Chicago’s labor and community organizations share a common goal: a city where working families can afford to live, public services are strong and small businesses remain viable neighborhood anchors. Achieving that goal, however, depends more on building durable coalitions grounded in economic reality and less on bold slogans.

Recent debates, including the failed proposal to reinstate a city head tax, offer an important lesson. The idea was rooted in a desire for fairness, yet it ultimately fell short because too many stakeholders — small businesses, entry-level workers and neighborhood groups — felt unheard. That outcome should not be seen as a defeat, but as a reminder that lasting progress requires broad consensus and shared ownership.

The Chicago Teachers Union plays a vital role in shaping the city’s future, and its voice carries significant influence. With that influence come an opportunity and a responsibility to bring more partners into the conversation. CTU leadership should actively invite churches, neighborhood groups, community organizations and small-business representatives into a sustained, good-faith coalition focused on shared priorities and realistic pathways forward.

Parents, faith communities, neighborhood groups and small business owners are not obstacles to reform; they are essential allies. When these groups are meaningfully engaged from the start, policies are stronger, more sustainable and far more likely to succeed.

It is also important to recognize the limits of municipal government. Chicago is already operating at or near the upper bounds of what local taxpayers can absorb. Property taxes, fees and operating costs weigh heavily on residents and employers alike. Pushing further at the city level risks tipping fragile businesses and households past the breaking point, undermining the very communities public policy aims to protect.

That reality does not mean change is impossible. It means the scale of change must match the level of government best equipped to deliver it. Structural reforms in education funding, housing, health care and wages require state and federal partnership. When labor and community coalitions focus their collective power at those levels, they gain leverage without overburdening cities already stretched thin.

Chicago has a long tradition of successful collaboration when labor, community and business leaders work together. Rebuilding and strengthening those coalitions is not just good politics; it is the only sustainable path forward for a city that cannot afford division.

— Joe Angelastri, City News Cafe, Chicago

Strong watchdog needed

Regarding the Dec. 24 editorial that references my office (“Cook County’s inspector general must give taxpayers the straight story on Tyler Technologies fiasco”): The Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General is always monitoring issues that affect members of the public. However, the OIIG ordinance prohibits us from commenting on many of those issues. The OIIG is one of the few safeguards residents can rely on to protect their tax dollars from corruption, waste and mismanagement. However, the OIIG has been underfunded for many years. In the Chicago area, the OIIG is the lowest-funded IG office as a percentage of the overall government agency’s budget.

Before the 2026 budget, the OIIG had approximately the same number of staff members budgeted since its inception in 2007. However, the county’s overall budget tripled during that same period. This imbalance meant that there was approximately one OIIG investigator for every 1,000 county employees.

For over a year now, I have sought an OIIG budgetary floor, such as the one provided for the city of Chicago IG, with the help of lawyer Michael Shakman, political science professor Dick Simpson and Alisa Kaplan of Reform for Illinois. As a result, the OIIG has been budgeted an additional five positions, which is progress but far short from what is necessary.

Despite these staffing challenges, we have taken on enormous public matters with efficacy but could do a lot more with the proper funding. We previously examined county commissioners’ discretionary accounts that had oversight in name only.  Additionally, the county health system was losing $80 million to $100 million per year due to claim denials before the OIIG issued a report about that situation. Moreover, we performed a detailed review of lobbying activities in Cook County government that identified loopholes and led to changes in the law. All these investigations required enormous amounts of time, effort and expertise.

Supporting a budgetary floor for the inspector general’s office will directly affect public corruption, waste and mismanagement in Cook County government. It is a practical, nonpartisan reform that protects taxpayers and reinforces the checks and balances essential to good governance.

Cook County residents are better served when oversight is strong, independent and properly funded. I urge the Tribune Editorial Board and public to stand with us.

— Tirrell J. Paxton, inspector general, Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General

Conversation on transit

Regarding the editorial on the state of Chicago transit (“More workers are coming downtown in the new year. It’s showtime for our transit systems,” Jan. 2), the focus on “return to office” mandates paints an incomplete picture of our downtown’s future and safety reality.

While safety concerns on transit should never be dismissed, context is essential. The editorial highlights sensational anecdotes about crime on transit but ignores a critical statistic: Driving remains significantly more dangerous. Statistically, traveling by private car is more lethal than taking public transit. If the goal is truly to get people to the Loop “safely,” encouraging a return to gridlock traffic is the wrong answer.

Furthermore, the editorial clings to an outdated vision of the Loop as solely a 9-to-5 business district. The Loop is currently one of the fastest-growing residential downtowns in the country. Its revival will not be a return to the “old way” of 2019, but an evolution into a mixed-use neighborhood where transit serves residents and visitors as much as suburban commuters.

Finally, claiming the agencies are simply “out of excuses” ignores the substance of the recent victory in Springfield. The state’s finance and reform package — which the editorial glosses over — does more than just write a check. It mandates reforms. Metra and the CTA have already announced specific strategies tied to this funding to address the exact scheduling and safety concerns the Tribune Editorial Board raises; discussing these changes would be a better way to help drive the change asked for in this editorial.

We need a transit conversation grounded in the reality of a changing city, not one that pines for a pre-pandemic office culture that isn’t coming back.

— Ashley Dodson, Chicago

Alcohol-related harm

Kudos to the Illinois Department of Public Health on its first-ever “Alcohol Use in Illinois” report, which provides critical, data-driven insights into the prevalence, patterns and consequences of alcohol consumption across our state from 2020 to 2023. The findings reinforce what front-line providers such as the Haymarket Center already know: Alcohol-related harm is an urgent public health priority, and there is a critical need for sustained investment in evidence-based treatment and recovery services.

Alcohol use remains a leading driver of admissions to Haymarket Center, and many patients come with complex, co-occurring needs, including mental health conditions, housing instability and trauma, which reflect the severity and breadth of alcohol’s impact.

In fact, the report linked 2,300 deaths to chronic drinking, including liver disease and alcohol dependency syndrome, with another 2,000 deaths indirectly associated with alcohol-related conditions such as hypertension and heart disease. Additionally, 37% of fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2022 involved a driver under the influence, highlighting the intersection of alcohol misuse with public safety.

The report also reveals that nearly 23% of Illinois high schoolers reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in the past month, with over 11% acknowledging binge drinking. This behavior surges among adults, with 57% reporting drinking and more than 18% reporting binge drinking. These patterns reflect significant risk for acute and chronic health harms and align with the demand we see for treatment.

The good news is that recovery is possible with comprehensive, evidence-based care. The IDPH report indicates that prevention efforts, early intervention and expanded treatment capacity remain essential.

Haymarket Center supports the report’s call for coordinated evidence-based strategies among public health, health care systems, behavioral health providers, criminal justice agencies and community partnerships. Data sharing, care coordination and aligned policy strategies can significantly improve engagement and continuity of care. And funding mechanisms should support equitable, culturally responsive services spanning early intervention to long-term recovery.

IDPH’s rigorous analysis can — and should — shape policy, program development and resource allocation.

If we are to reduce alcohol-related harm and improve health outcomes, every Illinoisan affected by alcohol use disorder must have access to timely, effective and compassionate care.

— Dan Lustig, president and CEO, Haymarket Center, Chicago

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