The race for Cook County Board president: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and I hope you’re enjoying the immaculate False Spring vibes out there. Here’s what you need to know today.
Reilly (42nd), one of the more conservative Democrats on the City Council, looks to unseat Toni Preckwinkle, who doubles as the powerful leader of the Cook County Democratic Party.
As my WBEZ colleagues Kristen Schorsch and Mariah Woelfel report, the position oversees one of the largest counties in the U.S., including the jail, courts and public health system that aims to treat patients no matter their ability to pay. The county employs more than 20,000 people and has a roughly $10 billion annual budget that must be approved by a 17-member board of separately elected commissioners. Preckwinkle also oversees the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
Reilly, who has represented Downtown Chicago for about 19 years, is hammering Preckwinkle over a property tax system upgrade that, according to the Chicago Tribune and Injustice Watch, has been plagued by delays. Property tax bills have gone out late, causing school districts across the region to take out loans with interest while they waited to collect their share of property taxes.
“While my opponent has had a great career in public service, she’s stayed a bit too long,” Reilly said. “Cook County government is broken in a number of areas that are making it a lot less affordable to be able to live here.” [WBEZ]
2. Is the CPS superintendent search on track or stalled? It depends who you ask on the school board
The president of the Chicago Board of Education says the board is on track to find a permanent superintendent by the start of next school year.
But not everyone seems to agree: Six of the 21 board members said in a statement that the process has “stalled and major decisions have been put on hold.”
In a letter first made public by the Chicago Tribune and Chalkbeat, the group called the decision to part ways with the search firm hired to help find a new CEO “a sad development.” They accused Mayor Brandon Johnson “and his allies” of interfering in the search process and creating dysfunction that made it “impossible” for the firm to finish the job, likening the situation to “sabotage.”
The mayor’s office said that claim was “baseless and inaccurate” and that so far they have not been presented with any candidates. Board President Sean Harden, appointed by Johnson, called the statement divisive. [Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ]
As my colleague Abby Miller reports for the Chicago Sun-Times, The Fulton is the only high-end office building to break ground in the city since 2023.
Located at 919 W. Fulton St., it opened late last month and is about 60% leased, according to real estate firm Transwestern.
The building bridges the sleek amenities that many companies want for their workers and the industrial roots of Fulton Market by combining new construction with the conversion of the original Schwinn bicycle factory.
A glass atrium connects the two buildings, luring companies such as Coca-Cola, which is leasing two floors for its Midwest headquarters. [Chicago Sun-Times]
4. The model shop that provided the first draft of many great Chicago buildings has closed
For 35 years, Columbian Model & Exhibit Works has given the city glimpses of the future, architecture columnist Lee Bey writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.
The River West company designed and built models for developers and architects that provided an advance look at structures like the Lakeshore East high-rise development, the Jeanne Gang-designed St. Regis at 363 E. Wacker Drive and the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.
But that all came to an end this month when the venerable company shut its doors for good. Columbian Model President Catherine Tinker decided at the beginning of the year to retire. She said her partners didn’t want to continue the company, fearing technological advancements in creating virtual models would ultimately eat away their business. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. The city’s icebreaker boat, the James J. Versluis, has been shattering the lake since 1957
Since the Versluis first came into service, its primary job has been to clear the ice from around the city’s water intake “cribs,” each sitting 2 miles out into Lake Michigan. The massive cribs act like straws, sucking in water that then sloshes through tunnels — hand-dug and dynamite-blasted — beneath the lake bed to a water purification plant just north of Navy Pier and another at 79th and the lakefront. From there, the water is pumped to homes across the Chicago area.
It is a near-constant winter battle to keep ice from plugging up the water-intake crib openings some 20 feet below the surface, Stefano Esposito writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.
During the city’s cruelest winters, the crew might find themselves out on the boat for as long as two weeks straight. The below-deck quarters are tight, and there’s no room for fragile egos.
“If the s * * t hits the fan, you better be a team,” said Bill Schmidt, who spent 28 years on the boat, including 12 as captain. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Here’s what else is happening
- Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, who appeared in more than 90 films throughout his career, died at 95. [NPR]
- Lunar New Year begins tomorrow, ushering in the Year of the Horse. [USA Today]
- For the second straight Cook County judicial primary election, less than half the seats up for grabs drew more than one candidate. [Injustice Watch]
- Blues pioneer Buddy Guy will stop by the Chicago Theatre this summer as part of his North American tour. [Block Club Chicago]
Oh, and one more thing …
The glitzier cousin of the suburban food court, food halls have experienced a challenging few years as workers stay home. But there are signs of life, WBEZ contributor Maggie Hennessy reports.
Office tenancy is creeping back up, and coworkers want compelling lunch options and perhaps some wallet-friendly social connections before heading home. Such spaces also remain incubators for promising concepts and are getting more savvy about marketing themselves to tourists.
“When we started Revival, it was a very different feeling of what a food hall was and what we wanted to do and what people who subsequently started food halls gravitated to,” said Bruce Finkelman, managing partner at 16” On Center, which opened Revival Food Hall in 2016 (now Sterling) and From Here On Food Hall & Market in the Old Post Office Building in 2022. “We wanted to build a neighborhood place, a third place, for Downtown or in a Downtown building. Now you start looking at the purpose more as being an amenity to a building, and almost like a reason for people to come back to work.” [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
Pączki Day is this week. Where is your favorite spot in the Chicago area to get this traditional sweet treat?
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere