Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

How can community investment and economic development work better for all Chicago residents? Reset checks in with two top city officials to hear their ideas and to hear them react to some creative solutions proposed earlier in our Re-imagine Chicago series.

For our series Re-Imagine Chicago, Reset checks in with an expert on public finance and municipal economic development and TIF critics for their creative ideas for re-imagining one of the city’s key economic development tools.

In the second installment of our series Re-imagine Chicago, we explore how community investment works in the city. We learn about how recent Chicago mayors have approached economic development at the neighborhood level. We also hear from people working in two Chicago neighborhoods about what type of investment they need.

Pritzker announces a statewide schools mask mandate, Cubs move closer to a sports betting building and the latest on the cannabis lottery.

After a week of exploring how Chicago’s City Council and mayoral system work, we take stock of what we learned and what we can change. Reset talks to the city's top watchdog, a longtime alderman, and a community leader for what solutions they think are needed.

Toronto and Chicago have a few things in common. But their city council and ward system look pretty different. So what can Chicago learn?

Chicago has a “strong mayor” system, and during the pandemic, Mayor Lightfoot gained additional emergency powers. Things work differently in Phoenix, Ariz., which operates under a “weak mayor” or “council-manager” system. Reset examines the benefits and drawbacks of how things work in Phoenix, and what lessons Chicago can learn.

All week, we’re asking: how can the government in Chicago work better for its residents? It’s part of our series “Re-Imagine Chicago,” where we pull back the curtain on the city’s major institutions and systems, and explore how they could work better. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast. And please give us a rating, it helps other listeners find us. For more about Reset, go to wbez.org and follow us on Twitter @WBEZReset

Is Chicago’s City Council set up to best serve its residents? The “strong mayor” form of government has its pros and cons, but what could a better system look like? In the first installment of our “Re-imagine Chicago” series, we dive into the powers of two engines that make Chicago run: the mayor and the aldermen.

Lollapalooza rocks Chicago as COVID cases surge, causing new mask requirements. Plus, Chicago Police reach a tentative contract agreement.