It was a fairly slow week for fundraising, with about two-dozen reported individual campaign contributions to aldermanic campaign committees and ward organizations.

Ald. Walter Burnett, Jr. (27) disclosed receiving 11 contributions between July 8th-9th, including $1,000 from UFCW Local 881, a regional affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union that represents retail food and drugstore employees, health and nursing home workers, barbers, and cosmetologists.

Most of Ald. Burnett’s contributions came from real estate developers, including Structured Development, LLC ($1,500), Walnut Street Properties ($1,500), and Chicago & Kedzie, LLC ($1,500), the owner of the Chicago Kedzie Plaza.

Ald. Will Burns (4) reported receiving a $1,500 contribution from Lakefront Phase II, LLC, the developer behind the $51 million housing development of Lake Park Crescent in Kenwood. In 2012, the City Council approved a $5 million loan, $1.3 million in donation tax credits, $3.1 million in low-income housing tax credits and fee waivers for the construction of the multifamily rental housing units. Real estate developer McCaffery Interests also made a $1,000 contribution to Ald. Burns’ committee.

The People’s Co-Op for Affordable Elderly Housing contributed $2,500 to Ald. Pat Dowell’s (3) candidate committee, Citizens for Pat Dowell. The Co-Op is part of the Bronzeville Family Apartments, an affordable multifamily housing complex the city helped finance in 2010 with $2.5 million in TIF funds and $2 million in multifamily loan funds.

Ald. Michele Smith (43) disclosed a $1,500 contribution from Heneghan Wrecking Company, Inc., a family owned demolition firm that used to do business with the city (the last awarded contract is from 2012). Hubbard House Restaurant LLC, which owns the Hubbard Inn in downtown Chicago, also donated $2,500 to Ald. Smith.

Ald. Pat O’Connor (40) reported a $1,500 contribution on July 11 from PNC PAC, a political action committee registered in Pittsburgh, PA for the PNC Financial Services Group.

CSX Transportation, Inc., an international company that transports more than 2.5 million carloads of freight across the state’s railroads, donated $1,000 to the 19th Ward Democratic Organization. The company makes annual contributions to the far South Side ward’s political organization.

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) transferred $3,500 into the 48th Ward Democrats and the Illinois Restaurateurs PAC transferred $1,500 to the 43rd Ward Democrats.

Citing stalled pension negotiations in Springfield and a lack of state funding for education, Chicago Public Schools released reduced individual school budgets to principals and warned of additional cuts when the full budget is released later this summer if the impasse continues.

CPS allocated $3.647 billion to schools across the city, with 416 of those schools receiving $99.5 million less money compared to last year. 238 schools will receive an additional $68.5 million dollars in funding. This includes supplemental funds, Title 1 funds, Supplemental General State Aid (SGSA) and program dollars.

Here is a downloadable school-by-school spreadsheet detailing the cuts provided by CPS.

Since the city funds schools on a per-pupil basis and the rate is the same as last year, budget reductions are due to demographic and enrollment shifts, says CPS interim CEO Jesse Ruiz. CPS allocates $4,697 per student enrolled in kindergarten through 3rd grade, $4,390 per student enrolled in 4th through 8th grade, and $5,444 per student in 9th through 12th grade.

The preliminary numbers released yesterday include the recently announced $200 million in cuts. The numbers are based on the assumption CPS will receive $500 million in pension relief from Springfield before the end of the summer. Inaction on pensions could ultimately impact class sizes, says Ruiz.

CPS says it was able to mitigate some of the cuts thanks to a waiver from the federal government that provided CPS with more flexibility in how it doles out Title 1 funds, which must be set aside for specific services. The federal waiver removed that requirement and says CPS doesn’t need to dedicate the federal aid to specific services and can instead dole out the money to the school through the per-pupil funding allocation.

Charter schools projected an uptick in enrollment–2,695 more students compared to last year–which allowed these school to pick up an additional $23.42 million dollars in additional funding. District-run schools projected a loss of nearly 4,000 students and saw $59.632 million dollars cut from their budgets.

But charters and contract schools will only get a fraction of their first quarter payment because there isn’t enough money to make the full payment, says CPS Chief Financial Officer Ginger Ostro.

Citing costs, CPS says it can no longer let schools that over-projected enrollment numbers keep the extra money after the final enrollment day, a process known as “hold harmless.” While this could lead to additional cuts, Ruiz maintains that schools have gotten a lot better at projecting enrollment numbers and CPS is “confident there won’t be huge shifts in enrollment numbers.” He says CPS has $8 million set aside to make up for any changes.

Principals across the city’s 13 regional school groups will now have to decide how to allocate the money and submit their proposed budgets to local school councils.

In advance of Chicago Public School principals receiving their school budgets today, the Council Education Committee held a lengthy three-hour hearing on Friday to discuss why Chicago Public Schools is in its current financial dilemma and to urge Chicago legislators to push through bigger state appropriations for CPS.

Committee Members Present: Chairman Will Burns (4), Vice Chair Michele Smith (43), Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Ald. Raymond Lopez (15), Ald. Matt O’Shea (19), Ald. Danny Solis (25), Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), Ald. Nick Sposato (38), Ald. Pat O’Connor (40), Ald. Harry Osterman (48), Ald. Joe Moore (49).

