ald. Austin’s office to determine if the amount is a typo, but they did not confirm with us by publication deadline.)

• Ald. Austin also got a $1K donation from Ald. Ed Burke’s Burnham Committee. In January, Ald. Austin joined Burke in using a parliamentary procedure to delay a vote by the City Council on plan to put the city’s Inspector General Joe Ferguson in charge of investigating aldermen. That move gave them enough time push a diluted version of the ordinance through the council.  

• Custom Strains, a medical marijuana dispensary that got approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals in November to open a dispensary in the 28th Ward, donated $3k to Ald. Jason Ervin (28). ZBA had previously approved a special use permit for Custom Strains to open a dispensary in Fulton Market (1105 W. Fulton Market St.), but according to the company’s attorney, Jim Banks, who spoke at the November ZBA meeting, unnamed “obstacles” at that site proved too difficult to allow the project to proceed. Instead, his clients found another site: an old car dealership at 1301 S. Western Ave, located within a few blocks from the Illinois Medical District, Garfield Park, and the Union Pacific Railyard. Ald. Ervin spoke in favor of the dispensary at that ZBA hearing, noting its close location to area hospitals and the applicant’s commitment to refurbish a building that had been vacant for over five years.

• Benchmark Construction, a building company that does business with the city, gave money to two aldermen: $2.5k to Ald. Deb Mell (33) and $1k to Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6). In 2014, the company won a $11.2M city contract the 37th Street Sewer Improvement Project, among more than 40 other city construction contracts dating back to 2001.

• The Magellan Development Group, the real estate firm behind the famed Wanda Vista project, donated $2.5K to Ald. Brendan Reilly’s (42) personal campaign fund. The Plan Commission and the Council recently approved a planned development for the “supertall” downtown lakefront skyscraper that will consist of four interconnected, all glass, curve-shaped buildings, each one taller than the next. David Carlins, a developer with Magellan, also donated $2.5k to Ald. Reilly.

• Fred Eychaner, owner of Newsweb Corporation, a Chicago-based company that owns several ethnic and alternative newspapers, gave money to two Aldermen, Deb Mell and Scott Waguespack (32). His $1K and $1.5K contribution to them, respectively, dwarfs the $400K he gave to Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Kim Foxx in February.

• The Peter Kamberos Revocable Trust donated $2.5k to Ald. James Cappleman (46). Kamberos is the husband of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.

• Kimbal Goluska, president of the Chicago Consultants Studio, Inc. and a board member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce donated $5,000 to the 4th Ward Democratic Organization. She is a proponent of opening a casino in downtown Chicago.

Biggest Fundraisers:

• Ald. Michelle Harris (8), who is running for Clerk for the Circuit Court of Cook, raised more money than anyone else on the City Council in February, adding roughly $166k to her newly-created personal campaign fund, Citizens for Michelle Harris. But that number isn’t truly representative of how much cash she brought in for the month of February, since it includes a $48K transfer from her other, older campaign fund, Friends of Michelle Harris, which is still active. That fund closed out the the fourth quarter of 2015 with about $228,600 in the bank, and received only one contribution in February: a $2.5K transfer from Ald. Will Burns (4). Meanwhile, Ald. Harris’ new fund reeled in some sizable checks from MWRD Commissioner Marty Durkan ($50k), the Construction & General Laborers’ District Council of Chicago ($10K), and Grosvenor Capital Management($25K). The Durkan transfer helped pay for these double sided mailers blasting Gov. Rauner.

• Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) was the second highest fundraiser on the City Council for the month of February, reeling in about $27K in political contributions. The largest check came from Michael Bisbee, Owner of LGN Group. He also got a $3.5K contribution from Bill Gritsonis, a consultant with PCG Consulting, Inc., a management consulting firm based in Boston, MA, “that serves primarily public sector education, health and human services agencies, and other state, county, and municipal government clients.” Ald. Reilly also transferred $15k from his personal campaign fund (Citizens for Alderman Reilly) to the 42nd Ward Democratic Organization, which he also controls as 42nd Ward Democratic Committeeman.

