Inside Chicago Government
378 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsHear government insiders, activists, and journalists dive deep into the dark corners of Chicago government--driving shadowy deeds into the light. If you want to hear voices--voices that clue you to the backstage actors that affect our city--listen closely, because we're Chi!
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Episodes
8/15/13: "How I spent my summer break: firing teachers"
August 29, 2013 19:41 - 4 minutes - 1.72 MBThe three problems with Chicago public-school funding; how the new per-pupil funding scheme results in less-experienced teachers; and the mayor using school principals as propaganda show ponies. Length 4.5 minutes.
8/1/13: "There goes the Englewood neighborhood"
August 05, 2013 17:25 - 4 minutes - 1.72 MBWhere, exactly, the city might expand existing Englewood TIF districts; why Tea Party members should rush to Englewood; and whether and how the administration drives poor blacks from Chicago. Length 4.9 minutes.
7/25/13: "Tracking TIF's tall tales"
July 31, 2013 14:58 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBThe collective amnesia of civic Chicago about past fiscal policy; how to uncover the actual amount of the city's TIF surplus; and county clerk Orr's TIF activism. Length 5.7 minutes.
7/11/13: "As schools starve, Mayor Emanuel finds $5 million for hot dogs"
July 18, 2013 19:38 - 4 minutes - 1.62 MBThe intended investment payoff of tax-increment financing; why CPS would misrepresent property-tax increase caps; and why it makes sense for the Vienna Beef plant to move. Length 4.8 minutes.
6/27/13: "How Chicago's five-year school plan was dead on arrival"
July 12, 2013 00:40 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBWhat motivated the administration to issue its plan; the PR plan claims investment, belied by the capital plan; and why CPS's tax levy has increased while it cuts its budget. Length 5.5 minutes.
6/13/13: "The madness behind Mayor Emanuel's methods"
June 18, 2013 01:35 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBWho really pulls the mayor's strings; why the CTU gave up its former practice of cutting a deal with the administration; and where some of the best reporting in Chicago currently comes from. Length 5.5 minutes.
6/6/13: "How Mayor Emanuel locked the parking meter deal in place"
June 12, 2013 20:34 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBWhy other journalists don't report on the city's contradictory stance; the mayor's clear message that investors can still buy city assets; and the fallacy that Chicago will save on future meter true-up costs. Length 5.4 minutes.
5/30/13: "Rahm's new TIF program looks a lot like the old TIF program"
June 06, 2013 20:10 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBHow the General Assembly's "ladies of the lake" resisted pork; the mayor's interference in the free market of property development; and who owns the property on the land where the city wants to build an arena. Length 5.2 minutes.
5/23/13: "Rahm's latest plan: close the schools, build an arena"
May 30, 2013 05:05 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBHow an almost-dead TIF district can rob from its younger neighbor; what makes the arena/hotel plan a tax-losing proposition; and Mayor Daley's last-minute raid on the area's TIF funds. Length 5.2 minutes.
5/16/13: "Mayor Emanuel's FOIA policy: don't ask because we won't tell"
May 22, 2013 19:49 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBCPS's statutory obligation to retain policy-related records; whether the Emanuel or the Daley administration responded better to records requests; and the chances of aldermanic efforts to strengthen the inspector general. Length 5.7 minutes.
5/9/13: "The school model that's good enough for Pres. Obama and Mayor Emanuel"
May 17, 2013 22:33 - 5 minutes - 1.72 MBHow one might get one's kids into the Lab School; why Lab teachers didn't join the Chicago Teachers Union; and whether Mayor Emanuel and others involved in school policy should explain why their kids don't attend public school. Length 5 minutes.
5/2/13: "In the Chicago public schools, promises are made to be broken"
May 08, 2013 03:33 - 11 minutes - 3.62 MBHow Lincoln Park H.S.'s diverse set of programs created an integrated student body; parents' perception of the International Baccalaureate "brand"; and when the mayor chooses to supercede a contract. Length 11.9 minutes.
