Tom Tresser for Cook County Board President » Reasons to support Tom

IL Voters Don’t Trust Government – They’s Had Enough

TomTee — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:13:18 +0000

A warning to Illinois politicians cranking up their post- Labor Day hype machines to woo voters: They’re blasé at best about you, and they sure don’t think the state or federal government is going to help them through uncertain times.

Yet they’re also not ready to jump into the arms of tea party advocates, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll found.

The traditional start of the fall campaign season finds Illinois voters in a mood that might be described as anti-politician rather than anti-incumbent, especially among those who don’t identify with a particular political party. They’re weathering a tough economy in a state with an unrelenting mess of a government, where federal corruption investigations brought down a Democratic governor and the Republican before him.

More than 6 in 10 lack confidence in Democratic-run Springfield…

Where do YOU fall on this chart?

We’ve seen these polls before. But then the voters turn around and elect the same clods and clowns to public office. This November you have a REAL choice. Vote for Tom Tresser for Cook County Board President!

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.

In-Depth Radio Interview

TomTee — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:05:38 +0000

Chicago media activist and public access expert Mitchell Szczepanczyk interviewed Tom for his radio show. “Ministry of Truth.” (30 min)

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Let’s Get Some Of These For Cook County

TomTee — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:23:43 +0000

From NPR’s “Marketpace”

A new kind of electric bus hits the road today in Southern California. It will carry a full load of passengers over 30 miles, stop for 10 minutes, and fully recharge its batteries. As the inventor points out — that’s a lot less time than it takes to charge your cell phone.

More information from Foothill Transit.

Why can’t Cook County invest in a fleet of these buses for local use?

Here’s Why Cities, Counties and States Are Going Broke…

TomTee — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:16:40 +0000

Find out more about what the war has cost the taxpayers of Illinois, Cook County and Chicago. You might want to be seated when you see how many billions Illinois taxpayers have spent on war over the past nine years.

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.

Activist Titan Says “I’m With Whitney”

TomTee — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:21:42 +0000

Doug Dobmeyer is a titan of social change activism in Chicago. Here’s just a sampling of his accomplishments: Executive Director, The Public Welfare Coalition, Chicago, 1986-1994;Lobbyist on low-income and campaign finance issues in Springfield, 1986-1996, President of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Chicago, 1985-1987;Member of the Mayor’s Task Force on the Homeless, Chicago, 1983-1989;Project Director for several reports on poverty issues; and Past member of three statewide councils on poverty and homeless issues (1989-1994).

I had the good fortune to work with Doug in the early 1990′s when he led a state-wide coalition against Mayor Daley’s push to get land-based gambling in Chicago. We won that fight.

Read his column “I’m With Whitney” from the Beachwood Reporter.

I’m With Whitney

By Doug Dobmeyer

I am sick of Illinois politics as we know it today! Blind abeyance to massive debt and unbalanced budgets are now the norm. This well entrenched corrupt political system has only expanded in the 39 years since my coming to Chicago in 1971.

So, I’m going to do something to work for change. I’ve decided a third party is a viable option. I’m volunteering with the Green Party doing media for the Rich Whitney candidacy for governor. Whitley is a civil rights lawyer from Carbondale is the Green Party’s candidate for governor.

In the latest poll he was at nine percent of the vote. In 2006 he received 10 percent of the statewide vote.

As you know I have been a Democrat all my life. I have voted for a few Republicans along the way. The two usual party candidates for governor are dismal at best. One, Bill Brady, the Republican was born with the word NO on the tip of his tongue. Pat Quinn the Democratic incumbent and a friend for 25 years has become a disappointment since he took over from the disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Unfortunately Pat has moved away from previous positions that had formed our friendship. He’s just another Springfield politician now.

So, I intend to do what I can for Whitney to make him more of a viable candidate that could result in his being Illinois’ next governor.

As you might guess there is little money. But the Green Party’s positions on issues are very good. You can see for yourself. You would want them in charge of the environment, social services and democracy in general. The Greens are that fresh breath of air this state so desperately needs.

Some of you may ask, well, is Doug just going to help elect Bill Brady as governor by taking votes away from Quinn?

No, that is not the case. In the 85 days left to the November 2nd election I will work hard to elect Rich Whitney governor. And only hard work will make the change Illinois needs.

I invite you to join me in that effort as volunteers with the campaign. The only way for Rich Whitney to win is for people to move away from the same-old same-old to a new way of action.

Send me your name, your area of expertise and contact information and I will forward it to the campaign manager.

As always, I invite your thoughts and comments.

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?