Listen to this in-depth interview with Jim Vail, publisher of Second City Teachers, which covers all things Chicago public education and the Teacher’s Union (1 hour). Thanks, Jim! Here is my analysis of two major TIF studies (from Loyola University and the University of Illinois Chicago). Free registration is required to access content on the TIF Illumination Project website.
I’ll be lighting up the TIFs of Maywood, Illinois on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at the Maywood Park District, 921 9th Avenue at 2pm. This Illumination is sponsored by Concerned Citizens of the Village of Maywood. And they SHOULD be concerned because it appears that the mayor wants to turn the entire village in a giant TIF! It will be my 236th TIF Illumination – egads! Let us know you are coming.
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 :)!
BRIDGE is a high-quality book magazine publised in Chicao by a collective of artists and makers. Their June 2023 issue contained this overview of the TIF Illumination Project (download PDF).
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
Thanks to the great people at Shelterforce for this thorough and thoughtful piece covering TIFs and the organizing and engagement work of the TIF Illumination Project.
The CivicLab has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Muckrock Foundation to investigate and expose ALL the 1,454 TIFs of Illinois from 2020! Details here.
No one else can tell you ALL the details of Chicago’s 132 active TIF districts for 2021! Just fill out the form…
Get Your Copy of Chicago 2021 TIF Analysis
Please click the link to complete this form.
Gazette Chicago reporter attended our October 4, 2021 deep dive on the TIFs of Chicago. This is the first time a Chicago-based reporter has attended on reported on one of our public TIF meetings in six years! Read the report here…
Tom was interviewed on WVON on September 20, 2021 covering the state of Chicago’s civic finances in the wake of Mayor Lightfoot’s 2022 Budget Address. In this wide-ranging thirty minute interview we cover a lot of ground for justice and equity in Chicago!
