Chicago Policy Review

Sophie Milam is Director of Nutrition Assistance and Budget Policy at Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization representing a network of over 200 food banks nationwide. Sophie works on federal hunger and nutrition policy with a focus on SNAP and child nutrition programs. As chair of the 50-member Food Policy Working Group, Sophie builds partnerships to engage diverse national organizations in hunger and nutrition policy and coordinate their advocacy efforts. Prior to Feeding America, Sophie was Senior Domestic Policy Analyst at Bread for the World and spent several years working as a legislative aide in Congress. She has also worked on political campaigns at the local and national level. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This week, on Chicago Policy Radio, food policy expert and hunger advocate Sophie Milam discusses the state of food insecurity in the United States, recently-passed farm bill legislation, and the connection between the two. While the aftermath of the recession left more families food insecure and accessing SNAP benefits, the political climate in Washington stressed focus on deficit reduction. How did this paradox play out in the negotiations of the legislation, and how does the final legislation impact food assistance programs? Tune in to find out.

This podcast was edited and produced by Anne Knapke.

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Edward Rendell has had a long career in public service, including serving two terms each as District Attorney of Philadelphia, Mayor of Philadelphia, and as Governor of Pennsylvania. During his time as mayor of Philadelphia in the 1990s, he helped pull the city out of extreme financial crisis, a feat called “the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history.” Today Gov. Rendell is a partner at the law firm of Ballard Spahr, LLP, where his practice focuses on public-private partnerships (P3) and housing, with an emphasis on infrastructure. He also sits on a number of boards and works to promote advances in the areas of alternative energy, government efficiency, and infrastructure investment.

This week on Chicago Policy Radio, Julie Cooper speaks with former Pennsylvania Governor and Philadelphia Mayor Edward Rendell about how all levels of government can work together to implement policy more efficiently and effectively, particularly in the crucial area of infrastructure development.

This podcast was edited and produced by Julie Cooper.

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Mr. Christie joined Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) in May of 2001 as Vice President of Government and Legislative Relations, and now serves as the Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Communication. In this role, he is responsible for the hospital’s advocacy and lobbying activities at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Mr. Christie is active in the American Hospital Association and the Illinois Hospital Association advocacy programs, as well as a number of local and national organizations including the National Governors Association, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and the Civic Federation.

In this week’s episode, Kristyn Bretz speaks with Rob Christie of Northwestern Memorial Hospital about the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Chicagoland region and what changes can be or have been made in the push to make health care more widely available.

This podcast was edited and produced by Kristyn Bretz.

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Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer has represented the county’s 10th district since 2009. She is the Chair of the County Board’s Pension Committee, in addition to serving on a number of others. Her priorities as commissioner include promoting the accessibility of financial services, preserving quality health services for vulnerable and high risk communities, making government operations more efficient and transparent, and, most recently, addressing the challenges posed by the county’s thousands of vacant properties. In addition to her position on the County Board, Commissioner Gainer works in the private sector as an insurance broker for Aon. She has previously worked in the public sector in the City of Chicago’s Budget Department and Parks District and in the non-profit sector as a community organizer in both New York City and Chicago. Commissioner Gainer has a BA from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago. 

This week, Julie Cooper speaks with Cook County’s 10th District Commissioner Bridget Gainer about vacant properties in Cook County, the role of the Cook County Land Bank in dealing with those properties, and what opportunities the County has to adapt its residential land use to current demographic trends.

This podcast was edited/produced by Julie Cooper.

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Yonah Freemark is a project manager at Chicago’s Metropolitan Planning Council and the author of the blog The Transport Politic. Yonah is an authority on New Urbanism, infrastructure investment, and transit-oriented development. Originally from North Carolina, Yonah attended Yale University and acquired master’s degrees in city planning and transportation from MIT.

In this week’s episode of Chicago Policy Radio, Jim Howes sits down with Yonah Freemark and turns the gears about transit-oriented development and infrastructure investment and how these concepts fit into the present-day narrative on cities.

In today’s podcast, we discuss the following topics:

How can we encourage our cities to develop more dynamically?

Is there a way we can use resources that already exist to create economic gains and more desirable places to live?

This podcast was produced by Jim Howes.

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Tim King is founder, President, and CEO of Urban Prep Academies, a nonprofit organization operating a network of public college-prep boys’ schools in Chicago (including the nation’s first all-male charter high school) and related programs aimed at promoting college success. One hundred percent of Urban Prep graduates—all African-American males and mostly from low-income families—have been admitted to four-year colleges/universities. Mr. King also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University and has contributed to the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Huffington Post. A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Mr. King has completed post graduate work in Kenya and Italy, holds the Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Adler School, and has received a BS in Foreign Service and a JD  from Georgetown University.

