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* Tribune…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has for years not so subtly laid the blame for many of Chicago’s problems at the doorstep of his predecessor, Richard M. Daley.
But five years out of office, Daley may be tiring of Rahm’s shtick.
Twice on Tuesday, Daley’s longtime spokeswoman Jackie Heard interjected to prevent the former mayor as he appeared to be on the verge of laying into Emanuel, whom he has always been careful not to criticize.
His fee-fees are hurt? Poor fella.
* Check out this new poll conducted by Anzalone Liszt for the liberal Illinois Economic Policy Institute…
Which of the following do you think is most responsible for Chicago’s budget problems?
Past mayors and city councils for making promises we couldn’t afford 37%
Springfield and Bruce Rauner for the state’s budget mess that is hurting Chicago 21%
Washington, DC and Republicans in Congress for cutting programs and funds for large cities like Chicago 10%
Pensions and benefits for city workers that are far too high 12%
The current mayor and city council for not fixing the problem 12%
[VOL] Don’t know/Refused 8%
And considering that “past mayors and city councils” also created the pension mess, you’re looking at nearly half of the blame falling on Daley, et al, while just 12 percent blame Emanuel.
* Now, check this out…
When it comes to managing budget priorities for Chicagoans, who do you trust more– Rahm Emanuel or Bruce Rauner?
Rahm Emanuel 51%
Bruce Rauner 23%
[VOL] Both 1%
[VOL] Neither 23%
[VOL] Don’t Know 3%
23 percent is slightly more support than Rauner received in the 2014 election, so he’s not doing as badly in Chicago compared to Emanuel as some might’ve thought, considering all the bad press. Then again, Emanuel ain’t so popular, either.
* The poll itself was ostensibly designed to test the theory propagated by the Chicago media that a “tax revolt” is brewing in the city. From the pollster…
• Voters do not blame the current Mayor and city council for the city’s budget problem. Only 12% of voters say the budget problems are the current government’s fault, compared to 37% who blame past mayors and city councils. Springfield and Bruce Rauner (21%) also earn a higher share of the blame.
• Taxes are not a top of mind issue. Voters are more concerned about education (35%) as well as crime and police issues (34%) than they are about taxes (15%). Even the tiny 14% of Chicago voters who identify as Republicans list taxes as their #3 issue.
• Voters are willing to pay higher taxes for more services. Voters would rather pay higher taxes for more services (29%) than lower taxes for fewer services (20%), though a plurality would prefer the current level of both (44%). A majority are also willing to pay more in taxes for the following specific services:
More police officers on foot and vehicle patrol 66% [willing] / 32% [unwilling]
More funding for school construction, teachers, and science and technology improvements 64% / 33%
Free universal Pre-K classes for all four year olds in Chicago 57% / 41%
More neighborhood services like rat abatement, tree trimming, and road paving 56% / 41%• When forced to specific choices, voters prefer tax increases to cuts in services:
o Twice as many people prefer Chicago “raise taxes like property taxes and other fees” (53%) instead of “cutting services like schools and police officers” (25%) to pay the pensions Chicago promised to city workers.
* Methodology…
The following findings are based on a poll of n=600 Chicagoans who voted in at least 1 of the last 3 Mayoral elections (2011 primary, 2015 primary, 2015 runoff) conducted from August 8-11, 2016 via landline and cellphone [46% of respondents]. The expected margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level is +4.0% and higher for subgroups.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:16 pm
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Did they ask: Are you willing to pay thousands more in taxes/fees if that money that will only go to pensions…
Comment by The real question Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:20 pm
When people ask me what I think about the tax increase in the city they look at me like I have two heads when I say they should have been higher for a long time. We basically pushed off current cost to the future just to have low property taxes. But I would rather pay a $1,000 more a year in taxes (and mine only went up a couple hundred) rather than my property value take a big hit because services are scaled back or more importantly the local schools suffer. If my house goes down $50-$100,000 in value I would rather pay the higher tax.
Comment by Been There Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:24 pm
Since the pollsters forgot to use BigBrain’s favorite option —- blame it on Madigan — this cannot possibly reliable data.
Comment by ANNONIN' Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:25 pm
I theorize that if they had said “Rahm” instead of “current mayor” the who do you blame number would be a lot higher than 12%
Comment by siriusly Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:27 pm
Daley owns Chicago’s pension issue, non-payment for 17 of his 22 years, many of those years being good financial years, sheesh.
Comment by James the Intolerant Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:27 pm
Agree with James on Daley not paying toward the pensions.
In addition, he was spending like a drunken sailor.
Even toward the end of his last term, when it was obvious that he was over-spending for many years, he didn’t slow down. Instead, he began selling off assets (meters, Skyway, etc).
Comment by Belle Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:36 pm
It is time that the person who caused this mess gets the credit. 20 years ago most of funds were funded at very high percentages. Instead of reigning in budgets, cutting payroll and/or raising taxes slightly Daley began robbing Peter to Paul. Not that it is there fault, but the unions never cried much about their pensions being under funded.
Comment by Groucho Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:37 pm
@Been There
That makes a heck of a lot of sense to me. I think that’s a solid way to re-frame the issue.
Comment by Chicago_Downstater Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:41 pm
Daley comes out of mothballs when he feels the coast is clear. He cant remember anything about the park grill but he can remember how he handled pension seems anxious to protect his legacy i think that teain left the station already
Comment by Regular democrat Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:45 pm
Looks to be good poll that captures the general mood of Chicagoans. The sense here is that similar questions posed to a less metropolitan audience in downstate areas would generate a much different response. As an example, while a large majority of Chicagoans (64%)would favor a tax increase to benefit education, Springfield hasn’t passed a school referendum in decades. You would probably find a similar response to proposed tax increases for police, public pensions, etc.
