Lincoln Park
Ald. Michele Smith deserves praise for leading an effort to demand more public open space in one of the biggest developments Chicago has seen in years, Lincoln Yards. That said, we see — or hope to see — a sea change in how business gets done at City Hall with the election of a brand new mayor and City Council. Most especially, Chicago needs a more independent Council, led by aldermen who have the policy chops to hold their own. Our endorsement goes to Derek Lindblom, who was Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s lead negotiator on getting local unions to buy in to pension reforms that the Illinois Supreme Court later struck down. Lindblom knows the pros and cons of all the various revenue proposals floating around, such as the specious LaSalle Street tax, which he says would fail in practice because of the advanced technology now used in trading. And then there’s TIF reform; Lindblom has proposed specific changes. Also running are Steven McClellan, Jacob Ringer, Leslie Fox and Rebecca Janowitz.