In today’s podcast we discuss the following topics:

Why does Chicago need all-male charter schools?

How does one network of schools move the needle on the college acceptance rate among African American males?

What lessons might Chicago Public Schools learn from Urban Prep Academies?

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According to a recent report by the American Political Science Association, polarization in Congress has been rising steadily for the past 40 years, and is now higher than at any time since the early 20th century. Opinions vary greatly on the root cause of political polarization. A few of the frequently cited suspects include the media, gerrymandering, money in politics, party realignment, stronger party leadership, and declining US prosperity.

To learn about the causes of polarization directly from those who worked in a polarized Congress, CPR Staff Writer Aaron Rosenberg spoke with former Representatives Sue Kelly (R-NY-19) and Lincoln Davis (D-TN-4). Both are moderates who represented marginal districts: Rep. Kelly is a moderate, pro-choice Republican, who served from 1995 until she was unseated by a Democrat in the wave election of 2006; Rep. Davis is a moderate, pro-life Democrat, who served from 2003 until he was unseated by a Republican in the wave election of 2010.

In today’s podcast, the representatives discuss the following topics:

“I believe some of the best Congressmen that we’ve had, and that we have today in Congress, are from marginal seats. Because you really have to work harder and become more informed about the issues and know the heart and soul of those you represent.” –Rep. Lincoln Davis

“The problem is when you go against your party and the party structure goes after you. That is one of the things that has helped to drive apart the parties on Capitol Hill.” –Rep. Sue Kelly

“These people on the outside, who are strongly partisan, are hot on the issues. Moderates are cool. They represent the cooling center of what it means to be in Congress. It’s the hardest work—being a moderate and working with the other side.” –Rep. Sue Kelly

“The major pieces of legislation that passed—whether it was health care, whether it was energy, whether it was TARP, whether it was the Recovery Act—were all made better by centrists in Congress. We don’t have centrists today.” –Rep. Lincoln Davis

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

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David Orr is County Clerk for Cook County, IL. As Cook County Clerk, Mr. Orr is the chief election authority of one of the largest election jurisdictions in the US. He has been a tireless advocate for voters’ rights, helping to implement the Motor Voter Law and Early Voter registration in Illinois, among other accomplishments. His expertise in elections has led to extensive travel as a speaker and election monitor, as well as numerous awards. Prior to becoming county clerk in 1991, Mr. Orr represented Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood on the Chicago City Council as alderman from 1979-1990. He served as vice mayor under Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and following Washington’s death in 1987, served as mayor for a week, during which time he was recognized for his strong and sensible leadership during one the most tumultuous periods in Chicago’s political history. Mr. Orr was appointed as a Senior Fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy in 2013. 

This week, Julie Cooper talks with County Clerk David Orr about his work promoting voters’ rights, bringing modern technology to Cook County elections, and what is at stake in making voting more accessible and convenient for everyone.

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Karen Freeman-Wilson is the mayor of Gary, Indiana. A native of Gary and the city’s first female mayor, Mayor Freeman-Wilson has spearheaded an all-out effort to reinvent Gary, a city brought to its knees by the decline of heavy industry in the Midwestern United States. With the goal of bringing economic prosperity back into the city, Freeman-Wilson has established a partnership with former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and the University of Chicago to explore opportunities for economic development and growth. The resulting projects constitute part of a plan she calls the Blueprint for Gary, which aims to develop the city’s economy, increase public safety, and polish the city’s image in order to revive the great American city that Gary, Indiana once was.

This week on Chicago Policy Radio, Jim Howes sits down with Mayor Freeman-Wilson to talk about her tenure as Gary’s mayor so far and the progress the city has made recently.

Please check out CPR’s interview with Mayor Freeman-Wilson following her 2011 election and with former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on the partnership he helped foster between the City of Gary and the University of Chicago.

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Jacky Grimshaw is Vice President for Policy at Chicago’s Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), where she has led the charges on advocacy, research, and program implementation. Before joining CNT in 1992, Jacky worked in a number of Chicago’s municipal offices in various advisory roles, including as political advisor for the late Mayor Harold Washington and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Jacky serves on a number of boards including the Chicago Transit Authority, the RTA Strategic Plan Advisory Committee, and the Smart Growth Network.

This week, Jim Howes sits down with Jacky Grimshaw to talk about urban sustainability in Chicago and around the world.

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