32nd Ward Newsletter: January 17, 2025

Dear Scott,

This newsletter has a recap of a week full of news at City Hall and many new events coming up in the ward.

As frigid weather hits Chicago tomorrow, I hope you can take the time to watch over your neighbors in need. The Office of Emergency Management is prepared to assist where they can. When temperatures are at 32 degrees or below – warming areas are available at the City’s six community service centers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The warming areas are available for all residents in need of safe refuge and relief from extreme cold weather. City-operated libraries and park facilities also may activate warming areas, if needed, including during evening hours, weekends and holidays. For assistance after hours, residents should call 311 to be connected to available services – including placement to an available shelter bed. Click here for more info on cold weather resources.

CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. announced his retirement on Monday with Chief of Staff Nora Leershen now serving as the interim president of the CTA.  Mayor Johnson has the authority to appoint a permanent CTA president and I hope that he will undertake an national, if not international search for a qualified person to manage and improve the CTA. While I appreciate Dorval Carter's efforts to finalize funding for the Red Line extension, most of the last few years of his tenure have been riddled with complaints and a lack of trust from transit users and elected officials. As we saw from recent attempts to appoint RTA and CTA board members, the need for expertise in different sectors is badly needed and we need a president that can bring the agency to a new level. The CTA, Metra, PACE and RTA have a $771 million budget gap they need to address this year, as well as moves to consolidate all of the agencies under one group.

This week, the City received a downgrade from Standard & Poor’s (S&P), when they lowered their rating to 'BBB' from 'BBB+' on the city of Chicago's outstanding general obligation (GO) debt. While the Mayor argued this was due to “legacy issues” that are in part true due to our large debt and pension load, he ignored the fact that this 2025 budget failed to take on the structural changes we demanded, and instead added more spending to the pile. S&P stated “The downgrade reflects our view that the 2025 budget leaves intact a sizable structural budgetary imbalance that we expect will make balancing the budget in 2026 and outyears more challenging," and the “rating action also reflects our view that following the 2025 budget negotiations, the city's practical options for raising new revenue appear less certain, as does the willingness of city leadership to cut spending, creating a level of uncertainty around its financial trajectory that is more appropriately reflected in the lower rating.”

Late last year, the Brandon Johnson Administration was pushing a deal that would have allowed them to borrow more to fund operating expenses this year, but we found a loophole and were able to block it on the council floor. I continue to have the same concerns as other finance experts looking at this latest bond issuance of $830 million, one day after the downgrade, with the same intentions of using the funds to pay for operating expenses including legal settlements that we moved away from years ago.

As many of us pointed out during the last budget, we need serious structural changes in our finances. While we have additional increases in property taxes coming from the new developer deals that forego paying their fair share of taxes, a CPS budget that could grow exponentially with a high probability of high interest loans being taken out to pay for the new CTU contract, and now the City borrowing at higher interest rates after a rating downgrade, it will be harder for taxpayers to sustain the tax load. The “sizeable structural budgetary imbalance” that S&P points out has to begin with the 5th floor making concessions on spending beyond our means and implementing structural changes in the 2026 budget. As part of opening these issues up for discussion, I’ve joined Ald. Beale in calling for hearings to investigate impacts of City's credit downgrade to finances and borrowing costs. 

This Monday, our offices will be closed as we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There will be no black or blue cart pick up this day. Residents should ensure their carts are accessible throughout the week of collection, not solely on their regular day of collection. Schools and public offices will be closed with public schools also closed on Tuesday the 22nd for school improvement day for teaching staff. After about 15 years of advocacy, federal legislation was signed in 1983 by Pres. Ronald Reagan creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1994, it was designated as a national day of service calling for Americans to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. In celebration of this holiday, DFSS is hosting a citywide celebratory meal at City DFSS Senior Services Congregate Dining sites on Thursday, January 23, 2025. This event encourages a day of unity and reflection and serves as the kickoff to the Passport to the World Special Cultural Meals Program. See below for the flyer.

Have a good weekend,

Alderman Scott Waguespack

Council Ordinance to Ban Dual Employment

This week, I submitted an ordinance in City Council to prohibit any Mayor of Chicago and appointed staff from having conflicts of interest with sister agencies and to avoid the appearance of impropriety. The ordinance was thrown into the Rules Committee by Ald. Hall, where it will have to sit for a couple of months until we can schedule a hearing.   

It is now known that the Mayor has been serving as our Mayor while simultaneously being on official leave with CPS and directing negotiations with the CTU contract talks. Whether in government or private sectors, there are clear definitive lines that should not be crossed and this is one of them.

