Last night Daily Line readers gathered at the Hotel Monaco for a cocktail and to hear a panel discussion on Chicago’s fiscal crisis, and what can be done to improve it. Our panelists were Bobby Otter from the Center for Tax And Budget Accountability, Brian Bernardoni, from the Chicago Association of Realtors, Michael Reever from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Craig Chico of the Back of The Yards Neighborhood Council. Bobby Otter presented a deep dive into Chicago’s finances, and what to expect in the future. You can get his presentation here.

The evening was a tremendous success, with great attendance. As with our event last May, the questions posed by the audience through our web app were sharp. While I’m biased as the moderator, I think the discussion we held was one of the most informed on city finances I’ve yet to see. We were lucky to have four smart people available to participate.

Also, a word on our panel make up: We’ve heard a few complaints that our panel was all male. We hear you. We actually approached five different women leaders, many of whom are quite significant, and all had conflicts. We tried hard, but were ultimately disappointed. We’ll try harder for our December 12 panel.

Finally, we’d like to thank our sponsors for last night, Reyes Kurson, the Chicago Association of Realtors, Daley & Georges, Outreach Experts and WGN Radio. Without their support last night would not have been able to come together. Thank you.

We’ll have a podcast of the proceedings later this week. Thanks to all who came!