Ed Bachrach and Bryce Hill: It’s time to outlaw the pay-later pension plan
Illinois lawmakers are considering a harmful piece of legislation that would saddle taxpayers with billions of dollars in new pension debt.
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Ed Bachrach and Ted Dabrowski: Do Illinois and Chicago really need to sweeten Tier 2 pension benefits?
Tier 2 pension reform will bring more debt and intergenerational inequity to Chicago.
Ed Bachrach: 10 reasons to see ‘Medium Cool,’ featuring real scenes of Chicago’s 1968 DNC
"Medium Cool" is a master’s thesis in history, documentary, storytelling and writing.
Ted Dabrowski, et al.: Will the mayor’s pension working group seriously tackle the problem?
The mayor's pension working group should show taxpayers what it would take to fully fund pension plans in less than 20 years.
Ed Bachrach and Austin Berg: Why does Chicago ignore good budgeting practices?
The annual Chicago city budget process is trite and predictable. It is also negligent and irresponsible in several important ways, failing to address the core problems of the city's finances....
Ed Bachrach: Why a New Yorker who helped save his city from a fiscal crisis has lessons for Chicago
Chicago has recently lost some community giants. In February, we lost the beloved Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation. Recently we lost businessman and civic leader Jim Crown. The...
Ed Bachrach and Austin Berg: Mapping mayhem a symptom of deeper dysfunction in Chicago
The contentious process to map 50 new wards for the Chicago City Council has come to an unsatisfying end. The fight was framed as a tug of war. Black aldermen...
Op-ed: Chicago used to have a city administrator. We could use one now.
One of the most common misconceptions among Chicago's civic leaders is that they live under a "weak mayor" system of government. The truth is that through formal and informal arrangements,...
Commentary: It’s you, voters, Springfield politicians don’t trust
In 1970, I was fresh out of the Army and voted for the new Illinois Constitution. It was the first time I had ever voted — and the last time...
Commentary: Chicago’s police union contract stands in the way of reform, better policing
Chicagoans are united in disgust at the murder of George Floyd. Peaceful protest is justified and its absence would be an outrage. The unanswered question: What can be done? "The...