CHICAGO: THE CITY THAT WORKS…UNTIL IT DOESN’T

By Andy Shaw

  Chicago used to be know as “City of the Big Shoulders.” A better moniker now is “City of the Big Headaches.”

   Once upon a time its other slogan, the “City That Works,” depicted an arguably admired political machine and urban machinery, humming along despite its flaws. 

   The schools, albeit unevenly, churned out graduates, the L mostly ran on time, businesses planted deep roots, and our sports teams—while never dynastic except for MJ’s Bulls, at least gave us something to intermittently enjoy. 

  Now? The machine is rusting, the gears are jamming, and it’s hard to tell who, if anyone, is in the driver’s seat.

  Let’s start with a painfully overarching reality: The CTA, the schools and the city itself are all broke, and our taxes keep going up. That’s a recipe for a steep urban decline  

  Take the CTA, for example—an organization seemingly locked in competition with itself to reach new levels of dysfunction. 

  The trains and buses don’t show up when they’re supposed to, crime is rampant, and there’s a $730 million budget hole looming next year. 

  Officials call it a “fiscal cliff,” which is a polite way of saying, “We have no idea how to fix this.” More state funding? Higher fares? Magic beans? Your guess is as good as theirs.

  The Chicago Public Schools aren’t much better. Enrollment is plummeting, schools are closing, test scores have yet to recover from the pandemic, and a militant teachers union demands more money for less work. 

   The newly elected school board will soon have to deal with a system that costs more to run than the city can afford. That’s assuming there are still enough students left to justify the overhead. 

  Families are leaving Chicago, and who can blame them? Between rising property taxes and troubling crime statistics, “For Sale” signs are multiplying.

  Crime is the dark shadow that stretches across everything. The numbers go up, then down, then up again, but the perception lingers that neighborhood aren’t safe and police aren’t effective. 

  Downtown businesses worry about shoplifting; carjackings, drive-by robberies and smash-and-grab burglaries are a regular neighborhood occurrence, and even the Magnificent Mile has lost its shine. 

   The police department is short-staffed, stretched thin, and ineffectual. Perpetrators are rarely apprehended and City Hall struggles to get a handle on the situation. Every new administration promises to fix it, but the cycle continues.

  And speaking of City Hall—what a mess. We’ve had mayors who micromanage, mayors who grandstand, and now, an unprepared mayor who seems determined to govern by vibes, unrealistic progressive dreams and platitudes.  

   Meanwhile, the City Council continues with its usual mix of ambition, gridlock, and occasional federal indictments. Everyone claims to have a plan, but the end result always seems to be more fees, more fines, and more head-scratching decisions.

  Then there’s our sports teams, the traditional salve for Chicago’s wounds. In most cities, the teams are either good or bad. In Chicago, they specialize in being bad and embarrassing. 

  The Bears are stuck in a perpetual rebuild, the White Sox are a catastrophe, the Bulls are in basketball mediocrity, and the Cubs—well, let’s just say 2016 feels like a  lifetime ago. 

   Even the Blackhawks, once the city’s saving grace, are now awful on the ice and defined more by their off-ice scandals than their play.

  So where does that leave us? Chicago isn’t dead—not by a long shot. The city has survived corruption, economic downturns and worse before. We still have one of the world’s most glorious lakefronts, along with marvelous parks, beaches, restaurants, music venues, cultural institutions, and night spots. 

  But the big question is whether the city’s tax-eating, underperforming governmental entities can pull themselves together in time to stop the downward slide?

  The CTA needs a real funding plan, not just another short-term band-aid. The schools need leadership that can balance the budget, educate the students and rein in the teachers union.  Crime needs to be addressed in a way that reassures businesses and communities. And City Hall? It needs to stop governing like a reality show and start making the hard choices that will keep people from fleeing to the suburbs, or worse—Florida.

  Chicago has always been a city of grit, fight and second chances. But at some point, the punches stop landing. We need a comeback, and fast. Because right now, the only thing Chicago leads the nation in is lost potential and migraines.  

Andy Shaw is a semi-retired Chicago journalist and good government watchdog. His email is andyshawchicago@gmail.com.