Watch this creative and fast moving seven minute video from WBEZ’s “Curious City” Project. Learn more at the CivicLab’s TIF Illumination Project. Do I look better animated?
WBEZ Explains The TIF Program
Category Archives: About Tom
The Artist As Leader
There is a new publication covering the intersection of the arts, creativity and business, Artworks Journal. They asked me for an manifesto for their first issue. Download the brief essay as a pdf -> Tresser-Poetics.
Mr. Mayor, Empty The TIFs!
From a press conference held outside the State of Illinois Building on August 2, 2013. The Chicago Teachers Union and the RAISE your Hand Coalition of concerned public school parents delivered a letter to Attorney General Lisa Madigan asking her to get the true story of where our $1.7 billion in TIF funds are being held.
Join with over 3,000 people who have signed this online petition to the mayor from The TIF Illumination Project demanding that the TIF accounts be emptied and all property taxes turned over to the units of government that should’ve gotten those dollars in the first place.
Tom Took On Cubs At 2013 Bughouse Square Debate
I was in the featured debate at the 2013 Bughouse Square Debate on Saturday, July 27 in front of the Newberry Library. The topic was “Should The City Subsidize The Cubs To Keep Them In Chicago?” My position was “NO WAY, NO HOW” side. On the other side was Lester Munson, reporter for ESPN. The event was moderated by Chicago’s great natural resource, Rick Kogan.
Listen to the debate and the Q&A session (34 minutes).
Here are my notes for the debate. Use them if you have to argue against subsidizing sports facilities or other private enterprise using public dollars…
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Tom “Live From The Heartland Cafe”
Watch this 26 minute interview with CivicLab co-founder Tom Tresser, from the July 13 edition of “Live From The Heartland Cafe.” He breaks down TIFs and The TIF Illumination Project.
Chicago IS Rising!
The volunteers of the CivicLab’s TIF Illumination Project are honored to be profiled in the July 22 issue of The Nation in a cover story feature entitled, “Chicago Rising.” The author attended the 4th Ward TIF Illumination on May 13. You can see all the presentations made at all 12 Ward Illuminations here – http://tifreports.com/tif-town-meetings.
TIF Illumination On WVON March 23
TIF Illuminators Tom Tresser and Bea Jasper (organizer of the Englewood TIF Town Meeting) will be on “The GreenPreneur Show” on WVON on Saturday night, March 23, from 5-6pm. Listen live here. The call in number is 773-591-1690. Let’s talk TIFs on the South Side. Our next TIF Town Meeting is in South Shore on March 30. Connect with the TIF Illumination Project.
Tom Will PechaKucha on March 5
Tom will be presenting at the 25th edition of PechaKucha Chicago at Martyr’s on March 5 at 8:00pm. What is PechaKucha? “PechaKucha 20×20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and you talk along to the images. PechaKucha Nights are informal and fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts, holiday snaps — just about anything, really — in the PechaKucha 20×20 format.” Get tickets here.
“Welcome To The Gift Economy” @ Bioneers Chicago
I was at the Bioneers Chicago on Saturday, November 3 doing a workshop on “Welcome to the Gift Economy” – it was a critique of our current financial system and the institutions that teach it and about giftedness and P2P reciprocity. We CREATED our very own Gift Economy on the spot! Here is the deck:
Tom Has A Big Idea
The August issue of “Chicago Magazine” has a feature on how to make Chicago even better. They selected six Big Ideas. Mine was #5. It’s about establishing a public bank for Illinois.
“THE RATIONALE: A state bank could help Illinois reduce its budget deficit and make more credit available, thereby boosting the economy.
THE PROPONENT: Tom Tresser, cofounder of Illinois Citizens for Public Banking and a former teacher who coorganized the opposition to the 2016 Olympics
HE SAYS: “Illinois has more red ink than any state but California. It owes $34 billion in principal on its bonds; pension debt stands at $76 billion, the highest in the nation; and it pays a ton in bond interest and fees, not just because it has a poor credit rating but also because it also uses big out-of-state banks and investment firms to do the deals.
“Contrast that with North Dakota. Since the economic downturn began in 2008, North Dakota has had a budget surplus every year. It has no state debt, excellent credit, and the country’s lowest unemployment rate [3 percent]. While student loans in Illinois carry interest of 8 to 12 percent, in North Dakota it’s 4 percent.” Read the full story.