Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Clumns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Toggle search form
  • Congresswoman Robin Kelly official photo
    Robin Kelly details what Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill means for Illinois Federal
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Orland Park Police Department Begins Fourth of July Traffic Safety Campaign Crime
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Dad secured important court victory, keeping sons safe at home Dads' Rights
  • Leving Matrimonial Law Seminar: Orders of Protection Pursuant to The Illinois Domestic Violence Act Arthur Kallow
  • Summer Smash Entertainer lineup 2025
    Summer Smash Festival returns this weekend June 20-22 at SeatGeek Bridgeview
  • Fireworks display for the 4th of July. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Orland Park Announces Independence Day Celebration July 3 Events
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Leving team’s court victory protected dad’s daughters from reported danger Dads' Rights
  • Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Madigan sentenced to stiff seven and a half years in prison on corruption case Chicago
  • Attorneys Jeffery Leving Arthur Kallow
    Honoring Fathers: A Father’s Day Reflection Arthur Kallow
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Understanding Cook County Property Taxes: A Guide for Homeowners Blogger
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Two Guys on Politics Podcast on Elon Musk, Trump’s Parade, LA Riots, and Middle East ban Bill Lipinski
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Often overlooked single fathers deserve praise this Father’s Day Blogger
  • Fentanyl drugs Courtesy of the DEA
    Five Defendants Charged in Federal Investigation Targeting Fentanyl Sales in Chicago Crime
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Southland manufacturer receives state funding thanks to Hastings Business
  • Stolen merchandise in the arrest of Isadore House by Cook County Sheriff 06-11-25
    Chicago Man Faces Felony after $400,000 in Stolen Merchandise Recovered Chicago
United Working Families. Reimagine Chicago campaign.

Chicago aldermen urge Mayor Lightfoot to support new agenda

Posted on May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Chicago aldermen urge Mayor Lightfoot to support new agenda
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Chicago aldermen urge Mayor Lightfoot to support new agenda

Progressive Aldermen and Aldermen-Elect Announce Reimagine Chicago 100 Day Legislative Platform. Emboldened progressive bloc release “100 Day Plan to Reimagine Chicago” with legislative priorities for the first 100 days

Thursday, progressive aldermen and aldermen-elect released a “100 Day Plan to Reimagine Chicago” with legislative priorities for the first 100 days authored by community and labor organizations with the Reimagine Chicago coalition.

The move comes on the eve of the historic inauguration for Chicago’s first Black woman mayor and an emboldened socialist and progressive flank in City Hall.

“In April, voters made their voices heard – what Chicago doesn’t want is the status quo, the corruption, or the machine politics of the past as it has not served us well. Voters opted instead for the promise of change. Now is the time to make good on that promise,” said Alderman-Elect Andre Vasquez, who defeated 36-year incumbent Patrick O’Connor in the 40th Ward.

The 100 Day Plan is made up of seven “shovel-ready” ordinances aimed at making Chicago a more livable and welcoming city for working-class communities of color–the communities hit hardest by eight years of policies that put the needs of tech and real estate moguls over working families.

United Working Families. Reimagine Chicago campaign.
United Working Families. Reimagine Chicago campaign.

Released in an open letter addressed to Mayor-Elect Lori Lighfoot and the new City Council, the plan signals a growing bloc of aldermanic commitments to support a set of ordinances that languished under Rahm Emanuel, including taxing the sale of multi-million-dollar properties, building affordable family housing and integrated public housing, and returning the TIF dollars to Chicago Public Schools.

At the time of printing, the signers were: Aldermen-Elect Maria Hadden (49), Daniel LaSpata (1), Matt Martin (47), Mike Rodriguez (22), Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33), Byron Sigcho Lopez (25), Jeanette Taylor (20), and Andre Vasquez (40) and Aldermen Leslie Hairston (5), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), and Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35).

Read the open letter and the full list of ordinances online here: www.unitedworkingfamilies.org/news

“The last administration did not address homelessness head on, and it has only gotten worse,” said community member Edrika Fulford, who experienced homelessness after her mother died and her house was foreclosed on. “I never want anyone to go through what I went through.”

