On Background: WBEZ's Politics Podcast

A second alderman is in the crosshairs of federal authorities. Last week, Ald. Danny Solis (25th) was revealed to be wearing a wire in the case against powerful Alderman Ed Burke (14th). This week, a series of stories from the Chicago Sun-Times explains why Solis’ has been cooperating with the FBI. Turns out, the feds built a case against him in 2014, involving Viagra, a massage parlor, and a party at Oprah’s former farm, as well as lots of personal spending from campaign accounts. The 120-page affidavit obtained by the Sun Times also outlined a meeting Solis arranged between a Chinese hotel developer and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Jon Seidel, reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times, joins host Becky Vevea with the latest.

We all hate them. But parking and traffic camera tickets generate millions for the city of Chicago every year. A WBEZ/ProPublica Illinois investigation reveals that system puts a huge burden on the very people who can least afford it. We look at how one ticket can ruin someone’s life, and what mayoral candidates will do to change the discriminatory system.

There are hundreds of neighborhoods in the city of Chicago and 15 candidates vying to represent all of them. Many communities have been left behind in the city's economic growth and dozens of prominent neighborhood activist groups want that to end. This week, many of those organizations are pushing the candidates to break from the horse race and the mudslinging to talk about the issues most important to their communities. Learn about some of the top issues facing Chicagoans at the street-level. Reporting by Linda Lutton and Becky Vevea. Editing by Alex Keefe and Cate Cahan. Production by Becky Vevea and Justin Bull.  Each week at On Background, WBEZ’s team of political reporters brings you the backstory on the week's big story. Host Becky Vevea and guests take you inside the back rooms of Chicago and Illinois government to better understand the people, places and forces shaping today’s politics.

A handful of the races for alderman this February are especially hot races. That's in part because they touch on issues deeply important to Chicago right now. Issues like the Obama Presidential Center (20th Ward), rapid gentrification (25th Ward), big money in politics (47th Ward), and old guard Chicago politics versus new guard Chicago politics (40th Ward).  WBEZ’s Becky Vevea talks with A.D Quig from The Daily Line about why these wards will be so interesting to watch this spring.  Editing by Cate Cahan and Alex Keefe. Production by Justin Bull.

Federal authorities have charged Chicago’s longest-serving alderman with a single count of attempted extortion. The charge comes a month after the FBI raided Ald. Edward Burke’s City Hall and neighborhood offices. The WBEZ politics team takes a closer look at what the feds say Burke did and what it all means for Chicago politics.  Reporting for this episode comes from Dan Mihalopoulos, Kristen Schorsch, Claudia Morell, Alex Keefe, and Becky Vevea. Editing by Alex Keefe. Production by Justin Bull. Each week at On Background, WBEZ’s team of political reporters brings you the backstory on the week's big story. Host Becky Vevea and guests take you inside the back rooms of Chicago and Illinois government to better understand the people, places and forces shaping today’s politics.

Nearly two dozen candidates scrambled to get into the race to become Chicago’s next mayor. Now, some are struggling to stay in it. We'll break down the strange battle to get on the ballot that all campaigns seem to love talking about and update you on who's in, who's out, and what the process tells us about the people who want to run Chicago.  Editing by Al Keefe. Production by Justin Bull.  Each week at On Background, WBEZ’s team of political reporters brings you the backstory on the week's big story. Host Becky Vevea and guests take you inside the back rooms of Chicago and Illinois government to better understand the people, places and forces shaping today’s politics.

This week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel put forward a road map for his successor to fix the city’s beleaguered pensions. The directions include: legalizing pot, opening a casino in Chicago, borrowing money, and changing the state constitution. WBEZ’s Al Keefe, Claudia Morell and host Becky Vevea explain what pensions are, how Chicago’s pensions got so messed up, why the solutions are so difficult, and why you should give a s*** about it right now. Editing by Al Keefe. Production by Justin Bull. Each week at On Background, WBEZ’s team of political reporters brings you the backstory on the week's big story. Host Becky Vevea and guests take you inside the back rooms of Chicago and Illinois government to better understand the people, places and forces shaping today’s politics.

In the time it has taken for a child to grow up in Chicago, city leaders have either closed or re-staffed some 200 public schools — nearly a third of the entire district. A new WBEZ investigation looks at the 70,000 children - 90 percent of them black - affected by the tactic of closing and opening schools as a way to improve education. On this episode of On Background, we get the backstory of how a generation of school closings has changed Chicago politics. Reporting for this episode comes from Adriana Cardona-Maguigad, Sarah Karp, Linda Lutton, Kate McGee, and Becky Vevea. Editing by Kate Grossman and Al Keefe. Production by Justin Bull.

Alderman Ed Burke is one of the 50 members of Chicago’s City Council. He’s also the longest tenured, and arguably the most influential.  So why did FBI agents raid both of his offices on Thursday, covering his doors with brown butcher paper and later leaving out the back door with boxes of materials? This week on On Background, the WBEZ politics team takes you behind the scenes, and unpacks Burke’s legacy of power. Each week at On Background, WBEZ’s team of political reporters brings you the backstory on the week's big story. Host Becky Vevea and guests take you inside the back rooms of Chicago and Illinois government to better understand the people, places and forces shaping today’s politics.

It’s a Chicago tradition: Monday was the first day candidates could submit signatures to get on the ballot for the Feb. 26 citywide elections. It’s a day that officially kicks off campaign election season in Chicago, and it was a bleary-eyed, show-boating political circus. WBEZ’s Claudia Morrell was there. She explains what happened and what’s next. We’ll be back with full episodes next week. Happy Thanksgiving! Each week at On Background, WBEZ’s team of political reporters brings you the backstory on the week's big story. Host Becky Vevea and guests take you inside the back rooms of Chicago and Illinois government to better understand the people, places and forces shaping today’s politics.