Congressman Quigley says Chicago is on an unsustainable economic path

by BRIAN NADIG

The city of Chicago is facing an unsustainable economic path, given that a high amount of city revenue goes toward its debt and pension obligations, according to U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-5).

“There’s no amount of tax dollars that will meet that obligation,” Quigley said at the Aug. 27 meeting of the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association. “Pensions are funded at 25 percent, (and) right now 40 percent of the city’s budget is debt.”

Resolving the pension issue won’t be easy, but “there has to be a restructuring,”‘Quigley said. “What do you do if people are promised spending that is mathematically impossible?”

“I don’t think anyone should lose their pension,” Quigley told residents, but he added that perhaps some of the “six-figure” pension formulas need to be re-examined.

As a member of Congress, Quigley said, his job is to bring resources to the Chicago area that will help local governing bodies, but there will be no bailouts coming to Chicago from the Trump administration. “With the cuts coming from D.C., it’s going to be more necessary than ever … to be more efficient.”

Quigley reportedly considered running for mayor of Chicago a few years ago but decided against it. No word on any plans for a mayoral run in 2027, when Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term is up.

Also speaking at the meeting was state Representative Lindsey LaPointe (D-19), who discussed transit funding and a new bill which she sponsored that calls for universal mental health screenings for Illinois students.

“We are dealing with a fiscal cliff with transit,” LaPointe said, adding that she expects the legislature to address the issue this fall or next spring.

Earlier this year, there was a proposal to implement a tax of $1.50 on online deliveries in the state, excluding orders that consisted only of groceries or medications, but it stalled in the House of Representatives. “I feel that’s too high,” LaPointe said.

It’s expected that the legislature will eventually pass a bill consolidating some of the transit agencies in the Chicago region, LaPointe said. “We are not going to let our transit system implode,” she said.

Mental health screenings in schools will be required starting in 2027 under the new law. “We’re talking very basic stuff,” LaPointe said, adding that “parents and students can opt out.”

Also at the meeting, a resident warned about a scam in which a contractor approached him outside his home and offered to make a repair for around $400. He said that he signed a contract, which included wording for extra fees if more materials are needed, eventually leading to an $11,000 bill.

The resident said that he plans to ask the offices of the Illinois Attorney General and Cook County State’s Attorney to look into the matter. The business does not appear to be licensed, he added.

“Anyone can be taken for, and it happened to me.”

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