In a rare unanimous vote in opposition, Cook County commissioners denied a special use zoning permit to construct a new fire station “a stone’s throw” from the Barrington Early Learning Center.

While employees working under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle know how and where to report workplace harassment, only half of employees said they believed superiors would fully and fairly investigate an allegation of wrongdoing, according to a survey.

An unnamed candidate was admonished by the Chicago Board of Ethics for wearing a jacket or sweater emblazoned with the Chicago seal in two campaign mailers, according to a letter released Tuesday.

The steep decline in the number of students enrolling in Chicago Public Schools will continue for at least the next three years, according to a new district analysis. County officials put off proposals to end some tax breaks for vacant properties, as well as a plan to allow some defendants to appear by video in front of a judge.

A new campaign ad in Chicago’s race for city treasurer is calling out Ald. Ameya Pawar for his chronic absences at City Council committee meetings.

The 30-second spot, called “Every Day,” is funded by Pawar’s opponent, Democratic state Rep. Melissa Conyears-Ervin, D-Chicago.

The ad highlights data from an analysis by WBEZ and The Daily Line, which found the 47th Ward alderman has one of the lowest attendance rates in the City Council. Pawar went to less than half of the committee meetings he was required to. That was below the average 65 percent attendance rate for all 50 aldermen.

Read More: How Often Did Your Alderman Show Up To Work At City Hall?

“Ameya Pawar is a typical politician,” the voice-over in the video begins. “Pawar’s missed more than half his meetings as alderman.”

It goes on to ding Pawar for voting in favor of the city’s record property tax hike in 2015. The ominous soundtrack flips to jubilant music when Conyears-Ervin is introduced as she appears to walk the city talking with voters.

A person familiar with the Conyears-Ervin campaign said they placed a $190,000 ad buy for the commercial to run on all local TV stations this week, and expects to spend more next week before the April 2 runoff election.

Pawar’s campaign shot back in an emailed statement, saying that he has a 95 percent attendance rate at full City Council meetings. But that only includes monthly meetings, and not the vast majority of subject-specific committee hearings where aldermen can make changes to legislation and hear testimony.

The alderman also called Conyears-Ervin “a machine backed Springfield politician” who voted in favor of a state income tax hike, while Pawar highlighted his record on “social justice and government reform.”

Pawar and Conyears-Ervin will go head to head in next month’s runoff election because neither of them garnered a majority in the first round of voting on Feb. 26. The city treasurer oversees the city’s bank accounts and its investment portfolio.

Conyears-Ervin is the wife of 28th Ward Ald. Jason Ervin. Pawar is nearing the end of his second term on the City Council. Though there are no official term limits for Chicago aldermen, Pawar has long said he would leave after two terms. In 2018, he abandoned a longshot run for governor before the March Democratic primary.

Recent polling shows both candidates in a dead-heat ahead of the April 2 election.

As early voting expands citywide, North Side wards — including some where Lori Lightfoot showed the most strength during the first round of voting — and young voters led the way. Two more incumbent aldermen facing tough runoffs benefited from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s promise to leave no City Council ally behind.

Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6) — facing an unexpected runoff against accountant Deborah Foster-Bonner on April 2 — has his fingers crossed that history won’t repeat itself.

Eight years ago, 6th Ward Ald. Freddrenna Lyle, who was first appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1998, won 44.5 percent of the vote in the first round of voting.

In his first race for office, Sawyer, the son of a former mayor taking on the establishment’s preferred candidate, finished with 25 percent.

Despite Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s support, union and business backing, Lyle lost to Sawyer by 104 votes in the runoff.

After all of the votes cast Feb. 26 were counted, Sawyer ended up three votes shy of the 50-percent-plus-one threshold to win re-election. Foster-Bonner won 31 percent of the vote.

Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot rolled up a series of high-profile endorsements while celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, including U.S. Rep Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and several African American aldermen, while members of the Cook County Board began to line up support to replace President Toni Preckwinkle, should she defeat Lightfoot on April 2. 

The first proposal from city and school officials to Chicago Teachers Union leaders would “roll back key wins for better learning conditions,” the union told its members — and urged them to begin saving in case of a strike.

Commercial property tax assessments in northwest suburban Norwood Park Township were “significantly” out of step with industry standards under former Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, according to the first analysis performed by new Assessor Fritz Kaegi.

Are you ready for round two? Voters eager to make their pick for mayor and treasurer — and residents of 15 wards with aldermanic runoffs — can head Downtown to cast their ballot. Lori Lightfoot continued her clean-sweep of endorsements from former rivals, while Toni Preckwinkle added another labor organization to her long list of union backers.

Lawmakers should raise the state’s gas tax to “raise significant and stable funds for infrastructure,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s transportation task force recommended Thursday.