Others Attending: Ald. Milly Santiago (31), Acting CPS CEO Jesse Ruiz, CPS CFO Ginger Ostro, Executive Director of Advance Illinois Robin Steans, State Sen. Andy Manar, State Rep. Christian Mitchell, State Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, Chicago Teacher’s Union Political Director Stacy Davis Gates.

State lawmakers, Chicago Public School officials, education advocates, representatives from the Chicago Teachers Union, and aldermen convened Friday morning in the Council Chambers to hear testimony on the state of state education funding and how CPS is likely to be impacted this upcoming school year.

The lengthy hearing hosted by the City Council’s Committee on Education, chaired by Ald. Will Burns (4), was partially an attempt to debrief aldermen on the financial issues facing CPS and partially a call for aldermen to help state legislators lobby for a bill, Senate Bill 1, that would amend a decades old state formula used to allocate public school funding across the state.

Illinois’ current funding formula is outdated and inequitable, according to the testimony from Robin Steans, the executive director of Advance Illinois, and the bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill).

Illinois only provides an average of 25% of operating expenses  to local school districts, compared to the national average of 50%, says Steans. SB1, or The School Funding Reform Act of 2015, is an updated version of last year’s Senate Bill 16, a proposal to replace the Illinois General State Aid Formula. It was designed to change the funding formula to benefit districts with lower income and higher need students. While it passed in the Senate, it never made it to the House for a vote because of concerns that it created winners and losers. SB1 amended the language of SB16 to address those concerns with the primary goal to create a single, need-based funding formula that prioritizes districts that have a higher concentration of students from poverty, English as a second language, and children with disabilities.

“It’s time for use to put an end to the current formula and put in place a new formula that recognizes the needs that we have in the state today,” State Sen. Manar told members of the City Council’s Education Committee, noting that CPS would benefit from additional aid under the revision.

State Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) echoed the sentiments of those who testified before him that “equal and adequate money is the civil rights issue of our time” and assured aldermen that they have the votes to get the bill through Springfield. Rep. Mitchell added that the CPS’ current financial crisis coupled with a governor who has promised to “fully fund education” puts state lawmakers in a position to create a “political coalition to get this done.”

“I think Chicago Public Schools made some difficult choices and there are more to be made,” State Rep. Mitchell warned. “If we don’t have a sustainable education funding solution, it gets worse and worse for Chicago every year.”

When it came time for Acting CPS CEO Jesse Ruiz and CPS CFO Ginger Ostro to testify before the committee, they concurred with the state lawmakers saying state underfunding is what put Chicago public schools in their current financial mess.

CPS is expected to receive $56 million dollars less in state funding this year compared to last year, Ruiz noted. Since 2011, CPS has cut $740 million dollars in spending, mainly from administration and operations, to make up for the funding gap, Ruiz added, noting the most recent plan he and Mayor Rahm Emanuel unveiled last week to make additional cuts to address the $1.1 billion dollar funding gap CPS faces when school resumes in the fall.

“The one place left to make real cuts is the classroom,” he warned. “We cannot deliver on our promise of a high quality education if we are asked to compensate for the state’s embarrassingly low funding level for education.”

CFO Ostro then piled on the data. Chicago has double the number of low income students than any other district in the state and four times the number of english language learners, Ostro said. She added that for the past four years, CPS has had to use reserves to make up for the lack of revenue coming in from the state.

Ald. Pat O’Connor (40) questioned whether CPS was doing all it could to lobby for better funding in Springfield. Ruiz said it was, but Ald. O’Connor was unsatisfied with the answer and asked Ruiz three times why CPS was having such a difficult time getting “sympathetic” legislation through both houses. “What legislators do you work with? Do you have a team of people to push our stuff?” Ald. O’Connor pressed for specifics. “You are in a better position to push this out than an alderman does.”

O’Connor wasn’t the only alderman in the chambers to pepper Ruiz and Ostro with accusatory questions about CPS funding, especially as it relates to per pupil funding and how local schools will be impacted this fall.

Ostro said she couldn’t give specific numbers because the budgets hadn’t even been given to the principles yet.

Illinois House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Curry (D-Chicago) then told aldermen that if Chicago wanted more money for schools, they shouldn’t wait on Springfield to address a problem it could take care of on its own. She pointed to the fact that several downstate districts have increased property taxes through referendum.

Chicago Teacher’s Union Political Director Stacy Davis Gates liked that idea, noting that teachers and administrators are tired of cuts, tired of layoffs and tired of not having enough resources in the classroom. “It’s a revenue issue,” Gates said.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks approved a preliminary recommendation to designate Marina City an official landmark.

Board Members Present: Chairman Rafael Leon, Ernest Wong, James Houlihan, Tony Hu, Andrew Mooney, Commissioner of Planning and Development

Others Present:
Matt Crawford, Architectural Historian for City of Chicago
Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois
Adam Natenshon, Preservation Chicago
Eleanor Gorski, Director of Historic Preservation for the Department of Planning & Development
Gabriel Dziekiewicz, board nominee
Carmen Rossi, board nominee

Commissioners gave the okay after hearing details about the structure's historical significance from a 54-page report commissioned by the Department of Planning and Development (DPD). The two 60-story cylindrical towers, adjacent theater, office building (now a hotel) and commercial base that comprise Marina City on the north bank of the Chicago River, meet five of the seven criteria needed for landmark designation, according to Matt Crawford, the city’s architectural historian.