Mayor Johnson cannot objectively carry out his responsibilities to the taxpayers while he takes advantage of the discussions and financial benefits of the CPS/CTU negotiations.

His present positions are problematic for the City and he should pick one position or the other. The Mayor misrepresenting the public about an opinion from the Board of Ethics that he is in a legally sound position furthers the distrust the public has in his statements. This ordinance, like others in the past, would put an end to any conflict by requiring the Mayor and other mayoral appointees to end their leaves of absence and work wholly on the behalf of taxpayers and not their own financial self interests. 

There is nothing that prevents the Mayor from returning to a classroom when he is finished as Mayor. The Mayor’s comment about council members who held police and fire positions is also misleading. These members vote on a contract that may affect them but they have no authority in negotiations of these contracts which are all undertaken by the mayor and his handpicked legal team, much like the CPS-CTU negotiations. And, unlike the aldermen, the Mayor has direct influence and control in the negotiations. Aldermen are required to publicly disclose any conflicts in voting, often recusing themselves from votes, and should recuse themselves from any discussion in which they have a potential financial benefit. i.e. on a zoning matter, contracts, investments by family, etc. It took us years to pass these council rules to end the type of self benefiting that was happening on votes. 

Like in many other jurisdictions, an official with a disqualifying conflict of interest may not make, participate in making, or use his or her position to influence a governmental decision. A Mayor, or any appointed staff or others, should not be using his or her position to influence a decision beneficial to themselves including directing a decision, voting, providing inside information or double dealing with a sister agency such as CPS. 

Several aldermen have signed onto the ordinance and we look forward to having a hearing in the near future. 



2-156-080 Conflicts of interest; appearance of impropriety. (d) The Mayor and all appointed, non-employee executive officials shall not serve as an official, contractor, or employee of any Sister Agency, including maintaining employment status through taking a leave of absence; provided, however, that this subsection shall not apply to any such individual serving as an ex officio member of any quasi-governmental or intergovernmental board by virtue of their position as a City official pursuant to applicable law. Nothing in this subsection shall limit the Mayor’s authority under applicable State law. SECTION 2. This ordinance shall take effect 10 days after passage and publication.

A couple of City Ethics Rules also give us good guidance on passing this ordinance to hold a mayor accountable:

• City elected officials and employees may not represent, or receive anything of value from the representation of, any person in any judicial, quasijudicial or administrative proceeding in which the City is an adverse party or that may adversely affect City revenue, financial, or the health, safety, welfare or relative tax burden of City residents.
• City elected officials and employees may not contact other City officials or employees regarding any matter involving a person or organization with whom they have a business relationship that creates a financial interest for them, or involving a person from whom or which they, their spouse/domestic partner, or a business either of them own, have derived or expect to derive compensation or income with 12 months before or after the contact.

• Board of Ethics said it did not give Mayor Brandon Johnson an opinion about CPS leave
• Mayor Brandon Johnson faced ethics concerns over ties to Chicago Public Schools and teachers union, according to memo

Public Safety Section

Help Shape OIG’s Project Priorities for 2025

The Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published two draft documents outlining details of over 50 proposed projects under consideration for 2025. OIG invites you to read the plans and take the Community Feedback Survey to provide your feedback here.

32nd Ward Lathrop Homes Project Moving Ahead with 218 New Affordable Housing Units

This week we secured funding for the redevelopment of the south side of Lathrop Homes, which was remapped into the 32nd Ward during the last redistricting cycle. I want to thank all my council colleagues for supporting this final phase of the Lathrop Redevelopment project. This project will include 218 affordable and Chicago Housing Authority units among a total of 309 units on the south side of the site.

This is a victory for the residents that make up this community, for historic preservation, and for sustainable development. While the Lathrop Homes were in the 1st Ward for many years, the redistricting allowed us to focus in on getting this third phase of the Lathrop project moving. Building affordable housing was always a focus of this project and I give credit to the development team and CHA for taking into account the community input from day one. Advocacy for the affordable housing came from our neighborhood organizations and neighbors. This has been accomplished without the developer denying affordable housing in the first place and then pushing more property taxes onto the backs of local taxpayers while you are being asked to pay more in property taxes.

The project will include the renovation of seven historic residential buildings and the construction of a new five-story residential building. The powerhouse building at the southern edge of the site will be converted into a commercial building and we are looking for businesses that could use the building. The new construction building will include a community room to serve Lathrop residents. The existing senior citizens building will remain and we will look for new improvements there in the future. The plan also preserves key components of the existing open space, designed by world renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen.

