David Greising – Page 8

Sofia Salinas walks along the fenced-in area that was to become a migrant tent encampment near her home in the Brighton Park neighborhood, Dec. 14, 2023, in Chicago. Salinas and her neighbors are concerned about the presence of ground chemicals on the site that prevented the encampment from opening. She said all of the construction that had been completed was taken down fully by the previous night.

David Greising: Mayor Brandon Johnson appears to be learning as he goes

December 22, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has reversed course on major policy moves twice in the last few weeks. In a sense, that's a welcome development. For his predecessor, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the...

David Greising: Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker can be at odds — as long as they do their jobs

December 8, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

There has been a lot of hand-wringing lately about the testy relationship between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Frankly, they can feud all they want — just...

Former Ald. Ed Burke gets into an awaiting vehicle after attending his corruption trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Nov. 28, 2023.

David Greising: Ex-Ald. Edward Burke faces judgment. But ethics reforms in Chicago still fall short.

November 24, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

As I began counting blessings in the run-up to Thanksgiving this year, a thought occurred to me: I wonder if it's uncharitable to give thanks that former Ald. Edward Burke...

Former Ald. Edward Burke, center, arrives for his political corruption trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Nov. 6, 2023.

David Greising: As ex-Ald. Edward Burke faces trial, Chicagoans are told yet again that it was ‘just politics’

November 16, 2023 at 8:18 a.m.

It serves as a fitting metaphor that, in an effort to avoid tainting the jury in the trial of disgraced former Ald. Edward Burke, a rogues' gallery of corrupt Illinois...

Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara marches with members during the St. Jude Police Memorial March, May 7, 2023.

David Greising: Maintaining Chicago police accountability in new contract will require a tricky legal maneuver

October 27, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's decision to put the brakes on City Council approval of a key part of a new police contract was politically pragmatic and a win for accountable government...

Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers his budget proposal for 2024 on Oct. 11, 2023, at Chicago City Hall.

David Greising: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first budget shows that the realities of the job have sunk in

October 13, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Think of it as the reality check budget. As a candidate for mayor, Brandon Johnson had a neat and clean plan to raise $800 million from new taxes in order...

Chicago FOP leader John Catanzara after a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on May 10, 2023.

David Greising: Civic leaders seek sincere solutions while GOP stunt exploits Chicago violence

September 29, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

At almost the same time this week, two meetings took place, both promoted as addressing Chicago's violent crime problem. They had two very different purposes: one dispensable, the other admirable....

The governor's office at the Capitol in Springfield is seen on Jan. 29, 2020.

David Greising: How Illinois can finally gain traction in solving its pension crisis

August 1, 2024 at 11:32 a.m.

Editor's note: This is Part Five of a five-part series. When something is the worst in the nation, it seems self-evident that responsible people would feel an urgent need to...

The state seal on a chair as Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his annual budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly on Feb. 15, 2023, at the Illinois State Capitol.

David Greising: Without political support, Illinois can’t move forward on pension fix

August 1, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.

Editor's note: This is Part Four of a five-part series. In an effort to help fix the state of Illinois' burdensome pension problem, the Civic Committee of Chicago has made...

Then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, alongside Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, announces Jan. 21, 2016, that he will support a Democratic pension reform proposal.

David Greising: Examining the plans to tackle Illinois’ pension debt

April 1, 2025 at 3:29 p.m.

Editor's note: This is Part Three of a five-part series. As Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration was winding down in 2018, a group of about two dozen prominent Illinois residents —...

All Stories