Watch this 26 minute interview with CivicLab co-founder Tom Tresser, from the July 13 edition of “Live From The Heartland Cafe.”
Category: About Civic Engagement
Chicago IS Rising!
The volunteers of the CivicLab’s TIF Illumination Project are honored to be profiled in the July 22 issue of The Nation in a cover story feature entitled, “Chicago Rising.” The author attended the 4th Ward TIF Illumination on May 13. You can see all the presentations made at all 12 Ward Illuminations here – http://tifreports.com/tif-town-meetings.
Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign – One House At A Time
Chicago organizers J. R. Fleming and Toussaint Losier and their work inside the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign is the cover story of today’s New York Times Magazine. Read the story here. Download article here: The Death and Life of Chicago-Anti-Eviction_Campaign.
Presentation On Technology & Civic Engagement 4/26
CivicLab co-founder Tom Tresser will be presenting at eChicago at UIC on Friday, April 26 on the TIF Illumination Project, as part of a panel on technology and community engagement.
46th Ward To Be Illuminated!
Join us at The Peoples Church on April 11 at 7pm when we Illuminate the six TIFs inside the 46th Ward. If the last five TIF town meetings are any guides, then this meeting is going to ROCK! You can get the details and RSVP via Facebook @ http://tinyurl.com/
We invite to learn what TIFs are doing in YOUR community. TO schedule a TIF Illumination for your ward, email tom@civiclab.us.
Coverage Of 7th Ward Illumination
From Progress Illinois, “Dozens of South Shore residents weren’t too happy upon learning that a portion of their property taxes have been used as part of the city’s tax increment financing, or TIF, program.
Tom Tresser, co-founder of the CivicLab, came to the 7th Ward, and is heading to others, as part of the volunteer-based TIF Illumination Project, which is intended to promote TIF transparency and provide Chicago residents with a snapshot of what the program is — or isn’t — doing for their communities.
“I can’t believe that it’s so much money that’s out there that the community does not know about that’s not channeling back into our community, especially with all the schools closing,” Renita Jones, a South Shore resident of more than 14 years, said after Saturday’s meeting.
“It’s just amazing to me that (the city is) saying there’s no funds, and we have millions of [TIF] dollars that’s available that’s going to the corporate district, but the lower-class people are suffering from it,” Jones added.”
Support Our Application To Knight News Challenge
The CivicLab has launched the TIF Illumination Project to investigate and explain what Tax Increment Finance Districts are doing to Chicago on a ward-by-ward basis.
We are Illuminating TIFs across the city. Citizens are organizing TIF Town Meetings and inviting us to present our research and explanatory graphics about what the TIFs in their community have done and are doing.
We are seeking support from The Knight News Challenge to hire coders, designers and organizers in order to formalize this work which has already spawned three TIF town meetings and have another four on the calendar and another five in the works!
Please review our application and (1) comment, (2) “Applaud” the entry, (3) Pass it on. Thanks!
TIF Illuminators On WVON March 23
TIF Illuminators Tom Tresser and Bea Jasper (organizer of the Englewood TIF Town Meeting) will be on “The GreenPreneur Show” on WVON on Saturday night, March 23, from 5-6pm. Listen live here. The call in number is 773-591-1690. Let’s talk TIFs on the South Side. Our next TIF Town Meeting is in South Shore on March 30. Connect with the TIF Illumination Project.
South Shore TIF Town Meeting
Join us on March 30 as we illuminate the seven TIFs inside the 7th Ward. The details and RSVP are on this Facebook Event page = http://tinyurl.com/
Coverage of Washington Park TIF Meeting
Check out the article on the March 16 Washington Park TIF Town Meeting in Progress Illinois. [Washington Park TIF Town Meeting organizer Donna Smith. Photo by Ashlee Rezin]