“The 100 Day Plan to Reimagine Chicago includes pieces of legislation that we championed for many years, but that Mayor Rahm Emanuel sabotaged in order to pursue his downtown-driven corporate agenda,” said 10th Ward Alderman Susan Sadlowski Garza. “But it’s a new day in Chicago, and we are ready to take immediate action to begin undoing the harm of the last eight years.”

The aldermen released the following letter identifying programs they believe need to be approved by Mayor Lightfoot.

Our 100 Day Plan to Reimagine Chicago

To: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot and Chicago City Council

From (list in formation): Aldermen-Elect Maria Hadden (49), Daniel LaSpata (1), Matt Martin (47), Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35), Mike Rodriguez (22), Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Byron Sigcho Lopez (25), Jeanette Taylor (20), and Andre Vasquez (40)

Re: Our 100-Day Agenda to Reimagine Chicago

For the past eight years, the political status quo enriched tech investors, Wall Street financiers, and real estate moguls while Black and Latinx Ch100 icagoans lost their jobs, their homes, and their lives. Like you, we campaigned on a platform to break with this tragic history and make Chicago a city for the many–not just the wealthiest few.

With inauguration fast approaching, we look forward to working with you to reimagine Chicago as a city where working families and communities of color can thrive. As the incoming bloc of progressive aldermen-elect, we are ready to get to work to pass the following legislation within the first 100 days.

  1. Restore public housing with the Homes for All Ordinance. The Homes for All Ordinance will require that all public housing units are preserved on a one-for-one apartment basis in any future redevelopment of public housing, and that family-sized units are produced by the CHA as it rebuilds.  The Homes for All Ordinance protects public housing land for public housing purposes, and integrates at least 20% of future public housing construction into high-wealth, high-opportunity neighborhoods.

  2. Build affordable family housing with the Development for All Ordinance. Current loopholes in the existing Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) have completely undermined the production of affordable housing, especially in gentrifying areas. The Development for All ordinance eliminates these loopholes, including ending “in lieu of fees” that developers pay to avoid building affordable units, ending the “off-siting” of affordable construction in lower-income neighborhoods, and mandating the production of family-sized (e.g. 3 bedroom) units. Developers who need upzoning approval from the city will be required to set aside at least 30% of new construction for affordable units.

  3. Fight homelessness with Bring Chicago Home. 80,000 Chicagoans experience homelessness, including military veterans, survivors of domestic abuse, and 18,000 CPS students. Bring Chicago Home would place a question on the ballot asking voters to approve a 1.2-point tax increase on real estate transactions worth more than $1 million–enough to generate $100-150 million annually for housing and services to address homelessness.

  4. Fund Chicago Public Schools with TIF Surplus Reform. Recent years have seen Tax Increment Financing, initially intended to spur economic development in poor neighborhoods, used instead as a slush fund for mega-developers like Sterling Bay and Related Midwest. This ordinance would require the city to send the available TIF surplus back to Chicago Public Schools on a yearly basis for as long as the school district is in financial distress.

  5. Pay low-wage workers more with a $15 minimum wage by 2021. This ordinance will raise the minimum wage to $15 by the year 2021. The ordinance will apply to public sector, private sector, and tipped workers.

  6. Stop south side displacement with a Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance for the Obama Presidential Center. The Obama Center CBA ordinance will preserve existing affordable housing, provide additional affordable housing options, and prevent displacement of long-term residents from the area surrounding the Obama Presidential Center. Specifically, the ordinance will require developers to set aside 30% of new units for households earning less than half of the average median income and establish a community trust fund to assist long-term residents with property tax relief, affordable housing development, rental assistance, and workforce development. In February, voters in four precincts near the future Obama center overwhelmingly supported these proposals.

  7. Curtail racial profiling with amendments to the Welcoming City Ordinance. Chicago police can arrest or detain immigrants based solely on their immigration status if they are one of the 130,000 people named in the city’s unjust and inaccurate gang database, or if they have an outstanding warrant or a previous felony conviction. The Welcoming City ordinance would remove these allowances and protect people of color from harassment, racial profiling, and deportation by Chicago police.

