Outgoing Mayor Richard Daley jumped head-first yesterday into some of
the most contentious city and statewide debates involving incarceration
and crime.
Citing health concerns, Chicago Ald. Patrick Levar (45th Ward) confirmed that he will not seek re-election. That news, coupled with the recent announcement that Ald. Ed Smith (28th Ward) would also be stepping down at the end of his term, means there will be at least nine new members in the City Council in 2011.
On Wednesday, Chicago Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) and a handful of co-sponsors will introduce an ordinance that would require the city to set aside 20
percent of all new tax increment financing (TIF) revenue to jumpstart affordable housing
projects. We look at how such an investment would buoy the city's housing market and create jobs.
