Category Archives: About Tom

Tom Talks About Performing Shakespeare

A million years ago I co-founded the Free Shakespeare Company with Frank Farrell and became its Managing Director. I acted in some 20 plays and projects with them and recently found myself giving presentations on performing Shakespeare! It was a blast to revisit the subject!

1 hour, 23 min
Good grief – that was me in 1983!
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Tom on WGN 9-18-21

Click to listen (11 min, 11 sec)

Tom was interviewed by “Outside the Loop” host Mike Stephen on September 18, 2021. We went over how TIFs work and reviewed the headlines for Chicago’s 2020 TIF record-breaking TIF activities. Tom explains how the Massachusetts Institute of Technology agrees with the CivicLab that TIFs are racist.

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Tribune & WBEZ Covers The Work

This has been an incredible few weeks! On April 23, 2021 the Chicago Tribune ran the most complete explanation of the TIF Illumination Project since we started the work in 2013! Thanks to the citizen organizers of Save Our Southland SOS!

TIF asks Mayor Emanuel to come clean!
Tom speaking to Mayor Emanuel, 2016

On May 10, 2021 I was interviewed on WBEZ’s “Reset” program by Sasha-Ann Simon. The 16 minute segment was part of their series “Re-Imagine Chicago.”

Get the book “Chicago Is Not Broke
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“Civics 101” @ i c stars

I teach “Civics 101” for the awesome training and leadership development organization i c stars. The most current class, Cycle 47, sent me a wonderful set of images expressing how the class (four sessions) impacted them. I was deeply touched. Thank you. If you would like a civics workshop, please contact me at tom@civiclab.us. You can see the workshops I offer via the POWER Institute.

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