(Brief summary of the criteria from the report)

• 
  

  Criteria 1 – Value as an Example of City, State or National Heritage: Marina City is “an icon of Chicago urban planning” and it was built at a time when no one wanted to live in downtown Chicago. It was also one of the first residential buildings in the city to house middle-income singles or childless married couples, a point that Chairman Rafael Leon called “groundbreaking”.

  
  


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  Criteria 4 – Exemplary Architecture: The Expressionist Style residential structures were the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world.

  
  


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  Criteria 5 – Work of Significant Architect or Designer: Marina City was Bertrand Goldberg’ first large-scale commission and it made him internationally famous.

  
  


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  Criteria 6 – Distinctive Theme as a District:  “Marina City was a bold response to the threat of suburbanization and disinvestment in Chicago’s downtown in the decades after World War I.

  
  


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  Criteria 7 – Unique Visual Feature: Location on the riverfront and the “distinctive shape and rhythmic pattern of curved concrete balconies” make it a Chicago icon.

  
  

Yesterday’s approval was just the beginning of a lengthy process that must occur before the the riverfront towers get historical designation.

The Department of Planning and Development now has 90 days to commission and submit another report to determine if landmark status meets the city’s plans and goals for the area. If the City’s landmarks commission approves that report, DPD will start sending consent letters to all property owners who would be affected by designation. Owners will then have to return consent forms to the city within 45 days, a timeline that can be extended by request through the local Ald. Brendan Reilly (42).

Since Marina City is comprised of five structures–two 60-story residential towers, a theater, an office tower, and a 4-story commercial base–it is unlikely that there will be unanimous support for historic designation and public hearings will have to be held, says Eleanor Gorski, the Director of Historic Preservation for the Department of Planning and Development.

Gorski anticipates that a final recommendation for landmark status will be introduced at the beginning of next year.

After the discussion of the Marina City Designation, the Commission approved to schedule a public hearing on a permit application to modify a residential home in Wicker Park. They also approved all projects the Permit Review Committee reviewed and approved at their June 4th meeting.

Chairman Rafael Leon then thanked Commissioner Mooney for his time served with DPD (he is retiring) and announced that Tony Hu and Anita Blanchardresigned from the Committee. Their replacements await City Council approval.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced appointments to more than a dozen boards and commissions on Tuesday. Here is a breakdown of those appointments, starting with nominations that will require City Council approval.

Appointments Requiring City Council Approval

Nominated to Police Board

Purpose: To oversee various matters of the Chicago Police Department, including: deciding disciplinary cases involving police officers and other department members and nominating candidates for Superintendent of Police.

The board has nine members. Positions for two members, Melissa Ballate and Rita Fry, expire next month. Mayor Rahm Emanuel will replace them with John Simpson and Claudia Valenzuela. William Conlon will be re-appointed.

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  John Simpson is a partner at Broadhaven Capital Partners with over 30 years of experience as a head investment banker and financial services executive, according to his company bio. Before joining Broadhaven, he was Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Canyon Partners and a former Vice Chairman of Wasserstein Perella & Co. He donated $52,800 to Chicago for Rahm Emanuel and $25,000 to Chicago Forward this past election cycle.

  
  


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  Claudia Valenzuela is an Associate Director of Litigation at the Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center, an organization that provides legal services to immigrants. She represents non-citizens facing deportation before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and in federal court.

  
  


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  William Conlon (re-appointment) is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP.

  
  

Nominated to Chicago Plan Commission

Purpose: The Chicago Plan Commission isresponsible for the review of proposals that involve Planned Developments (PDs), the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMDs), Industrial Corridors and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts. It also reviews proposed sales and acquisitions of public land as well as certain long-range community plans.

The board has 22 members, 9 members are Mayoral appointees and the other 13 are ex officio members, like aldermen.

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  Laura Flores is the lead project architect for Epstein, a global design and construction company that designed the $300 million Medical District Gateway Project near Damen & Ogden. Flores worked on projects in Mexico. [LinkedIn]

  
  


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  Sarah Lyons is a research analyst for UNITE HERE Local 1, a labor organization that represents garment and textile workers across the country. She is a former board member of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals.  [LinkedIn]

  
  


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  Doris Holleb (re-appointment) is a professor of Geographical Studies at the University of Chicago .

  
  

Nominated to Zoning Board of Appeals

Purpose: To hear appeals of decisions by the Zoning Administrator.

Members: The is made up of 5 members appointed by the Mayor. Blake Sercye is the only new appointment.

• 
  

  Blake Sercye, is a litigator for corporate law firm Jenner & Block and also has a pro-bono practice in Austin that focuses on fair housing, prisoner rights and criminal defense.  Sercye was unsuccessful in his bid for the Cook County Board of Commissioners last year, even after getting endorsements from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. He served on the Illinois Medical District Commission and Chicago’s Community Development Commission.

  
  


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  Sol Flores (re-appointment) is the executive director for La Casa Norte, a nonprofit in Humboldt Park that serves homeless youths and families.