Funding for this phase comes from a variety of sources that took time and effort to put together, including Tax Increment Financing (TIF), low-income housing tax credits, and bonds. The Department of Housing is currently administering a request for funding from Lathrop Community Partners for the Preservation Phase. The financing request includes $25M of TIF, $4.5M of Donation Tax Credits, along with a request for $100M of bonds that will be used to facilitate federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits that will generate roughly $38M in private equity. The $100M of bonds will be repaid through private debt and CHA public housing funds. In addition to the support from the City of Chicago, the project will receive another $4.5M in Donation Tax Credits from the Illinois Housing Development Authority and will also generate roughly $22M in Historic Tax Credit equity.

This upcoming project presents a unique opportunity to simultaneously provide more CHA and affordable units in the 32nd Ward. This supply of housing is being done in a way that is harmonious with the context and character of the surrounding neighborhood. I look forward to working with both existing and new neighborhood residents to ensure that the next phase of Lathrop continues the success of the prior phase. Bringing these new units on-line in a manner that preserves the character of the historic Lathrop Homes site is an accomplishment the entire community can be proud of, and that other projects can emulate.  

1840 N. Marcey Update

Many of you have heard about the 1840 Marcey development and I want to clear up the distortion of the facts and reasoning behind the recent request for compromises on the project. At no point has my office rejected development on this site outright. On the contrary, along with neighbors and neighborhood groups we have asked for sustainable development with the developer building affordable housing, and paying their required share of taxes and not laying those tax burdens on you as a taxpayer.

Sterling Bay and the Johnson Administration are now asking us to sign off on a property tax abatement for the entire property, that would put the entire property tax burden on you as a taxpayer for the first three years, with annual abatements for the next thirty years. This low affordability law was enacted by state legislators without thinking about the impact on local taxpayers. The numbers for these two buildings thrown out by Sterling Bay at the latest meeting simply don’t tell you, the taxpayer, the real impact on your tax bill. If it were built as apartments, using Sterling Bay’s own math, it would be a more than $100 million dollar property tax increase on the rest of the property taxpayers, and if it flips to condos, you could pick up hundreds of millions more over the thirty years of tax reductions for the developer. If that is multiplied by each new development, our tax bills will skyrocket outside the normal budget process. I brought this up to the municipal finance people this week, and talked about the impact on our City budgets. It would be a backdoor tax raise that would last for decades to come. We have also reached out to the County Assessor to get their input on the impact to your tax bill.

Leading up to the 2025 budget, I heard from people all across the City asking us to avoid a property tax hike at all costs while this Administration pushed for a $300 million tax increase. We responded and, like years past, have tried to hold the line on property taxes as best we can. In this Marcey scenario, you are being asked by the developer to foot the bill. Yes, there would be some taxes paid, but the proportion is far less than you would have to pay on your home, your business and ultimately as a renter. As this has become the norm for many new developments, you would watch as your property taxes increase in order to pick up the percentage not carried on new projects. 

The developer demands all the benefits of a Transit Oriented Development but ignores the TOD parking requirements. The large level of off-street parking guarantees significant increases in traffic congestion in an area already struggling with gridlock. Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs) are supposed to be approved with no parking or far less than what this proposal demands. 

Additionally, the developer wanted to send the affordable units off site into some other neighborhoods, not building them on their development, which often means the affordable units are not built. While they compromised in response to the feedback of neighbors and my office that all of the affordable units should be built on-site, you still pick up the tax bill. 

After the area was redistricted into the 32nd Ward last year, we held the first community meeting and took significant input from neighbors and the community group RANCH Triangle. Neighbors pointed out the need for a compromise on the project including a reduction in height, parking, and adding affordable units onsite per the city code. 

This area is a buffer area per the North Branch Framework Plan. There was never an assumption that towers would be built here, unlike the Lincoln Yards site that has sat undeveloped for over five years, despite having ALL of the zoning and building entitlements given to Sterling Bay under the Emanuel Administration. Contrary to the fake rage being thrown around about no development in the area, we have actually worked with the City and developer several times to advocate for new designs, new businesses, and new development on Lincoln Yards. It is now in Sterling Bay’s court to proceed with the development they have already been given permission to build.

On Marcey, we have engaged in the work of reaching an effective compromise between the preferences of developers, the financial feasibility of projects, and the concerns of the community. The community proposal asked for at least an eight-story residential building with up to 400 units, including 20% affordable units on site, and a reduced demand on vehicles. This would have still allowed for a mixed use development in the area yet would have maintained some connection to and respected the context and character of the surrounding neighborhood. The response was that this was completely unacceptable because it didn’t meet the developer's bottom line. 

