Category Archives: Equity

My Take On Just Economic Development

“The key to spreading prosperity, justice and opportunity across Chicago requires turning the page on old neoliberal market-based and clout-driven economic development programs. This was true long before coronavirus fallout clouded the financial picture for not just the city but the nation.

The first program that needs to bite the planning dust is tax-increment financing districts, which the rich and powerful have used to siphon billions of dollars of property tax revenues from important public needs, such as schools, parks and libraries.” Read the entire op-ed from the April 6, 2020 issue of Crain’s. If you agree with us that TIFs need to be ABOLISHED, join the campaign here.

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Why We Need A Robust “Public”!

The utter failure of the Trump Administration to deal with the global pandemic is a stark reminder of why we need a strong, competent, nimble, and service-oriented PUBLIC sector – ready to act powerfully for the public good. Take a look at Douglas Amy’s book “Government is Good – An Unapologetic Defense of a Vital Institution.” If you want a great response to these times, then check out the movement for a Green New Deal and help make it happen!

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Tom Joins Inaugural National Advisory Board of the Public Banking Institute

I’m proud to be a member of the inaugural National Advisory Board for the Public Banking Institute.
They are the premiere organization in America explaining, organizing, and making public banking happen.

Public Banking Made Easy – Public Banking Institute

The Public Banking Institute is often asked to explain the concept of public banking in a nutshell. The challenge is to do it in a way that reaches a broad demographic. People come to public banking with different backgrounds, and banking isn’t what most people talk about over dinner with friends.

Watch this entertaining intro to public banking – 2 minutes!

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Wide Ranging Interview With Bill Cameron

Tom was interviewed on the “Connected To Chicago” radio program with long time political reported Bill Cameron. We discussed “Chicago Is Not Broke. Funding the City We Deserve” in light of the Inauguration of Donald Trump, which took place shortly before we began the interview.


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I Ask the Mayor About TIFs And He Answers!

Tom asks mayor-w. spreadsheet+budgetWhat a night at Malcolm X College. About 300 people showed up for the first 2016 Budget Town Hall presided over by Mayor Emanuel and attended by all his department heads. Dozens of folks got one minute to ask a question or make a statement. The room was filled with supporters of the Dyett High School hunger strikers. People young and old expressed their anger and aspirations, stepping up to the mike and demanding that the mayor first meet with the hunger strikers and accept the community-development proposal to transform Dyett into a global leadership and green technology academy.

There were also calls for coming clean on TIFs and releasing TIF funds into the general stream of local government agencies – especially our beleaguered public schools. I asked the mayor to release all documents proving his claim that most of the $1.4 billion sitting in TIFs on January 1, 2015 are NOT available for distribution. The mayor and his budget director actually responded. Budget Director Alex Holt promised Tom a meeting in the near future to answer all our questions on where the money is. Stay tuned.

Watch the exchange here:

Listen to the full exchange here.


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