  
  


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  Jonathan Swain (re-appointment) is the Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman and president of Kimbark Beverage Shoppe, a liquor store in Hyde Park.

  
  

 

Nominated to Commission on Chicago Landmarks

Purpose: To recommend to the City Council that individual buildings, sites, objects, or entire districts be designated as Chicago landmarks; and to review proposals for the alteration, demolition, or new construction affecting individual landmarks or properties in landmark districts as part of the permit review process.

Members: The board has nine seats, eight are appointed by the mayor and one seat in an Ex-Officio. Mayor Emanuel has recommended two new members to the board.

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  Gabriel Ignacio Dziekiewicz is the president and principal of design for DesignBridge, an architecture, interior design and graphic design firm. Prior to joining DesignBridge, Gabriel worked for two Chicago architectural firms, Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Destefano+Partners, Ltd., where he worked on the design for One South Dearborn, the downtown office tower where law firm Sidley Austin, LLP is stationed.

  
  


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  Juan Moreno is the president and founder of JGMA (Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects), a self-described progressive architecture and design firm founded in 2010 and based in Chicago. Moreno was born in Bogota, Columbia and studied architecture at California State Polytechnic University Pomona. He has won several awards for his designs.

  
  


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  Carmen Rossi is a commercial lawyer and restaurateur. He owns the Hubbard Inn in River North and Barn & Co. in Lincoln Park.

  
  


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  James Houlihan (re-appointment) The former Cook County Assessor, he also is the senior advisor/president of Houlihan Consulting. He previously served in the state legislature and in the Harold Washington administration.

  
  


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  Rafael Leon (re-appointment) is currently Board Chairman and executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation.

  
  


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  Mary Ann Smith (re-appointment) is a former 48th Ward Alderman, who retired her seat in 2011.

  
  


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  Rev. Dr. Richard Tolliver (re-appointment) is a rector at St Edmund's Episcopal Church.

  
  


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  Ernest Wong (re-appointment) is a founder and principal at Site Design Group, Ltd.

  
  

 

Nominated to Community Development Commission

Purpose: To review and recommend action to the City Council on the establishment of new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, Redevelopment Area designations, and appointment of members to Community Conservation Councils. In addition, to review and recommend action on the sale of city-owned property located in TIF districts or redevelopment areas, and the provision of TIF financing to assist private redevelopment projects.

Members: The Board is made up of 15 mayoral appointees. Mayor Emanuel plans to replace four board members with the following appointments.

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  Gwendolyn Butler is vice chairwoman and chief marketing officer for Capri Investment Group, LLC, a global real estate investment manager. She specializes in raising capital for the firm’s global investments. Prior to Capri, Butler worked for UBS Global Asset Management, Bear Stearns, and SEI. She is the former Chair of the national Association of Securities Professionals and a past President of the Board of Directors of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. [LinkedIn]

  
  


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  Cornelius Griggs, Managing Partner, GMA of Illinois

  
  


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  Celena Roldan Moreno is the wife of Ald. Joe Moreno (1) and the executive director of Erie Neighborhood House, a social services agency. She has held previous positions in the Emanuel Administration, including a spot on the Mayor’s Education Transition team and the Mayor’s Early Childhood Task Force. [LinkedIn]

  
  


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  Philip Alphonse is a partner for the The Vistria Group, a private equity firm focused on education, healthcare, and financial services. The Vistria Group was founded by Marty Nesbitt, who also founded the airport parking company The Parking Spot with U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. Alphonse also worked at private equity firm Sterling partners for ten years. [LinkedIn]
  

  
  

Nominated to Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund Board of Directors

Purpose: To supervise the business of the Low-Income Housing Trust Fund, a non-profit organization established to provide Chicago's low-income residents with secure, safe, sound and affordable housing.

Members: The Board is made up of 15 mayoral appointees.  Mayor Emanuel requests four new members and the re-appointment of six current members.

New appointments to the board:

• 
  

  La Toya Dixon is an attorney advisor for the Social Security Administration.

  
  


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  Elise Doody-Jones is a community organizer, volunteer manager and small business owner. She is the former treasurer of First Ward First, the independent Democratic political organization Ald. Joe Moreno (1) founded in 2011. She also made an attempt to unseat Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) in the most recent municipal election.

  
  


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  Bishop Horace Smith is a pastor at the Apostolic Faith Church on Chicago’s South Side and a physician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital.

  
  


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  Jennifer Welch is the first deputy commissioner for the Department of Family and Support Services.

  
  

Reappointments to the board:

• Levoi Brown, Managing Director, BMO Harris Bank (re-appointment)


• Malcolm Bush, Affiliated Scholar / Chapin Hall, University of Chicago (re-appointment)


• Sol Flores, Executive Director, La Casa Norte (re-appointment)


• Rev. Wayne Gordon, Lawndale Community Church (re-appointment)


• Thomas McNulty (President), Partner, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP (re-appointment)


• Kristin Nance, Director, Lewis University Stahl Center for Entrepreneurship (re-appointment)

Nominated to Chicago Community Land Trust Board of Directors

Purpose: To govern the Chicago Community Land Trust.

Members: The Board can have up to 17 Mayoral appointees. Mayor Emanuel has only requested one new member, Michelle Morales.

