Category Archives: Community

Merle and Tom Share Their Story!

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Merle and Tom Tresser told the story of they met at the February 16, 2026 edition of StoryLab Chicago at Mrs. Murphy’s Irish Pub in Chicago. It was a miracle that had some real civic repercussions 😊! The event is on every third Thursday and it’s free! Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm show. Usually 6 stories are shared and it’s completely open – you can sign up to tell a story, and you WILL be called on. There is one mandatory rehearsal with master teller/story whisperer Scott Whitehair – who is amazing – This is for ANYONE with a story to tell.  Check out https://www.storylabchicago.com/2026.html. Listen at https://soundcloud.com/civiclab/m-t-4-16-25 (12:04)

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Special Offer for “Outside the Loop” Listeners!

I was interviewed by the dulcet-toned Mike Stephen for his “Outside the Loop” progam on WGN Radio on Saturday, February 28. We talked about greedy billionaires seeking billions of public dollars for private projects – like the Bears new stadium – and the need for a more expansive and generous civic imagination. It’s the first segment of the show.
** Sign this petition – “No Public Subsidies for Megaprojects! (ESPECIALLY for the Bears Stadium)“ **

I made a special offer to Mike’s listeners – 50% off the already low price of “Chicago Is Not Broke. Funding the City We Deserve” – Get the book with $5 billion of progressive and sustainable revenue solutions for Chicago for just ten bucks (plus tax and shipping)! What a civic deal! This offer is only good with the right promo code (listen and you will learn) and only through March 28. I produced this book in 2016 and in 2024 updated it with a whole new section! Order the book today – get multiple copies and start a civic book club :)!

Chicago Is Not Broke cover - 2024
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Read My Series on Nonprofit Power for The Nonprofit Quarterly!

The great folks at The Nonprofit Quarterly have been publishing my essays on the focus and future of America’s nonprofit sector since last December. Here is the latest piece:

How to Use Art Spaces to Build Civic and Politicl Power

Here are the other pieces:

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Tom Helps Launch the 100K Project!

Make a tax-deductible contribution to this work via Fractured Atlas, our fiscal agent!

We are doing our first online leadership/candidate training program for creative workers! Learn more. Watch the information session video below to learn all about this creative, interactive, and powerful learning opportunity.

Read my piece from the Nonprofit Quarterly, “US Nonprofit Sector Documents Its Own Powerlessness. but What Will We Do?” from May of 2025. Answering my own call to action from The Nonprofit Quarterly, I am helping to launch the 100K Project! We seek to recruit, train, and propel 100,000 people from the arts, nonprofit, social services, education, and science sectors (and their supporters) to run for local office or help those with our values run as champions of service, science, justice, equity, peace, creativity, and the public sector. All permitted functions inside the 501 c 3 framework. Read this piece from The Nonprofit Quarterly “From Service to Power – Retooling the Nonprofit Sector.”

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Tom on TIFs, the State of Democracy, and a Challenge to the Nonprofit Sector on WVON

Tom Tresser on WVON 1-11-25 by Tom Tresser

Tom Tresser (www.tresser.com) was interviewed by Mike Stephen for “Outside the Loop” Radio for WGN on Januaru 11, 2025 (www.outsidetheloopradio.com). We covered the news about the mayor’s proposed use of TIFs and re-visited the reasons why TIFs are corrupting and racist.

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We Need “More Public!”

In reponse to the Disaster Election, I am hoping to start a movement for “More Public!” and “Great Public!” in America. We need to celebrate, defend, and extend all things “PUBLIC” – so follow and share via BlueSky -> https://bsky.app/profile/morepublic.bsky.social.

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Subscribe to “CivicNotes” and Keep Up With My Work

Get a copy of “Chicago Is Not Broke. Funding the City We Deserve” via Issuu (view on your device) for $15. Get a hard copy mailed for $20 (+shipping). Order a copy of my book on the No Games Chicago Campaign (20% discount with promo code “AFLY03”). Make a non-deductable investment in Tom’s work via PayPal.

June 2023 – Dear Civic Comrades, Neighbors, Allies, and Supporters – After ten years of working on the CivicLab, I am stepping back from operations and much of the work of the CivicLab. I will stay involved with TIF training. Health issues have caused me to scale back my activities and I will not be updating this site. If you would like to stay connected and follow my new work, research, and writing (one book coming out in mid-2024 and another in the works), please subscribe to my Substack newsletter at http://tresser.substack.com. Thank you for all your support and interest over the years!

  • My take on What Happened (Disaster Election) – Part 1. Part 2.
  • My call to action for America’s progressive sector – from The Nonprofit Quarterly – What Now? It’s a call for a radical change in focus and behavior!

Tom explains TIFs and Illuminates the TIFs of Kane County and Aurora in his 225th public meeting since 2013. He was the guest of Aurora Alderman John Laesch and Working Families Auroura. They are working to stop the city of Auora from giving a billionaire casion operator $58 million in public TIF dollars! Sign the petition.

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