Resource roundup
Brush up on the races and candidates ahead of the election with the following resources.
Mayoral candidate key messages
One way to differentiate candidates is to study their policy positions (more on that below). Another way is to examine their key messages.
Key messages are a candidate's answer to the question, "Why should you vote for me?" We studied campaign websites, opening and closing statements, campaign ads, and interviews to see what messages candidates have been repeating about themselves and their candidacies.
Check them out here: Chicago 2019 mayoral candidates' key messages
Pre-election forum binge-watch
The mayoral race is about as short on candidate forums as it is on candidates—which is to say, not at all. We've been keeping a list of candidate forums along with videos, where available, and links to further coverage.
Check out our full list.
Candidate surveys
We've got links to candidate surveys from several publications and groups—including Ballotpedia's own Chicago 2019 candidate survey—for both mayoral and city council elections all in one place.
Check out mayoral candidate surveys here.
See our roundup of aldermanic surveys here.
Endorsement roundup
We compiled endorsements for the mayoral race as well as links to lists from publications and groups endorsing in city council races.
See mayoral endorsements here.
See city council endorsements here.
Major issues and candidate positions
The past eight editions of The Deep Dish have featured eight major issues in the elections. Ballotpedia provides more extensive overviews of each issue and a compilation of mayoral candidates' positions on our page, Major issues in Chicago's 2019 mayoral election.
A brief refresher:
Pensions
In 2017, the city's unfunded pension liability was $28 billion. The four pension funds combined were 27 percent funded. The city's annual contribution is about to increase, and the next mayor, in charge of recommending annual budgets, will have to figure out quickly how to pay it.
School closings
In May 2013, the Chicago Board of Education voted to close 50 public schools. A five-year moratorium on district-run school closings that went into effect in the fall of 2013 ended in the fall of 2018. The next mayor will help determine whether to close schools or pursue other strategies to address Chicago Public Schools' under-enrollment and under-performance challenges.
School board selection method
Currently, the mayor appoints the seven members of the Chicago Board of Education. Not everyone is a fan of the arrangement, including most mayoral candidates. Some of those candidates support a fully elected school board. Others support a hybrid board (partly appointed by the mayor). While state law establishes how board members are selected, the mayor can advocate for changes to the law.
Tax increment financing (TIF)
TIF involves using a portion of property tax revenue to fund development projects in certain parts of the city. Much of the debate about TIF revolves around where and how that money is spent. Both the mayor and city council are heavily involved in both the where and the how, so the next mayor and council will determine whether changes are made to the process.
Police consent decree
On Jan. 31, a U.S. district judge approved a consent decree—a court-ordered plan to reform the Chicago Police Department's policies under federal oversight. The decree followed a Department of Justice investigation in the aftermath of the shooting death of Laquan McDonald. The Chicago branch of the Fraternal Order of Police criticized the decree, which is at the center of broader debates around police-community relations and public safety. The next mayor will play a role in implementing the decree's reforms.
Affordable housing requirements for developers
As per city ordinance, residential developers meeting certain criteria (like those receiving public funding) must either include a specified number of affordable housing units in their projects, build the units off-site, pay an in-lieu fee, or do some combination of these. Proponents of additional requirements say they are necessary to meet affordable housing needs. Opponents argue this would inhibit investors from financing projects, leading to less affordable housing in Chicago.
Crime
Reported murders in Chicago increased 60 percent between 2015 and 2016. A Pew Research Center report said Chicago had the 14th highest murder rate, at 24.1 murders per 100,000 people, among cities with more than 100,000 residents in 2017. Candidate proposals for reducing violent crime range from improving policing techniques to investing more in certain neighborhoods and schools to reducing access to illegal guns.
Ethics reforms
An alderman charged with attempted extortion. A University of Illinois report finding more individuals convicted of public corruption in the Northern District of Illinois (including Chicago) than any other metro area over the past 40 years. These events have occurred alongside the 2019 elections. Several mayoral candidates have proposed city government ethics reforms, including many focused on the city council.
Some of the proposals—including term limits, banning outside income, and ending aldermanic privilege—could be pursued through ordinance. The next mayor and city council will decide whether that happens.
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