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  Michelle Morales is an associate director for the Alternative Schools Network (ASN), a nonprofit that oversees a network of community schools for high school dropouts. [LinkedIn]

  
  

Reappointments to the board:

• Patricia Abrams, Executive Director, The Renaissance Collaborative, Inc. (re-appointment)


• Joel Bookman, President, Bookman Associates Incorporated (re-appointment)


• Timothy Hughes, Real Estate and Facilities Director, ComEd (re-appointment)


• Edward Jacob, Formerly Executive Director, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (re-appointment)


• Guacolda Reyes, Vice President, The Resurrection Project (re-appointment)


• William Towns, Assistant Vice President, Neighborhood Initiatives, University of Chicago (re-appointment)


• Marva Williams, Economic Development Director, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (re-appointment)


• Jeffrey Wright, Business Banker, Urban Partnership Bank (re-appointment)


• Eva Brown, Vice President, Government and Community Relations, U.S. Bank (re-appointment)

Nominated to Board of Ethics

Purpose: To administer and enforce the City of Chicago Governmental Ethics and Campaign Financing Ordinances.

Members: The Board can have up to 7 members, all appointed by the Mayor. There are currently two vacancies on the board. Zaid Abdul-Aleem and Juan Calderon would fill those seats.

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  Zaid Abdul-Aleem is a managing director at investment banking firm Moelis & Co. He has also worked for Greenhill & Co., Piedmont Investment Advisors, and Morgan Stanley. He is a former Duke University football player and Fulbright Scholar.

  
  


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  Juan Calderon, is the Chief Operating Officer for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Humboldt Park. [LinkedIn]

  
  


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  Rev. Dr. Mary Carr (re-appointment) is a senior pastor at the Christian Heritage Training Center.

  
  

 

Nominated to Human Resources Board

Purpose: To conduct hearings in instances of alleged misconduct by career service employees; and to preside over appeal hearings brought about by disciplinary action taken against employees by individual city departments.

Members: The Board is made up of 3 Mayor-appointed members. Karen Coppa would likely replace one of them.

• 
  

  Karen Coppa is a lawyer and former Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago. Coppa also works as a principal for Clearbrook Consulting, LLC [LinkedIn]

  
  

 

Appointments That Do Not Need City Council Approval

Appointed to Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Board of Directors

Purpose: To integrate the planning of transportation and land use in the seven counties of northeastern Illinois.

Members: The Board is made up of 16 members, 5 of them are mayoral appointees. Mayor Emanuel has appointed one new member, Peter Skosey.

• 
  

  Peter Skosey is an executive vice president for the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC). He started his career at MPC as an urban development director in 1996. During his tenure at the nonprofit, he helped rewrite the Illinois Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Act in 1999, overhaul Chicago’s zoning ordinance in 2004, and passage of the Illinois’ Public pRIVATE partnerships for Transportation Act in 2011. He was also on the Mayor’s Transportation and Infrastructure Transition Committee and co-chairs the Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee. [LinkedIn]

  
  


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  Lisa Laws (re-appointment) is the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the City of Chicago.

  
  


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  Andrew Madigan (re-appointment) is son of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and the senior managing director for Mesirow Financial, an insurance company.

  
  

 

Appointed to Illinois Medical District Commission

Purpose: To develop and manage the Illinois Medical District on the West Side.

Members: Seven member board. Four Commissioners are appointed by the Governor, two by the Mayor and one by the Cook County Board President. Mayor Emanuel has made two new appointments.

• 
  

  Alejandra Garza is president of AGG Consulting, a marketing firm. She is also the former director of Marketing and Business Development for UnitedHealthcare, Inc., and co-founded a company that makes bilingual videos about health care. [LinkedIn]

  
  


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  Everett Rand owns Midway Airport Concessions (MAC). His twin brother, Tim Rand, is the president and CEO of the company, which owns most of the food concessions at Midway. The Rands also founded the Chicago Football Classic, a nonprofit that provides athletic scholarship to Chicagoans that attend all black colleges.

  
  

 

Other Appointments

Re-appointed to Illinois Sports Facilities Authority Board of Directors

• Richard Price, Chairman and CEO, Mesirow Financial


• James Reynolds, Chairman and CEO, Loop Capital Markets

Re-appointed to North River Expanded Mental Health Services Commission

• Joan Liautaud, Senior Director of Clinical Operations, Heartland Health Outreach


• Roger McGill, Staff Assistant, Vietnam Veterans of America Service Office

Designated as Chair of the Advisory Council on Veterans

• Victor Lagroon, Manager of Engagement and Strategic Partners, University of Illinois, Hospital and Health Sciences System

Re-appointed to Illinois International Port District Board

• Terrence Fitzmaurice, Business Manager and Secretary Treasurer of Painters’ District Council #14

 Re-appointed to NeighborSpace Board of Directors

• Michelle Boone, Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events


• Ald. Walter Burnett (27)

Re-appointed to Board of Examiners of Crane Operators

• John Ahlgrim, Business Representative, I.U.O.E. Local 150


• John Ricker, Safety Coordinator, I.U.O.E. Local 150


• Thomas Rottman, Jr., Business Agent, I.U.O.E. Local 150

Re-appointed to Board of Examiners of Mason Contractors

• Henry M. Leahy, Owner, Four Province Masonry


• Luciano Padilla, Jr., Union Representative, IL District Council One of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers

Re-appointed to Board of Examiners of Plumbing Contractors

• James Majerowicz, Instructor of Plumbing, Plumbers' Local 130 U.A.


