Chicago Contrarian, The Podcast

A FBI agent fatally shot an illegal immigrant in Pilsen. The alderman in the ward, Byron Sigcho Lopez, is deeply unhappy and is leading a protest to demand "accountability" for the shooting. BSL didn't show much concern for the illegal shooting randomly at the homeless in the encampment. Mayor Johnson's budget is off to an awful start.

Aldermen are revolting against his plan to use $75M from a renegotiated parking meter deal. Johnson's budget also borrows money to pay for $481M police settlements. Why? On Nov. 3, voters will elect a new school board. Who do panelists support for president and the Board? We'll discuss.

Mayor Johnson rolled out his budget on Wednesday. What did it contain? Taxes, more taxes, and even more taxes, but no cuts. Over two years after gutting ShotSpotter, the mayor introduced a new pilot for a gunshot technology system. Aldermen had accused the mayor of slow-walking a replacement. Is the timing behind this move suspect? Mayor Johnson is, once again, raising the issue of "food deserts" in poorer neighborhoods. We'll discuss.

In our latest installment of The Conversation, our host Jim Bosco and panelists held a discussion with Chicago attorney, Richard Porter. Our wide-ranging conversation covered Porter's career working with the Bush White House, practicing law in Chicago, and his thoughts on the U.S. Senate race.

Today, Contrarian's panel sat with GOP congressional candidate Christian Maxwell to discuss the campaign against Jonathan Jackson.

After decades of fiscal recklessness, aldermen in the City Council passed an ordinance raising the benchmark to approve borrowing. Will the mayor pass it? Chicago shells out $260M in police settlements. CPS enrollment dropped by another 11K. What drives this enrollment? We'll discuss.

Today, our host Jim Bosco, Paul Vallas, and I sat down with Don Tracy as he nears election day to discuss his campaign against Juliana Stratton.

CTU political director and candidate for the Board of Education is in a spot of trouble, again. Mayor Johnson is signaling his intent to raise the Head Tax, and others to close an $882M budget gap. Will he face opposition in Council? In three weeks, voters will head to the polls to send a new senator to Capitol Hill. We'll discuss.

After decades of fiscal recklessness, aldermen in the City Council passed an ordinance raising the benchmark to approve borrowing. Will the mayor pass it? Chicago shells out $260M in police settlements. CPS enrollment dropped by another 11K. What drives this enrollment? We'll discuss.

After a lengthy debate, Chicago has approved the sale of city parking meters to a NY investment firm. How does Chicago benefit? This week, Mayor Johnson proposed a moratorium on data centers within city limits. What motivates this proposal? Board of Education elections are 40 days away. We'll discuss the four candidates for president.

In a widely expected announcement, Mayor Johnson declared his intent to seek a second term. How well did the mayor state his case for a second term?

The City Council Finance Cmte. approved two settlements this week, one of which was $13.7M to two men originally convicted for a heinous murder in 1998. Why is Chicago prepared to hand over millions to two men Kim Foxx admitted were likely guilty?

Mayor Johnson's PRO Act narrowly passed out of the City Council's Housing Cmte. Under Johnson's version, a "tenant database" will be created. Is this bill helping renters or assailing landlords? We'll discuss