Jonathan Swain

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, center, speaks to supporters after talking to reporters at City Hall about his proposed head tax that was voted down in a City Council committee meeting on Nov. 17, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Civic leaders: Our poll finds Chicagoans prefer a garbage fee increase to the mayor’s head tax

December 11, 2025 at 8:11 a.m.

A new poll shows that voters reject the head tax proposal and that if Chicago fails to pass a budget, a majority would blame the mayor.

Crews remove downed trees from state property intended for a third airport near Peotone in 2009.

Jonathan Swain: The South Suburban Airport is the economic engine Illinois truly needs

June 1, 2022 at 1:34 p.m.

Chicago and Illinois continue to suffer from a decadeslong pension crisis, which is among the worst in the country. Pension funds have long been mismanaged, digging the state into deeper...

Black Bench Chicago's first cohort of graduates pose for a group photo on Nov. 14, 2021, at Tree House in River North. The organization launched in the spring of 2021 with the goal of training a new generation of Black leaders in politics, government, policy and advocacy.

Op-ed: Reversing Chicago’s Black migration trend requires honesty and intentionality

November 30, 2021 at 5:07 p.m.

William Lee's recent article exploring Black Chicagoans' migration from the city shone a very bright light on an issue that those of us in the Black community have been observing...

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