• John Rottman, Deacon, St. Thecla School

Re-appointed as a Member of the Board of Examiners of Stationary Engineers

• Bill Iacullo, President, I.U.O.E. Local 143


• William Masterson, Business Agent, I.U.O.E.  Local 399


• Jacob Preciado, Construction Manager, Archdiocese of Chicago

The Council Committee that oversees the city’s new independent budget office–commonly referred to as “COFA”–met yesterday afternoon to appoint a Vice Chair, Ald. Ed Burke (14), and officially approve the appointment of Ben Winick to lead the office. The meeting took close to an hour, and more than half of it was closed to the public in executive session, at Ald. Burke’s request.

Members Present: Chairman Carrie Austin (34), Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Ed Burke (14), Ald. Ameya Pawar (47), Joseph Pijanowski*

Others Present: Ald. Michele Smith (43), Ald. John Arena (45), Ben Winick

*Pijanowski, with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 126A, is the labor representative on the committee.

Ald. Burke replaces Carole Brown, who forfeited her committee spot when Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed her as the city’s new Chief Financial Officer. At the meeting, Burke jokingly asked Chairman Austin if being Vice Chair means that he gets an additional appropriation. She said no, and Ald. Pat Dowell chimed in to say, “only if you share”.

Shortly after the committee approved the first item on the agenda by voice vote, Ald. Burke moved to, “evolve into a closed door executive session,” to discuss the second item on the agenda, the appointment of Ben Winick as Financial Analyst for COFA. Chairman Austin approved the order and committee members walked out and convened a private meeting in a neighboring room for approximately 30 minutes. When they returned, Ald. Burke moved to appoint Winick to a four year term. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and Chairman Austin adjourned the meeting.

Winick was present, but he did not testify before the committee and declined to speak to reporters after the committee approved his appointment.

Chairman Austin will recommend Winick’s appointment to the full Council later this month.

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) continues to reel in a large number of campaign contributions from real estate developers, law firms and restaurant owners. Since our last campaign finance update last week, Ald. Reilly reported receiving more than 50 donations to his campaign committee, Citizens for Alderman Reilly.

View contributions in spreadsheet

Notable real estate developers include O’Donnell Investment Company and Magellan Development Group, which donated $10,000 and $1,000 to the North Side alderman, respectively.

O’Donnell is behind the new office tower currently being constructed on 150 N. Riverside, and Magellan is one of the partners overseeing the apartment tower being constructed in River North on the corner of Superior and LaSalle St, the site of the former Howard Johnson Hotel, as well as the lead developer of the New East Side development between Randolph St. and the Chicago River.

Ald. Reilly also received contributions from law firm DLA Piper, the legal council for the developers behind the mixed residential and commercial high rise near Merchandise Mart. The City Council’s Zoning Committee approved the zoning change for the project on 215 Hubbard St. at their June meeting. DLA Piper attorney Rich Cloutier testified before the Zoning committee on behalf of the applicant, 215 Hubbard LLC.

Chicago-based media company Optimus, real estate developer Centrum Partners, and Frasca Hospitality Group–which owns the Kinzie Chophouse and calls itself the city’s largest female-owned restaurant conglomerate–also donated to Ald. Reilly’s campaign committee.

Ald. Michele Smith (43) reported eight new campaign contributions since last week, most from executives from real estate firms, including AJ Capital Partners, JMB Realty Corporation, Prairie Management, and James McHugh Construction Company.

Other Notable Contributions…

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  Goldrush Amusements Inc., one of the largest distributors of video poker gaming machines in Illinois, donated $10,000 to the 33rd Ward Organization.

  
  


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  Ald. Will Burns (4) reported receiving $5,400 from Michael Sacks, the CEO of Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. He was one of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s largest campaign contributors during the recent mayoral race. He currently serves on the Mayor’s transition team. Ald. Burns also reported a $2,900 contribution from John Rowe, the former CEO and Chairman of Exelon.

  
  


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  Ald. Toni Foulkes (16) reported receiving a $4,000 loan from her chief of staff Samuel Rivers.

  
  

The Council committee that oversees the city’s new independent budget office meets this afternoon to select a vice chair and advance a plan to appoint Ben Winick as the Financial Analyst to oversee the office that will be tasked with evaluating the city’s finances.

This is the City Council Office of Financial Analysis Oversight Committee’s first meeting since Ald. Carrie Austin (34), Chairman of the Budget Committee, announced in May the committee’s recommendation to appoint former state budget officer Ben Winick to lead the City’s new Office of Financial Analysis (COFA). The City Council still needs to approve the appointment and committee members are expected to formally introduce legislation later this month to make it official.

Winick currently serves as the Vice President of Policy for Innovation Illinois, a non-partisan, research-based advocacy organization. He also has previous experience working for former Governor Pat Quinn's Office of Management and Budget.

