Inside Chicago Government

In an audio excerpt, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi revealed the impact of tax-increment financing on the sinking property assessments of Loop office buildings. Length 4.5 minutes.

Fifteen City Council members called a special April 1 meeting to oust Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez as housing committee chair. In a discussion by journalists Dave Glowacz and Ben Joravsky, Dave and Ben analyzed the raucous gathering. (Subscribers can find the full-length version at chigov.com.) Length 52.1 minutes.

In this audio from a public meeting of the Chicago Police Board on Feb 22 2024, a clash took place between the heads of the Chicago Police Dept. and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Length 31.2 minutes.

In this audio piece, Chicago Police Dept. Superintendent Larry Snelling lent support to the controversial Shotspotter system--which Mayor Brandon Johnson has opposed. The top cop's remarks came at a January 13, 2024 public meeting of Chicago's Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability. Length 17.5 minutes.

In this audio piece, a Chicago Police Dept. sergeant revealed unsafe and unhealthy conditions at the 11th District police station on the West Side. Length 9.1 minutes.

In a discussion by journalists Dave Glowacz and Ben Joravsky, Dave and Ben evaluated meetings of the Chicago City Council that took place in November of 2023. In the standard version, council members reacted to 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack's move to censure 35th Ward Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa. In the premium version: One alderman claims, explicitly, what Rosa did to intimidate her; Rosa's act of contrition; controversy around two proposals for referenda to be put before voters in March; and the raucous rules committee meeting. (For the full-length version, subscribe at chigov.com.) Length 11.3 minutes.

In a discussion by journalists Dave Glowacz and Ben Joravsky, Dave and Ben probed audio from several meetings of the Chicago City Council in September, 2023. In the standard version, Mayor Brandon Johnson and aldermen introduced a measure to use real estate transfer taxes for housing the unhoused. In the premium version: aldermen discussed tax-increment financing to buy a building intended as a migrant shelter; a controversy around Mayor Johnson's pick for city comptroller; and why and how the the Sept. 13 full-council "phantom" meeting took place. (For the full-length version, subscribe at chigov.com.) Length 10.3 minutes.

In audio from a June 2, 2023 public meeting, lawyers from the city of Chicago and the American Civil Liberties Union clashed on the pace of police reforms mandated by the 2019 Consent Decree. Length 23.2 minutes.

In this audio piece, a public safety commission member questioned police workforce allocation--a matter also highlighted in a report by Mayor Brandon Johnson's transition team. Length 6.8 minutes.

In this audio piece, members of Chicago’s Use of Force Community Working Group criticized use-of-force training by the Chicago Police Department. Length 8.5 minutes.