The Fran Spielman Show

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) to discuss the passing of the civilian police oversight ordinance and what lessons Sawyer learned from his father, former alderman and mayor of Chicago, Eugene Sawyer.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by exiting Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno as they reflect on her 30 years in public service.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by newly-appointed fire commissioner Annette Nance-Holt to discuss her plan to add to smaller vehicles for less serious medical calls to the Chicago Fire Department's current fleet. Holt is the first woman in the 162-year history of the Chicago Fire Department ever to serve as fire commissioner.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Mayor Lori Lightfoot's floor leader, Ald. Michelle Harris (8th). Topics include the effects of the mayor's stance on aldermanic prerogative, the tension building in City Council, and the status of the new ward map in which Harris is presiding over as Rules Committee chairman.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by her long-time competitor and friend, former Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass. Topics include their time together covering City Hall, his recent controversies, and what's next for Kass as he launches his own site, johnkassnews.com.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) to discuss remapping of Chicago wards and the upcoming vote to rename Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ald. Sophia King (4th). King says she has the votes to rename Outer Lake Shore Drive for DuSable over Mayor Lightfoot's objections and discusses the termination of the redevelopment agreement that would have kept Mercy Hospital from shuttering.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Il. House Speaker Chris Welch to discuss the priorities he and the Democrats’ super-majority intend to pursue, including a bill that would pave the way for a fully-elected school board in Chicago. Welch stated he believes in “more democracy—not less” and the Il. Senate delivered just that by creating a 21-member elected school board in Chicag...

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno to discuss Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s sweeping pandemic relief package, one element of which is the controversial proposal to permanently cut off liquor sales at 10 p.m.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by President Obama's former senior strategist David Axelrod to discuss mental health awareness and his father's suicide. Axelrod is currently the co-founder and director of the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by David Greising, president and CEO of the Better Government Association, to discuss Mayor Lightfoot's progress as she approaches midterm.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by education reporter Nader Issa and investigative reporter Lauren FitzPatrick to discuss the latest Chicago Public Schools shakeup. CPS CEO Janice Jackson announced her decision to resign this week at the end of her contract. Our reporters discuss Jackson's legacy and what the future of CPS holds with tensions still high between Mayor Lori Ligh...

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly to discuss the future of Chicago events as the city begins to open up this summer.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to discuss the veteran prosecutor she put on administrative leave after he had “failed to fully present the facts" during a bond hearing regarding the Adam Toledo case and the internal investigation she has ordered to make certain there are “mechanisms and protocols in place so that people are properly no...

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by RTA Chairman Kirk Dillard to discuss the effect the pandemic has had on transit, the safety of riding CTA, Pace and Metra and what customers can expect when ridership returns to pre-pandemic levels.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg to discuss his new role, reflect on his time in baseball and what he thinks of the current Chicago Cubs ball club.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by MarySue Barrett, retiring president of the Metropolitan Planning Council. Barrett said something dramatic needs to be done to rebuild rider confidence after a year-long, work-at-home stretch that left all three mass transit agencies reeling.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Donald Lassere, who is returning to his hometown of Chicago, with a plan to make the Chicago History Museum more interactive and exciting and to build and diversify a clientele that is now “more than 80%” white in a majority-minority city.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Deborah Witzburg, the city’s deputy inspector general for public safety, to discuss rebuilding public trust in the CPD. Witzburg argues "transparency" a necessity in that journey, but restoring the confidence of front-line officers who feel under siege will be even more difficult.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ald. Maria Hadden (49th). Hadden, whose ward encompasses Rogers Park and parts of West Ridge, discusses fundraising for hardship payments in the pandemic and why she believes Chicago needs an elected school board.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Chicago Fire Commissioner Richard Ford II. Ford said he fully expects to take over another big-city fire department after catching up on sleep and traveling with his wife. He’s already fielding offers from across the country and around the world.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Chicago Department Commissioner John Tully and Deputy Commissioner Cole Stallard to discuss the logistics of snow removal and garbage collection during a long period of snow fall and deep freezes.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Davis Gates to discuss the most recent negotiations involving K-8 students' return to Chicago Public Schools. The union’s rank-and-file teachers and support staff approved the agreement in a one-day vote held Tuesday, with 68% of voting members favoring the deal.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Tim Samuelson, the city’s first and only cultural historian. Samuelson, 69, worked for the city since 2002. Lois Weisberg, the former commissioner of cultural affairs, got him to leave the Chicago History Museum with the promise that he would be allowed to do “whatever you do” as the city’s cultural historian.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) to discuss his "cop house" initiative in Roseland. Mayor Lori Lightfoot cited funding, officer security and other concerns in opposing the project, but that didn’t stop the Committee on Public Safety from authorizing the $250,000 crime-fighting experiment and congratulating Beale for his creativity.