Other aldermen on the committee include, Finance Chairman Ed Burke (14), Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Rick Munoz (22), and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47). Ald. Munoz was appointed to the committee last month to replace the vacancy left by former 31st Ward Ald. Ray Suarez. Carole Brown, recently appointed city Chief Financial Officer, was on the committee until she received her new position. Charles Smith, an insurance broker, was appointed at last month’s Rules Committee meeting to replace Brown.

Joseph Pijanowski, with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 126A, is also a member of the committee.

More than one million dollars of so-called Aldermanic menu money went unallocated between fiscal years 2010 and 2014, according to an Aldertrack analysis of the annual appropriation aldermen get for capital improvement projects in their wards. And a significant portion of the unspent pot of public money, $832,291, was left behind in the last fiscal year, ending December 31, 2014. In the 5th Ward there was still $127,709 of menu money left over. In the 4th Ward, $181,107 remained unallocated. And in the 31st Ward, $88,228 was left unused in FY 2014.

A $634 million pension payment for Chicago Public Schools means cuts for teachers and central office workers next year. Mayor Rahm Emanuel says Springfield is treating Chicagoans like “second-class citizens,” leading to “unconscionable” cuts to school services and staff numbers. At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Emanuel and the head of CPS, Jesse Ruiz, detailed those cuts. Three members of the Committee on Education, Ald. Patrick O’Connor (40), new Chair Ald. Will Burns (4), and Ald. George Cardenas (12) joined the mayor at the podium, but didn’t speak.

Read Mayor Emanuel’s statement
See the CPS fact sheet

The mayor says class sizes won’t go up and the school year will start on time, but CPS will make the following cuts:

• $17.4 million - network offices and teacher development programs


• $15.8 million - startup funding for newly approved charter, contract, and alternative learning schools


• $11.6 million - professional development funding for turnaround schools


• $11.1 million - reduction in facility repair and maintenance budget


• $9.2 million - high school classes will start and end 45 minutes later


• $3.2 million - elementary schools will cut back on sports and stipends for 5,300 coaches


• $2.3 million - changing transport of magnet students to school


• Extra reductions - eliminating central office positions, reducing software licensing costs, reducing central office funding for freshman orientation, redistribution of Magnet and 1B funding, reducing attendance grants and funding for academic competitions

The district is issuing layoff notices to CPS employees. 1,050 workers, most of whom work in the Central Office, will lose their jobs, and 350 vacant positions will be eliminated.

The mayor offered two proposals to help address CPS pension payments. "Option A" would "create one uniform pension system for all teachers and all taxpayers in the state." “Option B” is what the mayor called a grand bargain. It involves a $175-$200 million dollar property tax increase and for teachers and the state to chip in for pension payments. “I am not asking Springfield to bail out Chicago,” the mayor said, just for the state to “treat us equitably like every other system in the state. Either merge them or do a grand bargain, all-in.”

Asked what chance these options had in the middle of the stalemate in Springfield, the mayor said he’s been speaking with state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. He acknowledged State Sen. President John Cullerton’s current plan carries many aspects of his grand bargain, and added that he was open to it as the starting point for negotiations.

The Illinois House adjourned without passing a state budget last night, continuing a weeks-long stalemate that’s left state and city grant recipients' futures in limbo. Today, lawmakers are expected to vote on $2.2 billion in funding that will go towards “core services” like Medicaid, corrections, state police and child care. Governor Rauner is expected to veto the measure. At the moment, state funding for non-profit organizations like the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)is not budgeted for 2016. The group is planning a walkout and rally this morning at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago to protest.

ICIRR says 70% of its network organizations will be forced to cut citizenship, translation, and human services for immigrants, many will lay off staff, reduce the number of people they serve, or shut down entirely. In the latest installment of our Chicago Influencer Series, we speak to Fred Tsao, policy director at ICIRR, about how the cuts affect immigrant communities in Chicago and across the state.

The election may be over, but Aldertrack is still tracking the money. Today we kick off a new series where we round up notable campaign contributions for the preceding week. This roundup will be a little bit longer than the rest, since we’re going all the way back to April 8, the day after the runoff election.

Subscribers can review a complete searchable list of aldermanic contributions since April 8. You'll need your login and password.

Ald. Ed Burke 

Ald. Burke reported receiving several smaller donations, between $1,000 and $2,000, from companies that operate concession stands in some of the country’s largest airports, including Florida-based Areas USA, New Jersey-based Hudson Group (listed as Hudson New A/P), Virginia-based SSP America, and California-based High Flying Foods. The donations were made to the Burnham Committee, one of three committees Ald. Burke maintains.

Registered as a political action group, The Burnham Committee does not follow the same regulations as the alderman’s campaign committee, Friends of Edward M. Burke, which received the least amount of donations. The Burnham Committee can receive up to $10,800 from an individual; $21,600 from a corporation, labor organization, political party committee or association; and $53,900 from a political action committee or candidate political committee.

Ald. Brendan Reilly 

Another busy fundraiser on the City Council, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) reported several donations on April 9th and 24th, including $10,500 from Scott Klithj, the CEO of CouponCabin.com, an online coupon company based in Indiana.