• In addition to receiving money from Benchmark Construction, Ald. Sawyer reported campaign donations from the Illinois Hotel-Motel Political Action Committee($1K); Unison Consulting, a Chicago-based, “leading aviation consulting firm” that is certified as a minority and disadvantaged business, according the the company’s website ($1K); Nikki Zollar, a member of the board of trustees for Chicago State University ($1.7K); and Killerspin, LLC, a table tennis facility ($1K).

• Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) reported five $1K contribution checks from Baker Development Corporation, the real estate firm that oversaw the development of the 180,000-square-foot big box retail complex located on the border of Lincoln Park and Bucktown. It’s directly across the Chicago River from the Lathrop Homes, a public housing complex that will soon become a massive mixed-used development once the City Council approves the master plan for the site. That Lathrop plan calls for 50,000-square-feet of commercial retail, which Ald. Waguespack opposes because there’s no shortage of retail space in the area, his Chief of Staff Paul Sajovec told the Plan Commission. Two of those checks Ald. Waguespack reported list a different limited liability corporation (2230 Elston, LLC; Baker Lincoln, LLC) with the same address: 1156 W. Armitage Ave., the headquarters for Baker Development.  Checks from 105 Madison OPCO, Inc. and W & A Baker Building Trust list the same address as the two LLCs. One check from Elston Development, LLC lists a separate address on the SBOE website, but according to state records, the LLC is owned by Baker Development, too. Ald. Waguespack also got $1k from Midtown Athletic and $2.5k from Steven Schwartz, owner of the Midtown Athletic Club.

• IL State Sen. Tony Munoz’s 12th Ward Regular Democratic Organization raised $12k in February. MWRD Commissioner Michael Alvarez donated $1k and Cook County Democratic Party Chairman and Assessor Joe Berrios gave $1k. Meanwhile, Friends of Twelve, the PAC run by Ald. George Cardenas (12), who is running against Munoz for 12th Ward Democratic Committeeman, reported one contribution: a $11.3K check from All Around Amusements, a carnival company located in Lockport, IL. Ald. Cardenas’ personal campaign fund received four checks totaling $8K. The largest donation, $5K, came from Theresa Siaw from Burr Ridge, IL. Siaw’s occupation is listed as “Healthcare.” Her LinkedIn says she’s a Board Member for Centro Romero, a “community-based organization that served the refugee immigrant population on the northeast side of Chicago,” according to its website.

• Ald. Pat Dowell got a notable amount of political support: $5k from State Rep. Mattie Hunter, $3K from State Rep. Lou Lang, $2K from Mike Zalewski (she didn’t specify if the check came from Ald. Zalewski or his son, the state rep. who shares his name), $1.5k from State Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr., $1.5k from State Rep. Bob Rita; and $1.5k from State Rep. Silvana Tabares.

• Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) received $2K from Gutierrez for Congress, the personal campaign fund for U.S. Cong. Luis Gutierrez. The two were seen together at a campaign event for Theresa Mah, whom both are supporting in the upcoming election against incumbent State Rep. Alex Acevedo.

• Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) got some political support, too, with $5K from Ald. Nick Sposato (38) and $2K from Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin.

• City Treasurer Kurt Summers raised $19,700 in February, including three $5.4K checks from Chicago-based investment firm Victory Capital Advisors, the company’s partner and co-founder Brendan Carroll, and his wife, Colleen Carroll, who is listed as a “homemaker.”

• “The Democratic Party of the 49th Ward,” the political party campaign fund for the 49th Ward Democratic Ward Organization, has beefed up its fundraising efforts since Ald. Joe Moore took over as ward committeeman following David Fagus’death last year. The campaign fund reported $17K in new contributions in February, including $5K from State Sen. Heather Steans; $1K from the law firm DLA Piper; $1.5K from JN Pritzker; and $2.5K from Azieb Gebrehiiwet, a day care provider who got an honorary street designation from the City in 2014.

• The 28th Ward Democratic Organization run by Ald. Jason Ervin (28) received $16k in February, all of which came from construction companies.  

Non-Financial Highlights:

• The treasurer for Ald. Scott Waguespack’s personal campaign committee, Angelina Briguglio, resigned in January, according to this letter filed on Feb. 25th with the SBOE.

