Alexie’s Achievement
Highland Park
The Trouble With TIFs
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When the state permitted sucking money from one [TIF] district to be used outside its boundaries, they did two things helping corruption. First, they controlled the alderman, stopped him from complaining on fear of losing TIF money to another ward, and its mirror, not to gain from the revenue from the adjacent TIF. The ring through the aldermanic nose fit well. Second, it concealed marginal to submarginal TIFs by gifting developers for projects which would never fully pay the necessary future benefits.
Another great piece of reporting by Joravsky and Dumke!
To me, this is just more rabble rousing. I get it: you don’t like TIFs. You want to start a discussion about whether TIF money should get redirected to the main budget during these hard times? Great. For better or for worse (and I am on the worse side here), TIFs are legal and have been used this way for a long time.
It’s now time to sell the naming rights to the Daley Center, Daley Plaza, Mayor Daley’s Senior Games, Mayor Daley’s Kids & Kites Festival, Mayor Daley’s Graffiti Blasters, Mayor Daley’s Holiday Sports Festival, and anything else promoting the Daley name.
