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The City Council doesn’t have to be a rubber stamp On paper, Chicago’s legislators have the authority to check mayoral power. These five moves would help. BY STEVE HENDERSHOT
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Our annual contest showcases the best-designed places Chicagoans work. PAGE 11
Chicago is supposed to have a City Council with the strength and independence to check the mayor’s power, but also one that’s attuned and responsive to the concerns of its citizens. In fact, the council already has the authority to chart the city’s course and the structure to facilitate more neighborhood-level engagement than any other big U.S. city — each council member represents 53,931 residents, a dramatically smaller ratio than exists in any other of America’s 10 largest cities. Yet in practice, Chicago’s mayors wield astounding power, both in absolute terms and relative to the way authority is theoretically allocated by the city’s municipal code and state law. Rather than contributing meaningful block-level insights
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to citywide policy discussions, Chicago’s legislators historically have instead focused on tending to ward services while deferring to the mayor on larger issues. In a vacuum, you can argue it’s a workable system. But in reality, the city has a century-long reputation as a corruption hotbed. It’s weighed down by a financial mess tied to underfunded pensions that’s both more severe than most other cities’ pension woes and that stems from See COUNCIL on Page 20
Migrants swamp local food pantries Organizations, already stretched thin, step up to feed and clothe newcomers as the city seeks answers BY BRANDON DUPRÉ As Chicago grapples with how to feed and shelter migrants now arriving daily, food pantries have stepped up to fill a void that some blame on the city’s failure to adequately prepare for the surge in hungry newcomers. Already stretched by increased demand and rising inflation, pantries now face the challenge of feeding and caring for migrants seeking help at their doors.
“There are so many pantries that are really strained right now,” said Kellie O’Connell, CEO of Nourishing Hope, formerly Lakeview Pantry. “When I talk to my peers we’re all trying to meet the increased need but it’s pretty tough right now.” Nourishing Hope also operates another food pantry in Humboldt Park called El Mercadito. The city has said more than See FOOD on Page 22
VOL. 46, NO. 23 l COPYRIGHT 2023 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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GREG HINZ
REAL ESTATE
The Chicago Transit Authority is in desperate need of an overhaul. PAGE 2
Chicago’s racial home value gap is second among big U.S. cities. PAGE 4
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