Rahm Emanuel

There’s an alternative to Rahm’s proposed $750M in property tax increases

By Benjamin VanMetre
05/02/2014
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is calling for a $750 million property tax increase on Chicago residents over the next five years in his recent pension proposal. And his proposed “reform” plan covers only the city’s municipal and laborers pension funds. That doesn’t include whatever tax increases he’s got planned to fund the pensions of teachers,...

Illinois Corruption Watch: April 2014

By Brian Costin
04/30/2014
45.  April 30, 2014 Sun-Times: Criminal probe of Quinn anti-violence plan rocks governor’s race A criminal grand jury has launched a probe into Gov. Pat Quinn’s troubled anti-violence program —  once likened to “a political slush fund” — delivering a major blow to the Democrat as he seeks re-election this fall. On Tuesday, the Quinn...

Quinn’s Chicago bailout

04/29/2014
For months Gov. Pat Quinn has campaigned on the need to make permanent the temporary tax hike the Illinois General Assembly passed in 2011. Under state law, the majority of the 2011 tax increase will sunset in January 2015. Quinn wants to reverse that. He claims the state is out of money and there is...

6 reasons why Chicago aldermen should oppose Rahm’s property tax hikes

04/28/2014
It’s no wonder that more and more Chicago aldermen are balking at Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s property tax hike proposal. They know property tax hikes won’t play well on the campaign trail later this year. Emanuel is calling for $750 million in property tax hikes over five years to prop up just two of the four...

Obama presidential library: Madigan and Rahm caught red-handed

By Jane McEnaney
04/24/2014
Last week, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel tried to pull the wool over the eyes of every Illinoisan by dedicating $100 million of taxpayer dollars to the construction of Barack Obama’s presidential library, which the city of Chicago is vying for. Fortunately, they were caught red-handed. According to the Rules of...

Feds find 7 big problems in Rahm’s proposed Uber law

04/24/2014
Feds find 7 big problems in Rahm’s proposed Uber law In February, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed an ordinance for regulating transportation network providers, or TNPs, such as Uber and Lyft. But his proposal is loaded with anti-competitive restrictions that would harm consumers. Now regulators at the Federal Trade Commission have weighed in on Emanuel’s...

Update: The taxi cartel’s attacks on ridesharing in Chicago

04/18/2014
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has backed off a proposal that would have hobbled or destroyed ridesharing services such as uberX and Lyft in Chicago – for now, at least. And when the taxi lobby turned to the Illinois General Assembly for help, they proposed a ridesharing bill full of provisions that would harm consumers and...

Chicago’s collar counties should get their welcome mats ready

04/16/2014
Expect Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s call for property tax hikes to be a boon for Chicago’s collar counties and Lake County, Ind. Cook County residents have been fleeing to neighboring counties for decades, and Emanuel’s proposed hikes – to prop up city pensions – will only increase the outflow. According to IRS data, Cook County lost...

TAGS: Chicago, property taxes

Chicago property taxes: Rahm’s hikes vs. Quinn’s relief

04/10/2014
Gov. Pat Quinn is in a bind. He’s being asked to sign a Chicago pension bill that he knows has no real reforms and no way to pay for itself. By signing the bill, Quinn will give Mayor Rahm Emanuel his blessing to raise Chicago property taxes by $750 million over five years. But that’s...