Chicago News
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AFSCME Council 31, which represents public service workers across Illinois, released its endorsement list Tuesday, omitting endorsements to top Cook County races, including for Assessor, Board President, Treasurer, and Clerk. Plus, the last alderman standing in the once-crowded race for the state’s 4th Congressional District dropped his bid Tuesday afternoon.
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A group of aldermen on the city’s Northwest Side endorsed Comm. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia en masse for his congressional bid Monday morning, with one alderman to drop out of the race later that day. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan released a website with updates on the consent decree with the city and Chicago Police Department, and the Cook County Electoral Board released its first round of decisions, likely kicking some familiar faces off the ballot.
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Aldermen approved the latest of three property tax breaks for Why Not Iron Inc., a metal fabrication company, on Monday. Ald. Jason Ervin (28), who spoke in favor of the 6(b) incentive for the company, said it “taken a series of vacant properties along our Kinzie Industrial Corridor and brought them back to life.”
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Update: This story was updated on January 29 to reflect the judge's decision last week to deny a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in attorney Frank Aliva's case against the Cook County Officers Electoral Board.
Attorneys for two Assessor candidates, Andrea Raila and Frederick “Fritz” Kaegi, battled over the weekend and will meet again today. The stakes: whether Raila will stay on the ballot and join Kaegi in their challenge to incumbent Joseph Berrios in the March 20 primary.
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Late Thursday, Assessor Joe Berrios’ office released a brief update on the “independent, non-partisan review of the property tax assessment process,” promising to publicize its results in late February, before voters head to the primaries. The residential assessment review from the Civic Consulting Alliance has operated in obscurity since July, when President Toni Preckwinkle’s office announced it at the tail end of a hearing focused on Berrios’ office.
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Personal PAC, the group dedicated to “recruiting, electing, and holding accountable pro-choice candidates to state and local office in Illinois,” announced its first preliminary endorsements for the 2018 election cycle, while former alderman Dick Simpson released the Cook County iteration of his rubber stamp report.
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One Chicago Square by JDL Development, set to be built at Chicago Avenue and State Street. (Photo: Chicago Department of Planning and Development)
A plan to replace the parking lot across the street from Holy Name Cathedral with a pair of towers, one of which would be the city’s sixth tallest building, is one step away from final approval after winning the endorsement of the City Council’s zoning committee after a tense hearing. -
Chicago Board of Ethics Executive Director Steve Berlin Wednesday asked Inspector General Joseph Ferguson to clarify his office’s rules regarding the city’s campaign finance limits ahead of the 2019 elections. Berlin wants to know whether Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s executive orders seeking to ban pay to play donations can be enforced.
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While offering few specifics on his own plans, former 2nd Ward Ald. Bob Fioretti used his limited talking time reciting budget criticisms raised against Board President Toni Preckwinkle in 2017, and played up her continued support of Assessor Joe Berrios in a one hour endorsement session with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.
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Andrea Raila sits for questioning during a hearing to challenge her petitions for Assessor from Frederick "Fritz" Kaegi. Hearings continue through Friday in the basement of the Daley center. (Photo: A.D. Quig, The Daily Line)
Correction: This post was updated on Jan. 25, 2018 to correct the spelling of Kaegi's attorney. It is Finko, not Zinko.
Joe Berrios’ two potential challengers for assessor faced off in the basement of the Daley Center Tuesday afternoon, with arguments and questioning lasting late into the evening, and more hearings scheduled through Friday night.
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Environmental regulator and attorney Bridget Degnen said Tuesday Comm. John Fritchey’s attendance record--first reported in the Sun-Times as one of the lowest on the board--a slap in the face to constituents.