4/25/13: "Welcome to U.S. Cellular Field, home of the sweetheart deal"
May 07, 2013 03:10 - 14 minutes - 4.2 MBThe multiple freebies and discounts the Sox organization gets while using the ballpark; the nobility of rainmaker Gov. Thompson; and whether the White Sox could survive financially without taxpayer subsidies. Length 14 minutes.
4/11/13: "The lessons of Jane Byrne"
April 16, 2013 02:30 - 15 minutes - 4.39 MBMayor Bilandic's disregard for black voters; a clear contrast in Mayor Emanuel's treatment of black and white constituencies; and citizens' attitudes about government polices based on their distance from the destructive impact. Length 15.8 minutes.
4/4/13: "The crowded classroom approach to fixing schools"
April 10, 2013 17:00 - 14 minutes - 4.39 MBHow a crowded school with low-income students can perform well; how the administration has transformed its school-closing message; and who closing schools evolved from decades-old segregation. Length 14.1 minutes.
3/28/13: "Before the schools, Mayor Emanuel closed the clinics"
April 01, 2013 21:31 - 15 minutes - 4.39 MBOvercrowding at the city's remaining mental health clinics; the worst time to remove mental health services for Chicago's kids; and how aldermen cling to a greater power. Length 15.5 minutes.
3/21/13: "Chicago Public Schools officials offer a lesson in confiscating books"
March 27, 2013 06:11 - 16 minutes - 4.39 MBAt what age adults should let kids read violently or sexually explicit books; CPS curriculum professionals undermined by CPS administrators; and CPS's previous book purge. Length 16.5 minutes.
3/14/13: "Charities drowning in city water fees"
March 19, 2013 02:23 - 19 minutes - 4.39 MBThe fact or fiction of quorums in City Council committees; the lack of enlightened debate before the council enacts laws; and the repeated fall of so-called reform candidates for City Council. Length 19.8 minutes.
3/7/13: "Waiting for the day of judgment from Mayor Emanuel"
March 12, 2013 19:48 - 16 minutes - 4.39 MBTaking advantage of the opportunity arising from falling enrollment; the city's education response to changing demographics; and how aldermen who talk tough on school closings could really cause problems for the mayor. Length 16.2 minutes.
2/28/13: "Chicago's BFF's a legislator from Waukegan"
March 06, 2013 05:14 - 15 minutes - 4.39 MBWhy the public should allow taxing bodies to increase their tax take each year; checking Ald. O'Connor's argument about the benefit of tax-increment financing to the board of education budget; and the public school system as an investor in TIF. Length 15.6 minutes.
2/21/13: "Where good legislation goes to die"
February 28, 2013 01:48 - 11 minutes - 4.39 MBHow aldermen might thwart efforts to bury their legislation in the rules committee; why the powerful, seemingly in opposition, support each other; and aldermen who have reserved their check on mayoral power for Chicago's only elected black mayor. Length 11.3 minutes.
2/14/13: "Good luck finding the documents that explain CPS's longer school day"
February 19, 2013 01:48 - 13 minutes - 4.39 MBWhy the public should care any more about the issue of a longer school day; administering city government by press release and press conference; and getting information from government more easily than via FOIA requests. Length 13.5 minutes.
1/31/13: "Mayor Emanuel swears he's not interested in running for president"
February 06, 2013 00:37 - 12 minutes - 4.39 MBThe narrative that Rahm Emanuel perpetuates; the impact of Emanuel's aspirations on how Chicago government operates; and Chicago's brief, four-year experiment with democracy. Length 12 minutes.
1/24/13: "The Chicago manual of school closings"
January 30, 2013 04:27 - 16 minutes - 4.96 MBRenaissance 2010 as the basis for charter schools in poor neighborhoods; the main reasons for the depopulation of public schools; and who doesn't send their kids to charters. Length 16.8 minutes.
