Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Chicago’s government summed up in two news stories

Posted in:

Illinois

* Background is here if you need it. Block Club Chicago…

All migrants who enter city shelters starting Friday will be limited to 60-day stays, according to a press release from the Mayor’s Office. People already in shelters will be subject to varying timelines for when the limit kicks in.

If migrants are still living in city shelters after the 60 days run out, they will have to return to the city’s “landing zone” — the area near Downtown where most buses carrying migrants drop them off — to make a new shelter request. Extensions to stay in a shelter beyond 60 days will only be granted in “extenuating circumstances” like a medical emergency or severe weather, officials said. […]

When asked by a reporter on Friday what would happen to migrants if they refuse to leave a shelter, [Department of Family and Support Services commissioner Brandie Knazze] said she wasn’t sure because “we have not gotten there yet.”

“The goal is that people will leave and understand the policy, and they will be coached and they will have support from their residential aides and their case managers,” she said.

You’d think they would’ve gamed that out already.

* Tribune…

Johnson’s 2024 financial package counts on $46 million more in fines and fees than this year, a 15% increase.

In all, the mayor expects to bring in $348 million from things like parking tickets, red-light and speed enforcement fines, moving violations, booting fees, sanitation code violations and housing court fines.

When asked about the sources of new revenue, Johnson administration budget officials initially highlighted enforcement of a new Smart Streets ordinance designed to protect downtown bicyclists and keep bus traffic moving, a focus on punishing car-driving scofflaws that would play well with his progressive base.

But the Smart Streets program — an automated ticketing system that will be limited to areas in and around downtown — has not yet launched. The city later clarified it expects to bring in only $5 million from it in 2024.

Good on A.D. Quig for doing some follow-up.

The mayor needs a communications staff. Period.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 9:48 am

Comments

4 years of Lori and 4 years of CTU/Brandon…

Comment by NotRich Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 9:54 am
“The mayor needs a communications staff. Period.”

Yea, but he also clearly needs some smarter people around him willing to ask tough questions and poke holes in plans. I don’t know if he’s surrounded himself with yes people or what, but this is ridiculous. “We haven’t gotten there yet.”??????? Good Lord why? You mean like when they announced the tent program without places to put the tents.

These guys are really making me long for the well oiled machine that was the Lightfoot Administration. /s /ns

Comment by New Day Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:12 am
I see no possible implementation delays on the portion of the Smart Streets program that involves putting cameras on CTA buses to automatically capture a bus lane blocking scofflaw’s license plate.

That inter-agency program rollout will surely be as smooth as my Thanksgiving gravy. /s

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/future_projects_andconcepts/news/2023/march/SmartStreetsPilots.html

Comment by ChicagoBars Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:12 am
🤦🏼‍♂️

Comment by New Day Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:16 am
It took the mayor losing his floor leader to move on hiring an IGA director. Local and national reporters have emails that go unanswered by his press secretary. What is the big crisis he is waiting for to bring in someone to get communications and PR lined up?

Comment by DisappointedVoter Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:18 am
===Yea, but he also clearly needs some smarter people around him willing to ask tough questions and poke holes in plans===

That’s what a comms staff does.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:21 am
===That’s what a comms staff does.===

Lol, yeah, I am sure MBJ is looking for someone to poke holes and ask tough questions.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:43 am
=== The mayor needs a communications staff. Period.===

It is an open secret that Ronnie has stopped additional hires and blocks help. He has blocked a director from being hired. He has blocked media relations agencies from working with the MO. He has blocked volunteer press assistance from non-profits and labor unions. And he has blocked the mayor from building relations with the press corp. The mayor needs to fire and then hire.

Comment by Time to Let Old Friends Go Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:51 am
Johnson had people who pushed him to run and who helped run his campaign. Where did they all go? The CTU needs Johnson to succeed if they want their raises. Why haven’t they figured that out yet?

Comment by Formerly Unemployed Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 10:51 am
Y’all glanced over Chuy for this, Humboldt park.

Comment by Lake Villa Democrat PC Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:00 am
=== It is an open secret that Ronnie has stopped additional hires and blocks help. ===

Calling it a secret, even an “open” secret, is generous at this point.

Comment by Now That We Don’t Talk Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:01 am
= He has blocked volunteer press assistance from non-profits and labor unions. =

How would the Mayor’s Office keep these volunteers on-message?