I want to thank the neighbors and RANCH Triangle for their continued efforts to build an inclusive, transit, pedestrian and bike friendly, mixed-use neighborhood that has not said no to development, but has continually asked for balanced development that includes affordable housing. We will continue to work with the developer to get a development amenable to taxpayers and the community.

Lincoln Park Sewer Main Project #7158

Weekly Update

Status: (In progress, sewer side only: 60%)

• Schubert from Southport to Lakewood: mainline sewer installed, installation of catch basins completed.

• Lakewood from Schubert to Wrightwood: mainline sewer installed; installation of catch basins and PDs still in progress.

• Wayne from Schubert to 250 feet south: mainline sewer in progress; crews will continue laying pipes. There could be a possible interruption of gas and water services on the 2600 block of N Wayne only during working hours.

Lead Service Line Replacement program (water side) and PD corrective work will start after completion of sewer side.

Traffic Control: The intersection Schubert/Wayne will remain fully open. The 2600 block of N Wayne will remain closed and there will be limited parking on the street.  

Daily Guest Parking Passes Update

Please be aware that the City Clerk has updated their process for first-time residents to register to purchase daily guest parking passes. You will no longer email EZBuy@CityofChicago.org; instead, you can complete an online form here. Please note that the online registration process may take approximately 10 business days for a response. If you prefer same-day access to guest passes, you can register in person at any City Clerk location listed here and purchase parking passes there. If you have an updated driver's license showing your current address, you can also purchase them at our office. Also a reminder that a sheet of parking passes now costs $15 per sheet.

Senior Property Tax Deferral Program

***Last day to file for Tax Year 2024 is March 1, 2025.  Per state law, there are no time extensions.***

The Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral program is a tax-relief program that works like a low interest loan. It allows qualified seniors to defer a maximum of $7,500 per tax year (this includes 1st and 2nd installments) on their primary home.



Applications are available at the Cook County Treasurer's Office after January 1 through the March 1 application deadline. To find out more information click here or watch any of the following Cook County Treasurer's Office videos.

Inglés:

https://youtu.be/rBztUDzNkaI?si=eDjMfPeea-NIYetm

Español:

https://youtu.be/JotytXLd1K4?si=DZx7iCSKPw6GJvv4

Polaco:

https://youtu.be/rPsN6-oyXRY?si=6ddGzMXWTvAUTwyC

Live Ice Sculpting

Organized by SSA 27, enjoy a live ice sculpting activation in Lakeview to liven up your weekend. Watch Master Ice Carvers make winter magic happen as they sculpt a block of ice into a beautiful creation of the audience’s choosing! Bring your ideas, as the ice sculptor will ask the audience for suggestions of what to create.

SSA 27 will provide food trucks on both days of the event, offering complimentary beverages and bites to help keep attendees warm. This event is free and open to the public, with no registration required.

Saturday, January 25th: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

CTA Paulina Brown Line Station (3411 N Paulina St)

Sunday, January 26th: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

St Alphonsus Church (1429 W Wellington Ave)

Openings Available for Assisted Living!

ADHD + Anxiety Live Podcast at D'Agostino's

Lincoln Park Preschool Fair

The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce is making the process of choosing the right preschool easier with the first-ever Lincoln Park Preschool Fair. Partnering with the Lincoln Park Library Branch, this exciting event takes place on Saturday, January 25. The Lincoln Park Preschool Fair offers a unique opportunity to connect with some of the neighborhood's top preschools—all in one convenient location!

Saturday, January 25

9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Lincoln Park Library Branch

1150 W. Fullerton

First Fridays with WPB Arts!

This monthly event will highlight businesses that operate as galleries, pop-up galleries, non-art related businesses who display local artists works, & more! We want to promote and celebrate all of the ways our businesses in WPB supports artists and showcase how special each effort is to our community. Fill out is form below to include your space in First Fridays!

The next First Friday will be February 7th!

City News

• Calls Widen for Police District Councilor’s Resignation
• Chicagoans Kept Nearly 300 Tons of Food Out of Landfills Thanks to City Composting Program
• How Ya Like Me Plow? Finalists Revealed in Chicago’s Snowplow Naming Contest, Vote for Your Favorites
• Voting Open: Here’s Where to Cast Your Ballot for a New Illinois State Flag
• Chicago Police Helicopter Tracked Down Men Who Carjacked 2 Drivers in 3 Minutes on North Side: Reports
• Judge Who Released Man Suspected of Murdering Wife Is Reassigned to Traffic Court