1/17/13: "The last of the independents"
January 23, 2013 06:03 - 15 minutes - 4.2 MBWhat might have undermined a potential 2007 JJJ mayoral campaign; how constituents exercise authority over elected officials who don't show up for work; and term limits vs. truly alternative candidates. Length 15.3 minutes.
1/10/13: "Keeping up with the Jones High School Plans"
January 17, 2013 03:58 - 11 minutes - 2.96 MBWhat constitutes a selective enrollment school; what the old Jones Commercial High School provided that no CPS school does today; and the long-term wisdom of selling off school property. Length 11.8 minutes.
1/3/13: "ICE, CME, and TIFs"
January 09, 2013 23:27 - 10 minutes - 3.15 MBAn unexpected rebuttal to Mayor Emanuel; the proposed state legislation to tax financial transactions and where it went; and an industry dedicated to the elimination of jobs. Length 10.3 minutes.
7/21/11: "Public schools, private budgets"
December 23, 2012 22:24 - 8 minutes - 2.48 MBThe disparity in availability of charter vs. neighborhood school financial data; why CPS finally put payroll information on-line; and the downside of Freedom of Information Act requests. Length 8.5 minutes.
12/13/12: "Taxation by obfuscation"
December 15, 2012 07:46 - 9 minutes - 2.67 MBWhat, exactly, CivicLab will reveal about tax-increment financing districts; why the printed Cook County property tax bill doesn't include tax info available on the county's Web site; and how tax-increment financing raises your taxes even if you don't live in a TIF district. Length 9.3 minutes.
12/6/12: "A Development in Sheep's Clothing"
December 11, 2012 07:46 - 17 minutes - 5.25 MBNew lows in veracity in the age of Rahm; adding transit and restricting cars as part of private land development; and the difference between Prentice Hospital and Wolf Point. Length 17.8 minutes.
11/29/12: "Rahm's Addition by Subtraction Approach to Jobs"
December 02, 2012 07:28 - 12 minutes - 3.62 MBWhat happened to the Emanuel administration's attempt to cut a deal with Ald. Sawyer; the neighborhoods in which the mayor feels most wary of political opposition; and how we teach critical thinking about democracy. Length 12.1 minutes.
11/22/12: "United Generously Returns Taxpayer Subsidy It Was Required to Return Anyway"
November 29, 2012 04:55 - 11 minutes - 3.62 MBWhere United's return of taxpayer subsidy will go; the story behind the $34 million TIF "return" of 2011; and Mayor Harold Washington, the father of Chicago TIF. Length 11.9 minutes.
11/8/12: "To Mayor Emanuel, Some Jobs Are Worth More than Others"
November 13, 2012 07:03 - 15 minutes - 4.67 MBWhat happens when black aldermen's constituents rebel; possible effects of the city council holding hearings on privatization deals; and the best strategy for the water-billing workers' union. Length 15.3 minutes.
11/1/12: "The Public Weighs in While the Mayor Skips Out"
November 08, 2012 00:45 - 15 minutes - 4.4 MBMayor Daley's legacy of public budget meetings carried on by progressive aldermen; how and why ward remapping disposes of certain aldermen; and why aldermen should vote against the mayor's proposed 2013 budget, and who might. Length 15.8 minutes.
10/25/12: "Whatever Happened to Story Time?"
October 29, 2012 03:29 - 14 minutes - 4.4 MBThe expectation that kindergarten will teach students to read; why Illinois didn't receive federal Race to the Top funds; and Diane Ravitch's historical perspective of school performance. Length 14.5 minutes.
10/11/12: "How the Democrats Let Derrick Smith Shoot Them in the Foot"
October 21, 2012 05:59 - 14 minutes - 4.48 MBJesse White's staggering miscalculations around legislative appointments; how poorly the West Side's political leaders serve it; and comparing Rep. Smith to former Gov. Blagojevich. Length 14.9 minutes.
10/4/12: "Today's Lesson: Charters Do Not Outperform Unionized Schools"
October 07, 2012 04:20 - 11 minutes - 3.37 MBStandardized testing as a barometer of what a student needs to know; whether unionization factors into student performance; and whether teacher tenure actually exists. Length 11.1 minutes.
