Aldermanic hopefuls like Colin Bird-Martinez aim to turn out new, young voters in their wards for Chicago’s upcoming municipal elections.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
A progressive income tax is Illinois’ best shot at solving budget crisis
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Ending the state’s flat income tax rate would reduce taxes for most while raising $2 billion in additional revenue a year, a new report says.
Perspectives
Thirty-five years ago, Harold Washington changed what Chicago’s mayor could be
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When he started his first term in 1983, the city’s first black mayor brought a new approach to governing by refusing to play the boss.
Perspectives
Census citizenship question continues effort to preserve white political power
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In a move that would cause an under-count of immigrant communities, the Trump administration is building on a long history of using the census to undermine and obscure people of color.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
In Illinois, a fight between big money and grassroots insurgencies rages on
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Primary election results highlight the possibilities and perils of coming political battles, including the mayoral race.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
School closing and opening pattern shows Chicago doesn’t have a plan
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An ideological agenda for more “school choice” seems to be driving the district’s actions rather than what’s needed on the ground.
Perspectives
Harold Washington’s legacy provided touchstones for progressive politics
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Washington died not long after winning control of the City Council and re-election. Despite the political challenges he faced, his accomplishments pointed the way toward a more inclusive and fiscally sound Chicago.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Illinois progressives turn attention to down-ballot races
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With the Democratic establishment increasingly catering to moneyed interests, a major progressive group aims to build grassroots leadership through local elections.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Amazon headquarters could make Chicago’s housing crisis worse
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The city is overdue for rent stabilization measures that would help stem gentrification and displacement.
Perspectives
How prisons inflate white voting power in downstate Illinois
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Prison gerrymandering boosts rural electorates at the expense of urban communities of color, where most inmates come from.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
The racist roots of the right-wing agenda gripping Illinois
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Historian Nancy MacLean details how curtailing public education and unions are part of a long-running libertarian movement funded by the Koch network.