• Ald. Ervin (28) created a new campaign, “Ervin for Committeeman” on Feb 10. But despite the name, the campaign fund won’t be fundraising for Ald. Ervin’s re-election campaign for Democratic ward committeeman, instead, it will support the campaign of his wife, Melissa Conyears-Ervin, a candidate for state rep.

Protesters call B.S. and disrupt the Mayor's final Police Accountability Task Force meeting, shutting it down two hours early. The Mayor's tobacco ordinance is stalled, and now the two sides of the debate–health versus higher taxes–duke it out. And a new charter school gets the zoning change it wants... even though it hurt one alderman's feelings.

A day-long hearing on Ald. Joe Moreno's Chicago Housing Authority reform ordinance puts public housing in the spotlight, with CHA fans saying the agency's new head, Eugene Jones, is making good progress, while critics say the agency is stockpiling cash instead of building affordable units. Meanwhile, CHA and a team of developers push a master plan for the long-awaited Lathrop Homes redevelopment on the Northwest Side through Plan Commission. Down in Springfield, Gov. Bruce Rauner used his 2016 budget address to again, harp on financial woes at the Chicago Public Schools.

A pared-down ordinance giving the Inspector General oversight of City Council passes by a thin margin, while a hike in cigarette taxes and a hearing on a one shot cash infusion to CPS get tangled up by procedural maneuvers. Plus, aldermen sing Kumbaya and say goodbye to Ald. Will Burns (4), who is leaving City Hall to work for Airbnb.

Nothing Comes Easy Any More: Council Votes Delayed, Deferred and Failed
by Claudia Morell – [email protected]

Yesterday’s Council meeting started with almost two hours of resolutions of praise: with a tribute to Rev. Clay Evans, praise for Marine Corps veterans, a celebration of Chinese New Year and Black History Month. Following the conclusion of regular business, aldermen took some time to say goodbye to Ald. Will Burns (4), who announced his resignation last week, although most highlighted how much they enjoyed him, despite rarely agreeing with him.

While the meeting started with platitudes and congratulations, the Chamber was infused with tension, as a number of important votes either failed, were delayed through parliamentary maneuvering or were closer than expected:

• Mayor Rahm Emanuel's tobacco ordinance failed to clear Council yesterday, despite last-minute concessions made to aldermen concerned about the black market of loose cigarette sales;
• Ald. Michele Smith (43) and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47) took a hit yesterday, as well, with 29 of their colleagues voting to support a diluted version of their ethics reform plan to put the Inspector General in charge of policing aldermen;
• Finance Committee Chair Ed Burke at the last minute held from consideration a $200 million water bond authorization that would pay for previous “toxic swap” deals;

Aldermen say the phone lines were burning up last night, as Council members and Mayoral staff whipped votes on three contentious issues due for a vote this morning: acceptance of the O’Connor Working Group’s Inspector General substitute ordinance; passage of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed tobacco tax that was delayed from Monday to a special Finance Committee meeting called for 9:15 a.m.; and a previously tabled $200 million bond issuance to pay for swap termination fees.

Two sources last night counted 25 “no” votes for the IG substitute, but as the night wore on, one source said some of those “no” votes may be wavering.

Ald. Ameya Pawar (47) a co-sponsor of the original ordinance merging the Legislative Inspector General’s office with the City’s Inspector General’s Office, told Aldertrack yesterday afternoon that while the working group ordinance was still a work in progress and he believes the one he crafted with Ald. Michele Smith (42) is “the right ordinance,” he’s content IG Joe Ferguson will be empowered to oversee City Council after two years fighting for reform. “You don’t want the perfect to be the enemy of the good,” he said.

Per Rule 41, 26 votes are needed to discharge Pawar’s original ordinance to the floor. A substitution or amendment, like the working group’s proposed changes, can be introduced at that time as well, Pawar says. It will come down to a simple up or down vote during the “Unfinished Business” portion of the meeting.

The Council’s Finance Committee is also meeting this morning, an hour before the full City Council meeting, to vote on Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to raise the city’s smoking age to 21 and increase taxes on tobacco-related products. On Monday, a marathon-long hearing on the ordinance revealed that a significant number of aldermen oppose the plan for fear of how it will impact local businesses and crime.

