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Joe Moore
PI Original
by Ellyn Fortino
5:27pm
Fri May 10

The Votes Are In: A Look At Participatory Budgeting In Chicago

More than 2,600 residents in four Chicago wards voted for community projects that will be funded by “menu money” last weekend as part of the participatory budgeting process. We take a closer look at the process and projects that were chosen.

PI Original
by Ellyn Fortino
6:15pm
Wed May 8

During Chaotic City Council Meeting, Emanuel Introduces Parking Meter Deal Changes & LGBT Athlete Resolution Passes

Here's a look at some of the highlights from today's Chicago City Council meeting.

PI Original
by Ellyn Fortino
7:12pm
Tue May 7

LGBT Advocates, Sports Leaders Urge Chicago City Council To Pass Resolution In Support Of Gay Athletes (VIDEO)

Chicago-area LGBT organizations and members of the sports world testified at a public hearing Tuesday in support of a resolution that encourages commissioners of major sports leagues to publicly state support for their gay athletes. The resolution is expected to go up for a full city council vote Wednesday.

Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
12:41pm
Tue Apr 23

Chicago's 5th Ward Residents Offer Up Ways To Spend Ward Money To Improve The Community

South Side residents unveiled plans for new sidewalks, a community garden and other infrastructure needs to be created with Ald. Leslie Hairston's (5th) $1.3 million in “menu money” at the ward's final participatory budgeting expo.

The projects are set to go up for a community vote next week.

Aldermen typically decide how to spend their pot of discretionary funds for ward improvements like fixing potholes and adding street signals, but participatory budgeting puts the decision-making process in the hands of the community.

"With your voice and your help, not only do you get a better understanding of how much things cost and what it takes to get a project from conception to completion, but also, I think, it helps to walk down the street and see a light post and know that you had a part in putting that light post there," Hairston told a few dozen residents at the expo, held at the Catholic Theological Union over the weekend. Read more »

Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
10:34am
Tue Apr 16

Residents Of Chicago's 45th Ward Consider Ways To Spend Ward Money

Residents of the 45th ward are able to contribute to the decision-making process for discretionary capital funding for the first time this year, as Ald. John Arena (45th) joined three other aldermen in the Participatory Budgeting Project.

“The exciting thing is that residents get to decide which aspects of community improvements they want to focus on,” said Arena.

Participatory budgeting allows residents to vote on which infrastructure upgrades should receive financing from $1.3 million in city funds, known as “menu money.”

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
2:50pm
Thu Apr 11

49th Ward Hosts Community Budgeting Meeting Geared Towards Latino Community

Rogers Park residents gathered for the final installation of the 49th ward Participatory Budgeting Project Expo last night and listened to proposed infrastructure projects for their community.

The meeting, which was entirely in Spanish, was geared specifically for Rogers Park’s Hispanic residents.

Project organizers said they hoped the Spanish-language meeting would boost civic engagement from the community’s Hispanic population.

“It’s been a challenge to get the Latino community to participate, and the idea was that if we provided them with a space where they could dialogue about the projects it would be easier for Spanish-speakers to participate,” said Jose Melendez, a volunteer mentor to the Participatory Budgeting Spanish Language Committee and member of the Participatory Budgeting Leadership Committee.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
2:57pm
Tue Apr 9

Uptown Residents Unveil Community-Inspired Projects At Participatory Budgeting Expo

Uptown residents laid out their plans last night on how they’d like to divvy up the 46th Ward’s $1.3 million “menu money” budget as part of a new participatory budgeting process some Chicago aldermen are adopting.

Each year, Chicago aldermen receive city funds and decide how to use the pot of money for infrastructure needs in their wards, such as improving sidewalks, traffic signals and streetlights. 

The participatory budgeting process allows residents to decide how the money is spent based on a community vote.

Prior to participatory budgeting, Ald. James Cappleman (46th) said he and his staffers would ride their bikes down streets and alleys looking for areas of improvement in the ward, which was “very inefficient.”

“This (participatory budgeting) process understands that those people who know the ward the best are those who live in it,” Cappleman said to about 30 residents at an expo yesterday showcasing the proposed projects. Read more »

PI Original
by Aricka Flowers
10:24pm
Wed Mar 13

Second So-Called Progressive Caucus Emerges In Chicago City Council, Begging The Question Of Why?

A second group of aldermen, calling themselves the Paul Douglas Alliance (after the liberal Illinois U.S. Senator and former member of the Chicago City Council), announced they are forming a new so-called progressive caucus. The move comes one day after the council's original progressive caucus, the Progressive Reform Coalition, announced their legislative priorities. Progress Illinois breaks down what the formation of the second progressive caucus could really mean.

Quick Hit
by Steven Ross Johnson
4:41pm
Tue Mar 12

Rally On Social Policies Morphs Into Protest At Ald. Moore's Home (VIDEO)

What started out as a neighborhood gathering in support of various public policy changes quickly turned into a march, which culminated into a rally outside the front doorstep of the home of 49th Ward Chicago Alderman Joe Moore.

A diverse crowd of hundreds that included college students, residents, community activists as well as several elected officials, attended the public meeting held Sunday evening in the Willye White Field House in Rogers Park.

The event, held by the community group Northside P.O.W.E.R., brought together various interests under a common theme of what they described as the “corporatization” of such public concerns as education, healthcare, affordable housing and taxes.

“This is a fight against corporate power and greed,” said Northside P.O.W.E.R. Chairwoman Beth Lanford. “This is a fight against the corporatization of our society. We must stop the process of turning our common good into their private gain.”

Read more »