Aldermen, Union and Community Groups Tell Mayor to Get Rid of Slush Fund
Alderman Waguespack proposes Responsible Budget Ordinance to send
hundreds of millions of dollars toward City’s budget woes
WHAT: Several Aldermen together with Alderman Scott Waguespack (32nd) will join the Chicago Teachers Union and the Grassroots Collaborative in announcing the introduction of the Responsible Budget Ordinance into City Council on October 5, 2011. The Responsible Budget Ordinance could return hundreds of millions of unallocated TIF dollars back to the original taxing bodies, significantly ameliorating their budget deficits without laying-off workers, taxing working families, or privatizing any valuable city asset.
WHY: Chicago’s neighborhoods currently suffer from the economic recession and every tax dollar allocated to neighborhoods this year is a dollar that can preserve basic city services for seniors, children, and parents. It would be irresponsible to let these funds sit idle in TIF accounts while we lay off teachers and other workers who have families that depend on them,and communities that benefit from their service.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 4, 2011, 11:30 a.m. press conference
WHERE: City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle, 2nd floor Chicago, IL 60602
WHO: Alderman Waguespack, Alderman Arena, Alderman Burns, Alderman Fioretti, Alderman Foulkes, Alderman Moore, and Aldermen Moreno with Grassroots Collaborative and other organizations
VISUALS: Large signs, 80 city residents from across Chicago, 5-foot Slushy
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The Chicago Teachers Union represents 30,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in the Chicago Public Schools and, by extension, the students and families they serve. CTU, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, is the third largest teachers local in the country and the largest local union in Illinois. For more information visit CTU’s website at www.ctunet.com.
SG:oteg-743-tr
