Tom Tresser for Cook County Board President » Da machine

Sign The Petition – Abolish TIFs in Cook County!

TomTee — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:26:37 +0000

There are 430 Tax Increment Finance Districts in Cook County. In 2008 they sucked $875 million in property taxes away from the local units of government that rely on them for operation. Of that total, 160 districts were in Chicago and diverted $525 million away from the Board of Education, the Park District, the Public Library, the City Colleges and the basic operations of the city, itself.

Sign the petition to abolish TIFs in Cook County.

Here’s a web site Tom curates on TIFs and why they need to go.

Illinois Is Bankrupt – Had Enough?

TomTee — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:49:43 +0000

Hire Rich Whitney, Green Party candidate for Governor, to fix this mess!

From the Northbrook based Institute for Truth on Accounting. From their press release:

The Institute’s reports the state has only $20 billion of assets to cover $140.6 billion in bills —- a $120.6 billion shortfall. Each Illinois taxpayer’s share is $29,200. This precarious financial position falls under one definition of bankruptcy —- A debtor that does not have the financial means to pay their bills as they come due. The Institute’s detailed study of Illinois’ June 30, 2009 audited financial report and retirement systems’ actuarial reports found the state does not have the $120.6 billion needed to pay for its liabilities as they come due. “The state has incurred billions of dollars of liabilities and does not have the means to meet these liabilities,” said Sheila Weinberg, founder & CEO of the Institute.

Had Enough? Vote for Rich Whitney

TomTee — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:27:28 +0000

Support the Green Party. Donate to Rich Whitney’s campaign.

Read & Comment – “The Cost of Corruption” @ Huffington Post

TomTee — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:24:17 +0000

Illinois is corrupt. HOW corrupt? Read Tom’s essay at Huffington Post Chicago:

Watch Tom on ABC News Chicago’s “NewsViews”

TomTee — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:14:49 +0000

Like what you hear? I’m looking for 100 donors at $100.00. Small change for big change!

Donate online via DonationPages. You can mail a check made out to “Friends of Tom Tresser” to 333 W. North Avenue #154, Chicago IL 60610.

Take Back Our Meters – The Mayor Bailed Out Morgan Stanley!

TomTee — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:36:23 +0000

If you weren’t already furious with the parking meter rip-off, check out this article from Bloomberg Financial News:

Chicago drivers will pay a Morgan Stanley-led partnership at least $11.6 billion to park at city meters over the next 75 years, 10 times what Mayor Richard Daley got when he leased the system to investors in 2008.

Morgan Stanley, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Allianz Capital Partners may earn a profit of $9.58 billion before interest, taxes and depreciation, according to documents for a $500 million private note sale by their Chicago Parking Meters LLC venture. That is equivalent to 80 cents per dollar of projected revenue. Standard Parking Corp., which runs 30,000 spaces at the city’s O’Hare and Midway airports, earned 4.84 cents on that basis last year, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The deal illustrates how Wall Street banks, recipients of more than $300 billion in taxpayer bailouts in the worst credit collapse since the Great Depression, are profiting from helping states and cities close record recession-induced deficits by selling bonds and leasing public properties. Chicago gave up billions of dollars in revenue when it announced in 2008 that it leased Morgan Stanley its 36,000 parking meters, the third- largest U.S. system, for $1.15 billion to balance its budget, said Alderman Scott Waguespack.

It’s time to declare the parking meter deal NULL AND VOID and reclaim the meters from the Wall Street insiders who got the sweetheart deal of the century (literally!).

The More Things (Don’t) Change…

TomTee — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:14:39 +0000

I thought this political cartoon from The Chicago Tribune pretty much sums up the political situation in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois. Are YOU going to change your civic behavior this November on Election Day?

Tom Declares Independence – IVI-IPO Not So Sure

TomTee — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:19:36 +0000

Tom went before the IVI-IPO (Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization) on Saturday.
He declared, “Let’s take a look at the word ‘independent’ – it’s so important it’s in your name TWICE.” He explained why he is the most independent and anti-Machine candidate in his race.

Tom with IVI-IPO State Chair Alonzo Zaragoza.

Tom’s first campaign against Da Machine – 1991 (Hank Rubin vs. Bernie Stone, 50th Ward)
Tom was part of the 1993 state-wide coalition to oppose Daley’s move to expand casino gambling to Cook County (Alderman Preckwinkle is OK with gambling coming to the Michael Reese Hospital site)
Tom has fought privatization aggressively and successfully, first as a co-founder of Protect Our Parks (which sued the Park District and the Latin School over the Lincoln Park Land Grab) and then as a lead organizer for No Games Chicago.
Tom has organized against TIF abuse and now opposes the TIF program entirely - it’s the biggest tax-payer rip-off going (Alderman Preckwinkle has voted for dozens of TIFs and her own ward is heavily TIF’ed – In fact, in 2009 four TIFs sucked $7.9 MILLION of property tax revenue OUT of the 4th Ward and those TIFs had net assets of $14.6 million sitting in Da Mayor’s private slush fund – somewhere). Download a map and summary – 4th Ward_TIFs.
Tom was a leader of the No Games Chicago coalition that vigorously fought the 2016 Olympic Scam and the destruction of the Michael Reese Hospital site (both of which were heavily backed, supported and blessed by Alderman Preckwinkle).

So who’s the most “independent” candidate for Cook County Board President? Let’s see what the IVI-IPO says…

Download a copy of Tom’s prepared remarks to the IVI-IPO endorsement session.

Angry Tax Payers Meet, Want Answers

TomTee — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:14:47 +0000

Small business owner Carey Matson got mad as hell about the rising taxes, ongoing corruption and declining services in Cook County. He has organized a new citizen’s group, The Cook County Coalition for Tax Relief. On July 14 they held their first event – a candidate’s forum for the Cook County Assessor’s race and the race for the Cook County Commission’s 16th District. Over 200 attended on a clear and balmy summer night. The event was hosted by Andy Shaw, Director of the Better Government Association, who marveled at the turnout. “We’re a crossroads” he declared. Are we? Bob Grota, the Green Party candidate for Assessor, was not invited to participate in the forum but was allowed to ask the first question – which he directed at Forest Claypool, asking him to defend his qualifications for the position.

Illinois Politics On Trial

TomTee — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:22:52 +0000

Please consider supporting my campaign. Please consider joining the Green Party.