Citizen's Bulletin: The Mayoral Runoff & Other News in Chicago Politics
UChicago Democracy Initative
February 24-March 3, 2019
The Citizen Bulletin’s news highlights from this week include: Alderman Leslie Hairston will face a runoff election against William Calloway on April 2nd; Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will face a runoff election against Lori Lightfoot on April 2nd; Maggie Hickey was appointed as independent monitor, putting into effect the Chicago police consent decree
CHICAGO CITY GOVERNMENT
Alderman Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) ~ call your alderman! (773) 324-5555
Feb 25: Announced that a Shop & Save Market will open at Jeffery Plaza, 2101 E. 71st St; bringing a full service grocery store to an area that has lacked one since 2013
Feb 26: Earned 48 percent% of the vote in her bid for reelection against two other candidates; she will face a runoff against challenger Will Calloway on April 2nd
Alderman Willie Cochran (20th Ward) ~ call your alderman! (773) 955-5610
[No News]
Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) ~ call your mayor! (312) 744-3300
Feb 27: Announced the final recommendations of the Mayoral Task Force on Employment and Economic Opportunity for People with Disabilities
March 1: Released statement on the appointment of independent monitor Maggie Hickey to oversee police reforms in accordance with the Chicago police consent decree
COOK COUNTY BOARD
President Toni Preckwinkle ~ call your Cook County board president! (312) 603-6400
Feb 26: Placed second in the Chicago Mayoral election, putting her into an April 2 runoff against Lori Lightfoot
ILLINOIS STATE GOVERNMENT
Representative Curtis Tarver (D–District 25) ~ call your state rep!
[No News]
Senator Robert Peters (D–District 13) ~ call your state senator!
[No News]
Governor JB Pritzker (D–IL) ~ call your governor!
Feb 25: Proposed ending a private school tax credit in follow-up to budget speech
Feb 26: Called for removing the cap on the federal Statealt and Local Tax (SALT) deduction imposed by legislators as part of President Trump’s overhauall, joining a coalition of governors
Feb 27: Faced a threat of a possible credit downgrade for his proposed budget, which relies on instating a graduated-rate income tax, as well as legalizing and taxing marijuana
Feb 28: Appointed new members to the Illinois Tollway Board, including an engineer union leader
U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Representative Bobby Rush (D–IL1) ~ call your representative! (773) 779-2400
Feb 27: Lauded House approval of firearm background check legislation
Feb 27: Lauded House approval of a measure to terminate President Trump’s US-Mexico border emergency declaration
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 886-3506
Mar Feb 26: Introduced the Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act, which would expand medicare coverage to cover breast prosthetics for breast cancer patients and survivors
Feb 28: Re-Introduced the PROVE Act, which would allow 16 and 17 year old citizens to pre-register to vote so that they will automatically be added to voter rolls when they turn 18.
Mar 1: Penned a letter, along with Senator Durbin, calling on Amtrak to take steps to prevent equipment failures after a computer system failure created delays and overcrowding in Chicago’s Union Station.
Senator Richard Durbin (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 353-4952
Feb 26: Proposed legislation, along with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), to address waste from excess prescription drug packaging
Feb 27: Voted against President Trump’s EPA nominee Andrew Wheeler
Feb 27: Succeeded in getting the Department of Education to withdraw funding from Argosy University, which had been defrauding students on their financial aid
President Donald Trump (R) ~ call your president! (202) 456-1414
March 3: Concluded a summit with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam without reaching an agreement on nuclear weapons reduction
The Citizen Bulletin is a product of the University of Chicago Democracy Initiative (UCDI). UCDI is proudly supported by Andrew Goodman Foundation’s nonpartisan Vote Everywhere project. In addition to the UCDI website, you can find past versions of the bulletin here. For news closer to campus, subscribe to the twice weekly newsletter produced by our partners at the Chicago Maroon.
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