Inside Chicago Government

The merits of acting as the mayor's rubber stamp; one of the phoniest budget-saving devices in recent time; and parents who vote for Rahm having delusional issues. Length 5.9 minutes.

How the city decided which part of the school janitor workforce to privatize; the politics of SEIU union locals; and speculating on which city services Mayor Emanuel wouldn't privatize. Length 5.6 minutes.

How CPS's desire to maintain segregation might've kept at least one school open; Chicagoans--and especially preservationists--more reluctant than ever to speak on the record; and the false assumption about young creative types. Length 4.6 minutes.

Demographic shifts on the Southeast Side; what qualifies someone to hold the mayor's office; and "strong mayor" as code for "white mayor". Length 5.2 minutes.

Where and how Alderman Fioretti might run for city council; how much cushion candidates need on nominating petitions; and how Mayor Emanuel has inched to the left. Length 5.5 minutes.

How campaign financing reform allows the grotesque; the absence of free-market advocates from debate over corporate subsidies; and the legitimacy of tax cuts as a campaign issue. Length 17.6 minutes.

The issues about which principals as a group remained silent; when kissing mayoral butt has benefited principals; and what pre-election gifts the mayor might bestow to quell principal rebellion. Length 5.1 minutes.

Whether Chicago schools' resegregation reflects a national trend; using demographic tiers and magnet curricula to achieve school integration; and where integration quotas had success in Chicago. Length 5.2 minutes.

The public finally concedes the surcharge nature of tax-increment financing; diverting TIF slush to pensions or other priority obligations; and how a financial transaction tax might work. Length 4.7 minutes.

Why aldermen voted how they did on the McCormick-area hotel subsidy; why some private property in TIF districts generate no money for taxing bodies; and whether expiring TIF districts create a "back-door" tax. Length 5.6 minutes.

When private interests force TIF recipients to honor job guarantees; the digital manufacturing institute's "ultimate goal" of defense products; and how the institute announcement resembles Chicago's winning of the U.S. Olympics bid. Length 5.5 minutes.

Chicago municipal lobbyists' strategies in the state legislature; holding candidates accountable post-election; and incumbents accusing challengers of betraying ideals that they themselves betray. Length 5.5 minutes.

Compromise with the mayor as an exercise in imagination; "independent" aldermen's familiar excuse for voting with the mayor; and how aldermen game the rules to bury insurgent motions. Length 4.9 minutes.

UNO's multiple face-saving tactics; the level of scrutiny the public has of neighborhood vs. charter schools; and how government funds charter schools in Chicago. Length 5.3 minutes.

Why aldermen representing black wards--and others--voted for an elected school board; how Lincoln Elementary parents engaged in "callocracy"; and how moving special programs out of Lincoln Elementary could solve overcrowding. Length 5.3 minutes.

The wounding of Ald. Pawar; the myth of mayoral retribution; and the best tactic when one's ordinance gets buried. Length 5.1 minutes.

When an entity on public land must pay property taxes; why the city of Chicago is suing its own park district; and how future depositions of Richard M. Daley might go. Length 5.3 minutes.

An excerpt from Dave and Ben's interview from Nov. 10, 2011, which illuminates the city's budget process--including both visible and invisible aspects. Length 5.4 minutes.

When Chicago's "strong city council" model of government has actually performed as such; Richard M. Daley's populist attitude toward neighborhoods; and the one thing that can mean Emanuel's defeat in 2015. Length 5.1 minutes.

Charter schools' responses to FOIA requests; the potential scandal behind charter-school admissions; and whether charter schools have wait lists--or vacancies. Length 5 minutes.

Why continue to beat the drum on the McCormick-arena development; raising a TIF district's "freeze" level after projects complete; and front-end vs. back-end TIF district reforms. Length 5.2 minutes.

The essence of TIF gerrymandering: accentuate the "blight;" city council okays the taking of private property but with no funding; and what it would take to move the landmark Rees House. Length 5.5 minutes.

The relative graciousness of Mayor Richard M. Daley; the successful promotion of brand Rahm; and Mayor Emanuel's payback to the Whittier protestors. Length 5.5 minutes.

The three problems with Chicago public-school funding; how the new per-pupil funding scheme results in less-experienced teachers; and the mayor using school principals as propaganda show ponies. Length 4.5 minutes.

Where, exactly, the city might expand existing Englewood TIF districts; why Tea Party members should rush to Englewood; and whether and how the administration drives poor blacks from Chicago. Length 4.9 minutes.