Cook County Board of Review Comm. Samantha Steele (D-2) will face political consultant Liz Nicholson in the upcoming Democratic primary. [Steele photo courtesy of Cook County/Nicholson photo provided]

Cook County Board of Review Comm. Samantha Steele (D-2), who’s been at the center of several ethics concerns and other controversies during her tenure, is facing political consultant Liz Nicholson in the upcoming Democratic primary, a candidate the incumbent commissioner said lacks relevant experience. 

Board of Review District 2 includes all or parts of the townships of Elk Grove, Evanston, Jefferson, Lakeview North Chicago, Leyden, Maine, New Trier, Niles, Northfield, Norwood Park, Rogers Park, West Chicago and Wheeling. 

Ald. Samantha Nugent (39), president pro tempore of the City Council, is pictured at a council meeting on Nov. 15, 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The alderpeople behind the so-called alternative budget, which swapped out multiple components of the mayor’s budget proposal and was adopted without the mayor’s signature, announced the formation of a formal “Budget Accountability Coalition” Wednesday amid allegations that the administration is undermining their budget plan.

Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21) speaks with Ald. Bill Conway (34) at a City Council meeting on Feb. 26, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection on Tuesday approved a measure that would make businesses applying for retail tobacco licenses have to go through a process similar to that of businesses seeking to sell liquor.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9), who championed video gambling legalization in Chicago, is pictured during a City Council meeting on Feb. 26, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Committee on Finance on Wednesday approved a measure that would seek to compel the city clerk to help get the ball rolling on legalized video gambling in Chicago.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9), who championed video gambling legalization in Chicago, is pictured during a City Council meeting on Feb. 26, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Finance on Wednesday will consider a measure that would seek to compel the city clerk to help get the ball rolling on legalized video gambling in Chicago. The committee will also consider multiple police misconduct lawsuit settlements and measures authorizing financial assistance for the Congress Theater. 

The committee will meet at 10 a.m. in council chambers. 

Northwest Side Community Development Corporation Executive Director Jason Estremera appears for a confirmation vote at the Feb. 10, 2026 Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development meeting. [Livestream]

Alderpeople on the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development on Tuesday approved the appointment of a community and economic development services organization leader to the Chicago Community Development Commission.

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) is pictured during a City Council meeting on Feb. 26, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate on Wednesday will consider a measure that would set the city on a path to undertaking health and safety inspections of rental housing.  

The committee will meet at 12:30 p.m. in Room 201A at City Hall.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), top right, addresses Comptroller Michael Belsky, left, and Acting CFO Steven Mahr, second from left, during a finance committee meeting Feb. 9, 2026. [Livestream]

City finance leaders told the City Council Committee on Finance Monday that they intend to make the other half of an annual, supplemental pension contribution in the middle of the year after alderpeople called for a hearing on the city’s decision to split the payment in two, a decision blamed on cash flow issues.

The Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety meets on Feb. 9, 2026. [Livestream]

The City Council Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Monday approved a proposal to begin the process of establishing a temporary program to let residents report commercial vehicles blocking sidewalk, bus and bicycle access, allowing city parking enforcement aides to respond in real time to issue warnings or citations.

The committee also approved a measure to require a public hearing before a lengthy bridge closure.

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1), chair of the pedestrian and traffic safety committee, is pictured at a council meeting in March 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Monday will consider a proposal to establish a temporary program that lets residents report vehicles blocking sidewalk, bus and bicycle access, allowing city parking enforcement aides to respond in real time to issue warnings or citations. 

The committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 201A at City Hall.

Finance Chair Pat Dowell (3) is pictured during a City Council meeting in June 2024. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council’s finance committee on Monday is set to hold a hearing on the cash flow challenges cited as the reason for the city only making a partial advanced pension payment last month. 

The Committee on Finance will meet at 10 a.m. in council chambers.

Cook County Board of Review Comm. George Cardenas (D-1) and Juanita Irizarry are running to represent District 1 on the board. [Provided]

Cook County Board of Review Comm. George Cardenas (D-1) is facing a primary challenge this spring from Juanita Irizarry, the former executive director of Friends of the Parks. While Cardenas has accepted funding from property tax attorneys and consultants, Irizarry has sworn off the practice but is backed by the county assessor, who has frequently criticized the Board of Review.

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a press conference on Jan. 15, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line] 

Mayor Brandon Johnson this week insisted his office was not trying to usurp decision making about felony charges through the issuance of his “ICE on Notice” executive order, which directs the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to investigate and report alleged instances of illegal behavior by federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Public Safety Chair Brian Hopkins (2) is pictured at a City Council meeting in April 2024. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday approved an ordinance to expand the city’s noise-sensitive zoning process to explicitly allow all places of worship to take advantage, but it declined to vote on a revised version of an ordinance to address and deter “teen takeovers.”

Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43) talks about the rat contraceptive pilot in his ward during a Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy meeting on Feb. 3, 2026. [Livestream]

The City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy on Tuesday approved a resolution in support of the Chicago Area Waterway System reclamation study and another to recognize the launch of a rat population control pilot program on the Near North Side.