9/20/12: "The Last Democracy in Chicago?"
October 01, 2012 20:30 - 13 minutes - 4.05 MBThe mistake of separating teachers from the union representing them; the Chicago Teachers Union ripe for criticism; and how the board of education has broken contractual agreements. Length 13.5 minutes.
9/13/12: "Why Chicago Teachers Hate Rahm"
September 19, 2012 20:25 - 15 minutes - 4.66 MBHow at-home investigators can analyze Chicago Public Schools payroll; one of the phoniest issues in the education debate; and why South Side teachers might not want to end the strike. Length 15.2 minutes.
9/6/12: "With Democrats Like These, Who Needs Republicans?"
September 09, 2012 21:05 - 16 minutes - 4.87 MBThe possible collusion between former Pres. Bush and former Mayor Daley; the normalization of Alderman Joe Moore; and predictions on whether Chicago teachers will strike. Length 16 minutes.
8/30/12: "Akins in Our Midst"
September 06, 2012 04:29 - 11 minutes - 3.64 MBThe surprising requirements of state law for sex education; when not to blame voters for bad election results; and the People's Rights Amendment. Length 11.9 minutes.
8/16/12: "Prentice Preservationists Put Rahm in a Bind"
September 05, 2012 05:16 - 15 minutes - 4.72 MBA rundown of the members of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks; the most rubber-stamp-like body in city government; and the public expense for saving Prentice. Length 15.2 minutes.
8/9/12: "The Grow House Next Door"
August 22, 2012 05:39 - 9 minutes - 3.02 MBThe two forms of justice; why prosecutors stay tight-lipped; and what made this a hard story to write. Length 9.5 minutes.
8/2/12: "Say It Ain't So, Joe"
August 07, 2012 21:05 - 13 minutes - 4.2 MBWhy the mayor controls who chairs city council committees; Ben's defense of Alderman Moore; and an elected school board--a bad idea? Length 13.8 minutes.
7/19/12: "As the Slush Fund Shrinks, the Mayor Dips In Anyway"
July 25, 2012 18:46 - 12 minutes - 3.84 MBWhy property taxes go up when property values go down; how taxing bodies come up with the tax levy; and the different ways of structuring a tax-increment financing deal. Length 10.3 minutes.
7/5/12: "How Chicago Said Yes to Pot"
July 19, 2012 04:01 - 6 minutes - 1.76 MBWhether Chicago police will start ticketing more white marijuana users; what'll come next in Mick and Ben's marijuana-law reporting; and the schizophrenia of American marijuana laws. Length 6 minutes.
7/5/12: "The Rahmney Plan for Schools"
July 16, 2012 03:26 - 12 minutes - 3.23 MBThe game of comparing schools via test scores; the Democratic Party's drift toward charter schools; and why Mayor Emanuel wants a teachers' strike. Length 10.9 minutes.
6/28/12: "The Mayor's Millionaire Club, Part II"
July 09, 2012 06:08 - 12 minutes - 3.89 MBWhen Mayor Emanuel acts in opposition to his conservative leanings; whether city officials' planning conversations should remain confidential; and the mysterious CME Group meeting. Length 12.5 minutes.
6/7/12: "It's No Foxie Brown: Mayor Emanuel Makes a TIF Movie"
June 07, 2012 03:06 - 11 minutes - 3.72 MBWhat might've motivated the Emanuel administration to make the TIF video; how the administration has done on meeting the goals identified by the mayor's TIF task force; and Ben's rebuttal video. Length 11.8 minutes.
5/24/12: "Summits Come and Go, but the Mayor's Handouts Never End"
May 31, 2012 05:09 - 14 minutes - 4.47 MBWhether the city still doesn't check on the jobs pledges of TIF-fund recipients; what sort of central business district investments make the most sense; and the surprising bastions of unionism. Length 14.4 minutes.