The Chicago Board of Elections has released its proclamation for the April 2 runoff — all Chicago voters will have the opportunity to vote in runoffs for mayor and city treasurer, and 15 wards will have aldermanic runoffs.

After notching two high-profile victories at a tense City Council meeting, Mayor Rahm Emanuel allowed himself a brief victory lap at his penultimate post-Council news conference — but vowed once again to “run through the tape” at the end of his term as mayor.

A split City Council voted 33-14 to approve a $6 billion project that promises to transform 55 acres along the North Branch of the Chicago River into a new neighborhood.

Supporters hope it will signal the final transformation of Chicago from an industrial behemoth to a city poised for growth in the 21st Century, while critics contend the project offers only “crumbs” to the rest of the city.

Sterling Bay’s $6 billion Lincoln Yards development calls for 6,000 new homes along with shops, offices and parks to be built between Bucktown and Lincoln Park. It overcame stiff opposition not only from some aldermen, but also from groups that said it would wipe out small entertainment venues like the Hideout while barely putting a dent in Chicago’s affordable housing shortfall or reducing the city’s economic or racial segregation.

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) mocked the project’s 600-foot tall towers and suburban-style shopping centers as “Schaumburg Yards.”

"This is the rich getting richer,” Osterman said. “The North Side getting north-er."

Osterman said the next time someone asks him why the North Side is so much more affluent than the South Side, he will point to this vote as the driving force behind the disparity.

"It happens on days like today, with votes like this,” Osterman said. “This is the tale of two cities."

Osterman’s remarks brought a pointed response from Ald. Jason Ervin, whose 28th Ward is on the West Side.

“It must be nice to sit on Sheridan Road and Northwest Highway and have philosophical conversations about the city,” said Ervin, who said the residents of his ward will be proud to fill the 10,000 construction jobs and the 24,000 permanent jobs city officials project within the next 10 years.

"If this development can help other parts of the city, then let's help," Ervin said.

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) said the unemployed workers in his ward could not afford to wait for more deliberations to take place.

"It must be nice to look from a point of privilege and say ‘we can wait, don't rush’ ... it is all piles of BS," Lopez said.

In addition to Osterman, the development’s neighboring aldermen – Michele Smith (43) and Scott Waguespack (32) voted no, as did Ald. Sophia King (4); Ald. Leslie Hairston (5); Ald. Susan Sadlowski-Garza (10), Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26), Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30); Ald. Milly Santiago (31); Ald. Deb Mell (33); Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35); Ald. John Arena (45); Ald. James Cappleman (46) and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47).

Ald. Ed Burke (14) — who represented Sterling Bay as a private property tax attorney until being charged with attempted extortion — abstained.

Hairston, Reboyras, Santiago, Mell, Cappleman and Smith face runoffs on April 2 to keep their seats on the City Council. Pawar faces a runoff in his race for treasurer.

Even though Ald. Tom Tunney (44), Ald. Proco Joe Moreno (1) and Ald. George Cardenas (12) told The Daily Line before the Feb. 26 election they would vote no on the project, all voted yes.

Tunney and Cardenas were re-elected, while Moreno lost his seat.

Another key vote looms by the City Council’s Finance Committee next month — a $900 million subsidy for the project, set to be generated by the 168-acre Cortland and Chicago River Redevelopment tax increment financing district (F2018-72).

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) — whose ward includes the project — called Lincoln Yards “a visionary proposal."

"We have to stay focused on progress," Hopkins said.

The proposal was changed at the 11th hour to reduce the size of the mixed-use development to 14.5 million square feet and cap the height of the towers at 600 feet. In addition, the revised plan requires 600 units of affordable housing to be built on site. Originally, the plan called for only 300 units to be built on site, a plan criticized by several alderman as insufficient.

Pawar and Hairston said there should be more affordable housing.

"We have to stop begging for crumbs," Hairston said.

Under aldermanic prerogative — the city’s unwritten policy of giving aldermen the ultimate authority over projects in their own wards — the project only needs the support of the mayor and Hopkins, who has said the new roads, bridges and sidewalks set to be built as part of the Lincoln Yards development are urgently needed.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Lincoln Yards is critical to ensure Chicago’s economy remains robust as the city transitions from its industrial past into the future.

“This is going to unlock tremendous opportunity," said Emanuel, who warned aldermen that the alternative to growing Chicago’s tax base is voting to raise taxes — again.

“You use the ability to grow in the city, and the jobs, to become a way to find the resources to address all the issues that, individually, members have asked for to be spoken to,” Emanuel said. “Otherwise, you can just either cut police, fire, garbage services, or you can just tax folks.”

Both Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot called to no avail for the vote to be delayed — and whomever wins on April 2 will find her hands tied by Wednesday’s unusually divided vote of the City Council.