Aldermen who represent wards along the city’s borders had expressed worry that the changes would drive out business to the surrounding suburbs and Indiana, where smoking products are cheaper. Others, predominantly from the city’s South and West Side, had expressed concern the high price of cigarette packs would fuel what they described to be a “booming” underground market of loose cigarette sales.

Members of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus don’t like the ordinance either, because the $6 million in expected revenue from the new tax would go to a CPS-run summer orientation program for new high school freshman, instead of anti-smoking programs. Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) said he would prefer the money pay for anti-smoking programs in elementary schools. It’s possible, one source said, a substitute may be introduced today that would divert some of those funds to smoking cessation programs so the Mayor will have enough votes to pass the ordinance.

Items Awaiting Council Approval Today (Highlights)

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  Legal Settlements: A $3.1M settlement with the U.S. DoJ over a hiring practice no longer in use that allegedly discriminated against foreign-born candidates. Ald. Nick Sposato (38) voted against it in committee. Also up: a $220,000 settlement with Tiffany Hondras, who filed a lawsuit against the police department alleging unlawful search and seizure, and a $200,000 settlement toJonathan and Jesse Hadnott, Kevin Hunt and Brandell Betts, who filed a joint lawsuit against the police department also alleging unlawful search and seizure.

  
  


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  Bond Offering: The Second Lien Water Revenue Project and Refunding Bonds, Series 2016a ($200M) are listed on the Finance Committee’s list of ordinances awaiting a vote, but according to Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), it’s supposed to be held for another month. Chairman Ed Burke (14) tabled the bond deal at last month’s City Council meeting after the Progressive Caucus pushed back, because it would pay for swap termination fees on existing debt. The PC wants to sue the banks instead. An ordinance calling for legal action against banks just got re-referred from the Budget Committee to the Finance Committee yesterday.

  
  


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  Zoning Changes for the old Malcolm X City College campus for the newBlackhawks ice rink and Rush University Medical Center academic campus.

  
  


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  Fee Waivers for all city permits and public way use permits for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority

  
  


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  Anti-Discrimination Protections for vets as it relates to finding and securing housing in Chicago. This ordinance also provides anti-retaliation measures to protect tenants who file complaints against their landlords.

  
  


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  Sale Of City-Owned Land for $1 to the University of Chicago for a new campus for their existing Woodlawn Charter School. Ald. Sue Sadlowski-Garza (10) and Ald. David Moore (17) voted against it in committee.

  
  


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  The BACP Top Cabbie Award Ordinance: sponsored by Mayor Emanuel, would create an incentive program to find “Chicago’s Top Cabbie”. Top prize is a free taxicab medallion.

  
  


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  Mobile Food Vendor Restrictions for Lincoln Park to restrict food cart vendors on nine separate stretches of restaurant-heavy sidewalks, including roughly quarter-mile spans of Armitage, Lincoln, Clark, Fullerton, and Halsted.

  
  


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  Expenditure of Open Space Impact Fee fund for Julia Burgos Park: The Logan Square Park would receive $235,000 in “Open Space Impact Fees,” which are taken from new residential developments to help expand and improve local park space. The money would help pay for environmental remediation costs at an adjacent vacant plot of land the city acquired.

  
  


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  TIF Money For Belmont Cragin Elementary School: transfers $287,000 in TIF funds for the construction of a new playground with rubber surfacing.

  
  


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  Changes To The City’s Procurement Goals For M/WBE Businesses: Would increase all city-funded contract goals from 24% to 26% for minority businesses and from 4% to 6% for women owned businesses. The ordinance originally called for 30% and 10%, respectively.

  
  


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  Divvy Expansion To Evanston And Oak Park: includes revenue sharing with Chicago. The City will pass through $320,000 to Evanston and $480,000 to Oak Park. Evanston will pay $80,000 in local matching funds, Oak Park will pay $120,000. Costs and revenues will be shared

  
  

Appointments

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  Julio Rodriguez as a member of the Commission on Human Relations; Reappointment of Naderh H. Elrabadi, Stephanie A. Kanter, David J. Mussatt, and Nabeela Rasheed as members of Chicago Commission on Human Relations.