Reilly also reported contributions from several hotel and real estate firms, including $5,000 from each of the following: First Hospitality Group, Inc., a Midwest hotel property management company with headquarters in Chicago; Golub & Company, a Chicago-based commercial and residential retail firm with assets valued at over $8 billion; Prairie Management & Development, Inc., the property management arm of Carroll Properties Inc. an affordable housing provider; and Illinois Hotel-Motel PAC, a political action committee that “supports legislatures that encourage pro business legislation.” The Hotel-Motel PAC is chaired by Marc Gordon, President & CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. A majority of the contributions Ald. Reilly reported on the 9th and 24th were from companies that donated less than $2,000.

Ald. Will Burns

South Side Ald. Will Burns has also reported numerous donations to his candidate political committee, Friends of Will Burns, spread out over the weeks since the election. This includes a $5,000 contribution from Smart Hotels/Olympia LLC, a Delaware-based company behind the recently built Hyatt Place Hotel in Hyde Park.

Other observations

Conservative Wisconsin businessman Richard Uihlein, the CEO and founder of U-line, a multi-million dollar shipping and packaging company, donated $10,000 to both the 44th Ward GOP and 43rd Ward Republicans. Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, were the 5th biggest spenders in the national midterm elections, pouring at least $5 million dollars into conservative PACs.

Superior Air Ground Ambulance Service, Inc., an emergency medical services provider in the greater Chicagoland Area, donated $5,000 worth of “Bulls tickets and food for suite” to the 12th Ward Regular Democratic Organization.

The Committee on Education and Child Development approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s appointment of Lisa Morrison Butler as the new commissioner in charge of the Department of Family and Supportive Services (DFSS) and all of the Mayor’s picks for the governing body in charge of the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). Even though it was the committee’s first meeting since Ald. Will Burns (4) took over retired Ald. Latasha Thomas’ (17) seat as Chairman, and in a week with relatively few committee meetings, quorum was not established.

Committee Members Present: Chairman Will Burns (4), Ald. Raymond Lopez (15), Ald. Matt O’Shea (19), Ald. Jason Ervin (28), Ald. Nick Sposato (38), Ald. Michele Smith (43)

Mayor Emanuel announced Butler’s appointment at the beginning of the month, saying she will “help quarterback some of the most critical items on my second term agenda,” from progress on the Mayor’s universal pre-K program to an expansion of youth violence prevention programs. In a brief three minute testimony in front of the Committee, Morrison Butler said she was grateful for a chance to help the city’s most vulnerable populations.

She also pledged to protect services amid increased state and federal budget cuts. But when Ald. Michele Smith (43) asked if she knew how proposed state budget cuts could impact city services from DFSS, Morrison Butler said she’s not a “budget expert” and is working on briefing with her staff. She said DFSS staff numbers more than double in the summer months–from 340 full-time to roughly 700 full-time and seasonal staff. DFSS delivers educational, homelessness, domestic violence, and workforce development programs to more than 300,000 Chicagoans.

The committee also approved four new appointments and two reappointments to the Board of Trustees of Community College District No. 508, the governing body that operates and manages the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). When Mayor Emanuel announced the appointments earlier this month, he said the leadership change was part of CCC’s push to complete its Reinvention Initiative, a long-term plan to improve the school system and fill a skills gap in the city.

None of the appointees were asked to testify before the committee and their appointments were approved as one item. The two reappointments include Clarisol Duque, Chicago Director and Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, and Marisela Lawson, a partner and founder at Sagence Group, a data analytics consulting firm. The four newly appointed trustees to the Board include:

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  Dr. Charles Middleton, who retired as president of Roosevelt University in April, exiting as one of the highest paid college presidents in the country. He succeeds Board Chairman Paula Wolff, an executive at the Illinois Justice Project and former president of Governors State University.

  
  

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  Gary Gardner, president and co-founder of the Chicago-based private equity firm PFG LLC. He succeeds Vice Chair Ellen Alberding, president and board member of the Joyce Foundation and founder of Advance Illinois, an advocacy group for public education reform in Illinois.

  
  

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  Sandy Goldman, a senior portfolio manager for Front Barnett Associates and a former Commissioner of the Chicago Housing Authority, to succeed Board Secretary Larry Rogers, Sr., a South Side native and founding partner of the Cook County law firm Power Rogers & Smith.

  
  

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  Karen Kent, the president of city’s hospitality workers union, UNITE HERE Local 1. UNITE HERE touts more than 15,000 hospitality workers, and gave Mayor Emanuel a TV ad push during the runoff with its “Rahm Love” ads. Kent will succeed Everett Rand, an airport contractor and part-owner of Midway Airport Concessions.

  
  

George Blakemore testified against both items on the agenda.

We continue our Chicago Influencer Series with Wendy Katten, Executive Director of Chicago Public School parent advocacy group, Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education. Katten's organization has been often straddled the gap between teachers and CPS management while consisently advocating for smaller class sizes and a stronger school system. Katten discusses with us possible outcomes of the CPS and city budget crisis for schools.

The Committee on Education and Child Development meets this morning to discuss various mayoral appointments, including Lisa Morrison Butler as the new commissioner in charge of the Department of Family and Supportive Services. Butler currently serves as Executive Director for City Year Chicago, an organization that works with CPS to help at-risk students graduate from high school.

Mayor Emanuel has also requested that the committee approve four new appointments and two reappointments to the Board of Trustees of Community College District 508, the governing body that operates and manages the City Colleges of Chicago