Fixing Chicago’s Finances

 

“We’re constantly told the solution to our financial mess is one that assuredly enriches the investor class and pays Wall Street handlers handsomely, and then — just maybe, if things go right — benefits us, too. If not, it’s Chicagoans who are stuck with the tab and clean up the mess.

It’s time to end this financial gimmickry!

Time and again these have failed us and borrowing is not the primary solution to our financial troubles. We are speeding down the wrong fiscal path — an unsustainable course that leads rapidly away from the structural reforms we need, saddles future generations with tremendous debt, and keeps Chicagoans from enjoying the benefits of financial growth.

We need bold reforms that generate revenue and shore up our finances. We need a public bank in Chicago, independently governed to support municipal projects and Chicago’s massive economy – a bank whose sole allegiance is to creating a strong local economy, funding our own infrastructure projects and recirculating dollars back into our treasury.

Chicago has a chance finally to move in the right direction. No more gimmicks and no more quick fixes. We need bold, tangible solutions. The future of our city depends on it.”