From Our President

Mayor Lightfoot’s ’Pandemic Budget’ Avoids the Hard Choices

Apparently, the year 2021 appears to be a pick-your-poison budget for Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Impatience with Mayor Lightfoot — and from Her — Grows as Violence Rages

Mayor Lori Lightfoot staged a news conference recently in the ongoing effort to get control of the city's streets.

The BGA’s Role in Equity and Reform

Predecessors' Mistakes Provide Lessons for Lightfoot

Staring into a fiscal abyss can cause strange plans to enter the minds of even responsible public officials. We've seen how badly this can go in Chicago.

For Speaker Michael Madigan, Court of Public Opinion Wields the Gavel

The Illinois House Speaker has not been charged with a crime, and if that ever were to happen, he would be entitled to a presumption of innocence. The court of public opinion is a different story.

Greising: Michael Madigan Is in the Crosshairs, But We Can’t Let ComEd, ICC Slip from View

The government-for-sale system needs to come to an end. But let’s reserve some outrage — and demand for reform — for the complicity and corrupt behavior of ComEd, the state’s largest utility.

Greising: These Two Wings Can Help Chicago's Cargo Biz Take Flight

The Rockford area and the southern suburbs have deep needs for equity-focused investment. Here's an airport plan that can work for both.

Greising: If Gov. Pritzker Wants His ‘Fair Tax,’ It’ll Take More Than an Ad Blast

Yet, while it may seem odd to use the case of a governor who lost his job as an example, there are lessons to take from the Ogilvie experience.

Greising: Amazon Doesn’t Need a Peotone Airport, Despite What the Politicians Say

Amazon is on a building boom in the area. It has around 10 fulfillment centers in northeastern Illinois. But the e-commerce giant is making its new investment — and likely planning more — without so much as a public hint that it needs an extra airport in Peotone.

Greising: New $10M Fund for Rebuilding Chicago Businesses Is Just a Start

The mayor is seeking systemic approaches to address the violence and poverty that plague the city. It's the right way to frame the problem. It also reveals the difficulty of the task she faces: Systemic change will be difficult, and cost a lot.