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BRRN CHI Conjunctural Analysis 2025-2026, History of Chicago's mayoral…

- - - - In the 20th century, the Democratic Party was dominant (though the republicans had a machine of their own). Before the 30s, Irish, Polish, Italian, and other groups were divided within the Party, each controlling their own neighborhoods. This changed when Anton Cermak united the bases into a cohesive party apparatus. He was then elected in 1931, and remained in office until his assassination in 1933.
        
        The Party used funds from the New Deal and Great Society programs to maintain control of the city. This allowed for machine politics to persist in Chicago after the decline of similar machines in other cities.
        
        In the modern era, the machine was dominated by the Cook County Democratic Party, starting with Richard J. Daley in 1955-1976. A few years later, Harold Washington became the first African American mayor in 1983. His tenure lasted until his death in 1987. The Daleys returned to office with Richard J. Daley’s son, Richard M. Daley. He was in office from 1989 until 2011, surpassing the longest time in office, previously held by his father.
        
        Political corruption runs rampant in Chicago. From the monolithic domination of the Democratic Party, to the sheer number of federal corruption public corruption convictions, this makes Chicago "undoubtedly the most corrupt city in our nation", with the cost of corruption "at least" $500 million per year.
        
        while on the national level
- - - - The members are:
        
        Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th ward)
        
        Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd ward)
        
        Jeanette Taylor (20th ward)
        
        Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th ward)
        
        Daniel La Spata (1st ward)
        
        Angela Clay (46th ward)
  - - - The progressive caucus was founded by 9 alderman in 2013 after being a loose coalition since 2012. They’ve:
        
        Urged the mayor at the time, lori lightfoot to “city's budget deficit by enacting a financial transaction tax or corporate head tax, rather than increasing property taxes or making cuts to city services”.
        
        Renewed calls for new contract with CPD during the George Floyd protests, and criticized CPD for its actions at a protest on July 17 in Grant Park.
- - - - Crime in Chicago (Political corruption)
        
        Chicago has a long history of public, political corruption. The FBI has done numerous operations to indict public officials.
        
        Operation Greylord in the 1980s was the most successful undercover operation in the FBI’s history, and “uncovered massive and systemic corruption in Chicago's judicial system.”
        
        Operation Incubator in the late 1980s into the 1990s led to a dozen convictions or guilty pleas.
        
        Operation Gambat in 1990 brought “a wide range of charges against a Chicago judge, a state senator, an alderman, and two others relating to corruption in the Cook County Circuit Court, the Illinois Senate, and the Chicago City Council. Four were convicted and a fifth died during trial.”
        
        Operation Silver Shovel in the 1990s went after corruption in labor unions, organized crime, and other city government officials. It led to the conviction of 6 chicago aldermen and a dozen other local officials.
        
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      - If Cermak is the founder of “the machine”, Richard J. Daley brought it to its pinnacle. He was may from 1955 until his death in 1976, and served as the Cook County Democratic Central Committee from 1953 until his death. During this time, Daley had tons of influence over Democratic candidates, and was believed to control over 40,000 patronage jobs.
        
        At the beginning of his term, many municipal projects commenced: “new sewers, street lighting, police and fire personnel, parking facilities, and more. He also oversaw several large development projects during his tenure, including O'Hare airport, a local branch of the University of Illinois, and an expressway network.”
        
        The poverty rate also saw an increase during his tenure. Between the 70s and the 80s, the rate increased to ⅕ residents, the highest rates of which happened on the mostly Black South and West sides. J. Daley opposed affirmative action and integration.
        
        In 1969, Michael Shakman filed a federal lawsuit against “The Democratic Organization of Cook County” that included several party officials, Mayor Daley, and the City of Chicago. This led to an agreement in 1972 to end politically motivated firings and demotings, and the end of politically motivated hiring and promotion of employees in 1983.
        