Comment by Dirty Red Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:01 am
Why does he not have a comms staff? I am dumb and I am asking earnestly.

Comment by DuPage Dad Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:02 am
Whatever happened to CPZ and her promise to “beef up” communications “soon”?

Comment by Man from Roger Park Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:03 am
=== keep these volunteers on-message? ===

What message? Seriously. No snark here. What is the message from the mayor? There is no messaging or directive from the mayor.

Comment by Time to Let Old Friends Go Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:07 am
“It is an open secret that Ronnie has stopped additional hires and blocks help. He has blocked a director from being hired. He has blocked media relations agencies from working with the MO. He has blocked volunteer press assistance from non-profits and labor unions. And he has blocked the mayor from building relations with the press corp. The mayor needs to fire and then hire.”

Then he should be fired. Today. I’m confident that will happen. Amateur hour is not a great way to run one of the world’s great cities.

Comment by New Day Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:15 am
“That’s what a comms staff does.”

Yea, but it’s also the job of the strategic advisors who are responsible for helping the mayor to succeed. Those people also seem absent.

Comment by New Day Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:17 am
I kind of get the vibe that they never really thought about what would happen if they won.

Comment by OneMan Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:21 am
Deputize me for traffic enforcement. I can sit at any loop intersection and generate tens of thousands of dollars a day in red light tickets using just my phone camera.

Either I’ll generate tons of money, or I’ll make the streets safer. Win win. I’ll work on commission.

Comment by Homebody Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:25 am
=Yea, but it’s also the job of the strategic advisors who are responsible for helping the mayor to succeed. Those people also seem absent.=

The strategic advisors are present. The Mayor likes who he has in place.

Ultimately, this is the Mayor’s choices in action not his advisors.

Comment by Chicago Voter Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:30 am
===Ultimately, this is the Mayor’s choices in action not his advisors.===

This 100%. He is an adult who can make his own decisions. No one is tricking him. This is what he wants.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:35 am
Where is his chief of staff? Does he have any say so in this ? Rich was held over for his experience but it appears he has been muted.

Comment by Regular democrat Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 11:58 am
There’s a critical distinction for the fees Johnson is looking to collect.

Street Smarts focussed downtown might act as a progressive tax: depends on how many suburbanites and what kind of city drivers are downtown.

But increasing red-light and speed camera fines from around the city? Isn’t this what DSA’ers were trying to get rid of, because in its real-world effect it acts as a regressive burdon on lower income residents? (An argument to which I’m sympathetic)

Comment by lake county democrat Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 12:03 pm
Agree with Homebody. Between cars and bicyclists blowing red light cameras it would be lucrative job to have.

Comment by Jerry Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 12:22 pm
=You’d think they would’ve gamed that out already.=

Or at a minimum anticipated such an obvious question and had a better answer. At this point the incompetence is compounding itself.

Comment by Pundent Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 12:42 pm
“I’m confident that will happen.”

Seeing that his only Comms staffer came from the campaign and used to work at CTU…I have my doubts.

Comment by NIU Grad Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 12:42 pm
I kind of get the vibe that they never really thought about what would happen if they won.

I agree that it feels this way! Similar to the guy who moved into the White House in 2017…everything for that first year just sorta…didn’t happen.

Comment by The Truth Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 3:11 pm
Missteps all around.

Maybe Johnson thought that the DSA/UWF/CTU Twitter would handle all the communications for him?

They blow up Twitter, bully non-stop, and condescend constantly as if everyone not 100% with them is an idiot. However, when called out for their own mistakes, issues with any of their comrades, or problems they created, they call everyone racist and say it’s not what they meant or what it seems. Never apologizing, never admitting fault, no recognition of errors, no self-realization.

Comment by Frida's boss Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 4:31 pm
There is a reason the Chicago reporters have nicknamed Ronnie Reese: Sleepy Ronnie

Comment by Funny Nickname Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 5:08 pm
===a focus on punishing car-driving scofflaws that would play well with his progressive base.===

Um, that ignores the years of “fines and fees” reduction efforts such progressives have put efforts into. As lake county points out, maybe the downtown measures would be acceptable to the base, but I doubt the rest of it would be.

Comment by Leslie K Monday, Nov 20, 23 @ 7:31 pm