In March, Chicago’s Progressive Caucus made a painful observation: voters believe that city government just isn’t functioning. Following the defea

Chicago’s state capacity crisis - by Richard Day

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2024-12-03 18:00:21

In March, Chicago’s Progressive Caucus made a painful observation: voters believe that city government just isn’t functioning. Following the defeat of the Bring Chicago Home campaign, which would’ve raised real estate transfer taxes to combat homelessness, the caucus observed that “[v]oters who opposed the referendum told us that their vote represented their current distrust, frustration, and disappointment with government… Chicagoans deserve and transparent and responsive government that gets things done.” [1]

It's hard to argue with them. On issue after issue, it feels like government is either performing worse than it has in the past, or we’re spending a lot more for the same results:

Housing: Chicago has a shortage of affordable 120,000 units (and rising), but efforts to redevelop Chicago Housing Authority properties have been mired in delays. Costs for new city-funded affordable housing now average of $650,000 per unit.

Public Safety: Thankfully, violence is trending down this year, but homicide rates are still far higher than in the 2000s. Police only make arrests in 20% of fatal shootings, and total arrests for violent crime fell 79% between 2006 and 2021. [2] Arrests certainly aren’t the best indicator of police effectiveness—real public safety involves fewer crimes committed in the first place. But if arrests are falling while homicides are up, something’s broken.

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