        An anti-machine candidate in Harold Washington came on the scene as Chicago’s first Black mayor in 1983. The election had a record turnout, and Washington won with 52% of the vote. His platform included increasing affordable housing, rehabilitation of neighborhoods, and implementing affirmative action in city government. He died shortly after his re-election in 1987.
        
        The longest serving mayor was Richard M. Daley, J. Daley’s son. He was elected in 1989 and served until his retirement in 2011. M. Daley “pulled together the remaining white ethnic machine bosses, Hispanics and white liberals, including a growing and politically viable gay community, to start a new mini-machine”.
        
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- - - - To go back to the beginning, Chicago politics began after European settlers won the Black Hawk War in 1832. Chicago got its incorporation charter in 1833. There was a contest between public needs and private interests. Money was needed for infrastructure, but Chicago only had a property tax, which residents weren’t eager to pay. Private interests prevailed until the civil war era.
        
        By the 1850s ethnic rivalries gradually were becoming a part of chicago politics. Home rule efforts stoked these rivalries, and resurfaced when prominent men tried to control relief and rebuilding in the city after the fire of 1871. This and other events, such as the railroad strike of 1877 and the haymarket massacre of 1886 led to politics becoming a struggle among various groups to control municipal government for their advantage.
        
        “Worker exploitation, extremes of wealth and poverty, and the corruption of both businessmen and politicians all existed in Chicago because neither federal nor local governments had the power to confront the worst aspects of economic and social injustices that were multiplying in the nation's cities.” This created the space for political machines to form, trading favors for votes.
        
        “every municipal election was first a contest over who would control each party and then a contest among the parties to determine who would run the city. But the Democratic Party undercut all attempts to build a workers' party through patronage, promises to govern the city to the benefit of immigrants and the working class, and an alliance with the Chicago Federation of Labor. At the same time, the Republican Party became increasingly the party of the middle class and business and professional men.”
        
        “Chicago women did not fit neatly into Chicago party politics. Neither Democrats nor Republicans made any serious overtures to securing the party loyalty of women, who, despite gaining municipal suffrage in 1913, remained largely excluded from Chicago politics. The parties refused to nominate women for municipal offices and male voters largely refused to vote for any woman who stood as candidate. Chicago women practiced party politics, but they were much more likely than men in the decades immediately following woman suffrage to vote for the candidate rather than the party and especially to vote for any woman running for municipal office.”
        
        “Mayor Richard J. Daley (1955–1976) also kept the city and party financially sound by exploiting the state's refusal earlier in the century to consolidate the city and county governments or to give the city more control over municipal services such as the public schools. Cook County, for example, remained responsible for providing and funding many social services and maintaining the only public hospitals so that the city has never had to bear their financial burden. Although the mayor appointed the Board of Education, the school system was independent of the municipal government and its funding kept separate from the municipal budget. This structure meant that the mayor's office could simultaneously exert influence on the schools and disavow any political responsibility for managing or funding the system.”
        
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- - - - Governor
      - Lieutenant Governor
      - Secretary of State
      - Attorney General
      - Comptroller (Auditor before 1972)
      - Treasurer
    - - What The Gov: What Does It Mean To Have Six Democratic Socialists on the Chicago City Council?
        
        The DSA city council caucus sees itself as pushing the progressive caucus further left, to push the proposals they make further, to be more radical. The way that they do this may put some people off. One of the main ways that they might do this is through getting activist community input on policy, where other aldermen might see activists as “rabble rousers”.
        
        With the DSAers in office, a question remains on how far they can move the needle and build coalitions and get policies passed that doesn’t “make others balk.”
- - - - The city will eliminate 30-day shelter extensions based on the "Public Benefit enrollment" extension that's currently available.
      - Limit first-time shelter placement at the Landing Zone to only those families and single people who have been in the country less than 30 days.
      - Reducing hours at the Landing Zone to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting on Nov. 1.
      - Closing the Landing Zone and the state-run intake center on Dec. 31.
      - Starting in the new year, those needing housing will be required to call 311.”