Progressive Chicagoans Take Budget Hearings into Their Own Hands—No Emanuel Necessary

[marmar]

(In These Times) Many Chicago progressives might remember Richard M. Daley, the Windy City’s mayor between 1989 and 2011, as ruling with an iron fist, ramming through policies like the midnight demolition of an airport or the privatization of city parking meters with little public discussion.

But Daley did make one democratic gesture that his successor, Rahm Emanuel, has yanked. Throughout his tenure, Daley was present at community hearings where Chicago residents could directly question him and other city officials about the mayor’s annual proposed budget and sometimes other city matters.

Emanuel, meanwhile, did away with the practice last year, after holding hearings about his first budget. So there are no community hearings to review the $6.98 billion budget that Emanuel unveiled on October 23.

Even without an official hearing, however, Chicago residents are still eager to air their concerns. That much was clear on Wednesday night, when the seven of the eight aldermen who comprise the city council’s progressive caucus, the Chicago Progressive Reform Coalition, convened a packed meeting at the United Electrical Workers Hall in West Town to hear public comment on the budget before the city council’s vote on it next month. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/uprising/entry/15814/progressive_chicagoans_take_budget_hearings_into_their_own_hands8212no_eman/

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[Fumesucker]

2. They're fucking cognitively challenged, eh Rahm?

[socialist_n_TN]

3. Great ideas here. Worker's Power has called for these types of ........

"citizen's budget councils" in all areas, local, state, and federal. The unions could organize them and provide expert assistance for the workers and citizens to put together a true "people's budget" for all areas of government.

Why not? It's OUR money (taxes) they're talking about.

[madrchsod]

4. where did that rahm guy used to work?

oh yes he was one of the president`s wingmen.

he`s pissing off 95% of people in chicago and he might pay for that in the next election.

next april there`s a big conference in chicago about what can and must be done in the upcoming elections. i`m sure rahm`s name will be brought up.

[mopinko]

5. rahm is planning to bring participatory budgeting to the tiffs.

in my ward, there is a process to develop and fund infrastructure project from the alderman's discretionary funds. citizen proposals, voting, all that.
rahm is now planning to start this process with the tiffs.

the man does a lot of good things, and a lot of unpleasant things that daley didn't want to take the heat to do. he gets no credit for anything.