Comment by Keyser Soze Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:50 pm
I didn’t see ‘Large financial institutions that almost ruined the entire world economy in 2007 when their supposed AAA rated credit default swaps went bust’. But then again it’s the Tribune…
Comment by Illinois O'Malley Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:52 pm
Sometimes only the power of hindsight makes people conscious of what was going on right in front of their eyes for years. Too bad.
Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 12:55 pm
Chicago property taxes have been comparatively low ever the years, and even the recent increases don’t put them on a par with many area suburbs. So maybe it’s not surprising that many residents don’t find them too burdensome. They weren’t, and aren’t, at least in relative terms.
Still, Mayor Rahm is taking unpopular steps because that’s what needs to be done. There is grumbling,but I don’t think most Chicagoans thought he was going to be able to manufacture money in the City Hall basement.
No such gumption among our political masters of both parties in Springfield, who are still living in a fantasyland with fantasy interim budgets and fantasy pension reform proposals.
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 1:01 pm
Chicago voter: I’d rather you raised my taxes … but I’ll still complain about it!
Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 1:03 pm
I’m not sure how much stock we should place in this poll. The response choices are highly asymmetric and are clearly designed to skew respondents one way. “Springfield / Bruce Rauner” and “Washington DC / Republicans” ?? You can’t have an objective poll where you identify one side as an option and not the other (regardless of whether you feel one side is entirely to blame or not). It’s a leading response and the poll probably should be read too much into.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 1:10 pm
My beef is the form of taxation, not the level. I prefer progressive forms of taxation over regressive forms. I realize this is mostly out of the city’s control, given current state law.
Comment by ChicagoVinny Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 1:28 pm
If Rahm has had this much leeway with raising taxes, why hasn’t he raised more in taxes?
Comment by From the 'Dale to HP Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 1:37 pm
Cassandra is right, City property taxes are still relatively low.
Comment by siriusly Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 1:55 pm
RE taxes are progressive in Chicago. The vast majority of collections come from downtown and wealthy parts of the City.
Comment by Ron Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 2:00 pm
That Tribune piece is a headline in search of a story. If anything, Rahm hasn’t blamed Daley loud enough or often enough. The Tribune spent most of the 1989-2007 era creating the Indispensable Man myth. Perhaps they could have done a better job pointing out Daley’s poor financial management in their five political endorsements they gave him.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 2:06 pm
- RNUG - Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 1:03 pm:
Chicago voters are voting with their foot and moving out. Like the 200,000 who evacuated chicago between 2000 - 2010. Base on the number of vacant homes in my area the exodus continues. Not sure who is going to be left to pay these “low” taxes everyone on this blog keeping lauding.
Comment by atsuishin Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 2:23 pm
The latest census estimates show Chicago gaining population since 2010. Where are all these vacant homes? Englewood? Home prices are past peak on the northside.
Comment by Ron Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 2:43 pm
just be retired already Mr. Mayor. yes, some things done were good. others ridiculous. be happy. don’t start trying to claim the spotlight.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 2:52 pm
The poll just drives home that voters in Chicago just don’t get it.
Success in government, as in any service organization, is all about people, process and product.
The people hired and running things, especially management, are terrible. The process is corrupt, ineffective and inefficient, and the product, especially education and law enforcement, are subpar by comparison with the best run cities.
Nothing will improve in Chicago until the voters take the people, process and product from Chicago government seriously.
Ain’t…gonna— happen. So sad and unnecessary.
Comment by Illinois Bob Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 3:13 pm
Bob, the problem is, many voters don’t pay. So they are fine with ever increasing taxes on others.
Comment by Ron Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 4:08 pm
Which is precisely why I’m a huge proponent of higher taxes on water and sewer. And completely against RE tax carvouts on homes worth less than $250K. People need to feel the pain of the cost of running ineffective governments.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 4:10 pm
Daley did some good things and deserves credit for those, but he never met a bad financial deal he didn’t want to jump into, from bad pension decisions to swaps. Rahm has made some big mistakes, which he owns, but to be fair has had to spend an inordinate amount of time and effort cleaning up the financial mess Daley left him.
Comment by Harry Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 4:13 pm
@Anonymous
The problem is that utility taxes, like payroll taxes, aren’t really seen by the taxpayers.
Even real estate taxes are often paid by the mortgage company.
I think if EVERYONE had to wrote a separate check every month for their utility, income and other taxes, there’s be a lot more push back on taxes, and what taxpayers get for their money.
Comment by Illinois Bob Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 5:33 pm
Just as a reminder: Under Harold Washington, Chicago achieved balanced budgets for both the city and CPS. This “previous mayors” construction is BS. The damage was done by Daley, aided by Burke, a compliant city council, and a rotating cast of aides like Claypool and their business and media Olympics 2016 cheerleaders downtown. I would say both the Daley and Emanuel people deserve blame, except that … They are the very same people.
Comment by Gerson Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 9:21 pm
Big Biz GOP money and the Tribbies backed Daley for decades, swamping the field. They did the same for Emanuel, the same for Claypool (lot of good it did him).
Bruce Rauner was among their biggest Sugar Daddies. You can look it up.
I’ll give you three guesses why, and the first two don’t count. Hint: It ain’t “The Combine.” Or “Resurrection Mary.”
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 11:17 pm