  
  


• Designation of of Blake P. Sercye as Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals. The former chairman, Jonathan Swain, took a position on the Chicago Board of Elections. Sercye has been on ZBA for only a few months. Swain replaced Langdon Neal on the three-member board of commissioners.

Expected Intros: Ald. Moreno Demands Hearing on Prop. Tax Relief Plan, Hopkins Wants Legacy Buildings Protected

Ald. Joe Moreno (1) will be introducing a resolution demanding a hearing on an ordinance he introduced in September that would provide property tax relief to some homeowners whose homes are valued at $250,000 or less. The ordinance was introduced last fall in response to the Mayor’s historic property tax hike. “This [property tax increase] was approved with the caveat that the City would consider a citywide rebate program, if the state could not provide relief. As of this date, state action to provide relief to low- and middle-income homeowners has been stalled,” Ald. Moreno said in a release.

Moreno’s rebate plan is intended for households earning less than $100,000 a year. Homeowners would apply for the program with the Department of Finance, and the City’s Chief Financial Officer would establish and administer it. The CFO could call on the Office of Compliance to conduct eligibility audits.

Read the formula with an example here.

The dollar amount homeowners would get back is multiplied by the difference in the City’s real estate tax assessment rate from last year to this year, then multiplied by the equalized assessed value of the home. Which basically means a home with $50,000 a year in income worth $250,000 could be eligible for a rebate just over $208, delivered by check. The Chicago Tribune estimates that if Emanuel’s proposed increases were in effect this year, the total bill on a $250,000 home would go up by $342, to $4,504. About 270,000 Chicago households would be eligible to apply for Moreno’s program.

According to Ald. Moreno’s count, there are six co-sponsors: Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), Ald. Michael Scott, Jr. (24), Ald. Danny Solis (25), Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30), and Ald. Joe Moore (49).

Ald Brian Hopkins (2) also plans to introduce an ordinance that will “allow any Alderman or the Mayor to nominate a longstanding business deemed an economic or cultural fixture to the community for at least 30 years,” to become a so-called “Legacy Business.” The designation is aimed in part to help longstanding businesses survive rising property tax rates.

Up to 300 legacy businesses could be nominated per year. A business has to have operated in Chicago for at least 30 years, contributed to the neighborhood's history or identity, and committed to maintaining its, “physical features or traditions that define the business.” To be included on DPD's list, businesses would pay a $50 administrative fee. Those fees and across the board business licensing fee hikes (most by $5), would help fund the program.

Legacy Businesses could apply for a special grant from DPD awarding $500 per full-time equivalent employee. Landlords with 10+ year lease agreements with Legacy Businesses could also apply for a grant, at $4.50 per square foot, maxing out at 5,000 square feet per location.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) says he is forming a new City Council Veteran Caucus withAld. Ed Burke (14), Ald. George Cardenas (12), Ald. Danny Solis (25), Ald. Milly Santiago (31), and Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29). And they’re set to meet officially for the first time this morning.

“The Mayor has a new director of Veterans Affairs,” Villegas told Aldertrack. “We want to make sure he has the resources he needs to be successful, and to introduce legislation to benefit veterans.” The current Acting Chair of the Mayor’s 21-memberAdvisory Council on Veterans Affairs is Victor Lagroon, first appointed to the board in 2012.

Veterans' issues have popped up in City Council twice in as many weeks. Former 11th Ward Ald. James Balcer stopped by the Council Monday during the discussion of the Mayor’s proposed tobacco tax and hike in the smoking age. Balcer told aldermen vets and active military personnel should be exempt from the age restrictions. He argued that if vets are old enough to fight for their country and vote, they’re old enough to smoke.

And last week, the Committee on Human Relations advanced an ordinance that would make it harder for landlords to discriminate against veteran and active duty military personnel looking for housing.

Ald. Taliaferro, a Marine Corps veteran, confirmed he’d be joining the caucus, but said he couldn’t speak on a new veterans affairs head.

As a caucus member, he said he’d look for opportunities for veterans when they return from military service, including increasing access to existing help. “Many of the veterans that I’ve spoken with are not aware of the benefits that they have available through VA.”