Many of these ordinances languished under Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his downtown-driven corporate agenda. But it’s a new day in Chicago. We are committed to working with the bold grassroots and labor organizations driving these fights, as well as our new colleagues and Mayor in City Hall, to pass these ordinances in the first 100 days and begin making a city for the many a reality.

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Robin Kelly details what Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill means for Illinois - June 19, 2025
  • Orland Park Police Department Begins Fourth of July Traffic Safety Campaign - June 19, 2025
  • Dad secured important court victory, keeping sons safe at home - June 19, 2025
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Chicago, Government, News, Politics Tags:Aldermen-Elect Maria Hadden (49), and Andre Vasquez (40), Byron Sigcho Lopez (25), Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35), Chicago Aldermen, Chicago City Council, Daniel LaSpata (1), Jeanette Taylor (20), Matt Martin (47), Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Mike Rodriguez (22), Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10)

Post navigation

Previous Post: DePaul professor condemned for racist criticism of activists
Next Post: Mark Cuban shares business insights and inspiring stories at Judson University

Related Posts

  • Mosquitos, courtesy of WIkipedia
    Chicagoland among top 10 to be bugged by bugs News
  • Easter egg hunt in Lyons News
  • Orland Township Back to School Health Fair banner 2021
    Orland Township Bringing Excitement with Back-To-School Health Fair coronavirus
  • Romaine Lettuce. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    E.coli Food Safety alert issued for romaine lettuce General Topics
  • Chicagoland No. 2 destination for U-Haul renters News
  • DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin
    State’s Attorney files charges against five individuals alleging voter fraud breaking news

More Related Articles

Nazareth in state title game News
Cook County Sherif Tom Dart Flight Attendant Charged with Possession of Child Pornography Chicago
Copley Theater courtesy of Paramount. Four bold stage productions in modernized, 165-seat theater to bring excitement, intimacy and more audiences to downtown Aurora, right across the street from Paramount Theatre. Paramount Theater opens new Iive theater venue in Aurora Cook County
Foxx policies punish police rather than the criminals Blogger
Dr. Beth Damas Kaspar, Orland Fire Protection DIstrict Trustee. APril 28, 2023 Fire District fills Trustee vacancy with experienced Fire Commissioner Cook County
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts press conference to outline new property tax discount for affordable housing Kaegi praises legislative adoption of affordable housing tax relief law Chicago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Attorneys Jeffery Leving Arthur Kallow
    Honoring Fathers: A Father’s Day Reflection
    June 13, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Understanding Cook County Property Taxes: A Guide for Homeowners
    June 13, 2025
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Two Guys on Politics Podcast on Elon Musk, Trump’s Parade, LA Riots, and Middle East ban
    June 12, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Often overlooked single fathers deserve praise this Father’s Day
    June 12, 2025
  • Ray Hanania joins Thom Serafin on The Crisis Cast Podcast this week discussing presidential politics, journalism and how to understand Trump's reality TV persona style
    Podcast: Musk vs Trump and the impact of media distortion on news
    June 11, 2025
  • Opinion: Edgar County Watchdogs continue to exaggerate and lie for political union pals
    June 8, 2025
  • NEWS
  • Congresswoman Robin Kelly official photo
    Robin Kelly details what Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill means for Illinois
    June 19, 2025
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Orland Park Police Department Begins Fourth of July Traffic Safety Campaign
    June 19, 2025
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • SPORTS
  • Chicago Wovles play the Rockford Ice Hogs, Feb. 23, 2025
    Chicago Wolves Hockey skate Past Rockford Icehogs 4 to 2
    February 23, 2025
  • Chicago Wolves player Andrew Poturalski. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Wolves. https://www.chicagowolves.com
    The Chicago Wolves dispatched the Iowa Wild 4-1 on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
    February 22, 2025
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Congresswoman Robin Kelly official photo
    Robin Kelly details what Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill means for Illinois
    June 19, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Leving team’s court victory protected dad’s daughters from reported danger
    June 14, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme