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| By Shia Kapos |
Happy Thursday, Illinois. Baby, it’s cold outside. Pardon me! Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency, via The Associated Press
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 | TOP TALKER | |
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Gov. JB Pritzker, along with state lawmakers and advocates, signs an executive order to boost affordable housing in Illinois. | Shia Kapos/POLITICO |
HOMING IN: Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t mention President-elect Donald Trump’s name in signing an executive order Wednesday to expand affordable housing options in Illinois. Making a point: But Illinois’ Democratic governor not-so-subtly answered a cry from voters who are frustrated with the economy and particularly their inability to find affordable housing. “It's a problem that takes many forms, has many causes, and it requires comprehensive solutions,” Pritzker told reporters Wednesday ahead of the signing. “Illinois needs to quickly and dramatically ramp up our efforts to approve and build new housing and to give more affordable options to working families.” What it means: The executive order creates an Illinois director of housing solutions, who will focus on finding ways to add housing by working with the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and other state agencies. The lack of affordable housing became an issue late in the presidential campaign when Vice President Kamala Harris picked up on the concern. It was hard to ignore as the lack of affordable housing is a nationwide issue. Can relate: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has also worked to address the housing crisis by expediting and streamlining affordable housing building projects. And a few weeks ago, the city launched a program to help fund affordable housing efforts. Not just Chicago: Pritzker said the lack of affordable housing is a problem that touches every part of the state, and he brought in Peoria Mayor Rita Ali to make the point. Eye-popping number: Ali said Peoria’s housing market during the summer saw 275 homes for sale, but only 29 of those qualified as being middle-class homes with a $120,000 to $180,000 price tag. “Improving middle income housing opportunities for both renters and homeowners will continue to allow our tremendous healthcare industry to attract and retain talent and also improve housing options for working class families,” Ali said. Also from the signing: Pritzker questions whether Trump's border czar has the 'authority' to implement massive immigration changes, by your Playbook host RELATED Morton’s Steakhouse building downtown to be converted Into 252 apartments, including some for affordable housing, by the Block Club’s Melody Mercado
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| THE BUZZ | |
FIRED UP: Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting was supposed to be perfunctory since aldermen would be returning Friday to take a vote on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed budget. But a fire alarm went off soon after the public comment period, forcing everyone in Chicago City Hall and the adjoining Cook County Building to evacuate. A fire started in a records storage room on the county side of the building, according to ABC 7’s Craig Wall. Fired up: When the meeting resumed, the real fireworks started. Debate focused on whether to approve a two-towered apartment project on the Lincoln Yards site in Ald. Scott Waguespack’s 32nd Ward. Waguespack opposed the project because he says it’s “out of scale” with the surrounding area and would exacerbate traffic, explains the Block Club’s Quinn Myers. The Chicago way: Tradition has it that City Council members fall in line and vote according to what that particular alderman wants for his or her ward. It’s called “aldermanic prerogative.” Not this time: Allies of Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed back. Words were said. The mayor called a recess. And then the proposal was pulled so Waguespack and developer Sterling Bay could talk through their differences. The face-off in chambers “was Johnson’s boldest attempt” since becoming mayor to challenge aldermanic prerogative, reports the Tribune’s Alice Yin. A clock is ticking: “If no vote is held by Dec. 25 — six months after it was approved in the Plan Commission and first introduced to the Zoning Committee — developer Sterling Bay can request the project receive a designation by the Department of Housing that would open up a path to be approved in six months despite Waguespack’s objections,” reports Crain’s Justin Laurence. MORE FROM CITY HALL Red Line extension, quantum computing campus get final zoning approval, by the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman If you are Sterling Bay CEO Andy Gloor, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@politico.com
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| WHERE'S JB | |
At 555 West Monroe Street at 2 p.m. to announce a new business development initiative
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| WHERE's BRANDON | |
| At the Garfield Park Conservatory at 10 a.m. to attend the Greencorps Chicago graduation — At the South Shore Cultural Center at 5 p.m. to accept the Peacemaker Award during the Metropolitan Peace Academy Community Violence Intervention graduation. Rapper Vic Mensa will be there, too.
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| Where's Toni | |
At the Cook County Health Professional Building at 9:30 a.m. with Commissioner Bill Lowry and others to celebrate the first cohort of graduates from Cook County Health’s EMT Apprenticeship Program — At 555 West Monroe Street at 2 p.m. with the governor — At the Cook County Building lobby at 3 p.m. to celebrate Kwanzaa and Hanukkah Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (heaven forbid) a complaint? Email: skapos@politico.com
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| Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today. |
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| IN THE SPOTLIGHT | |
— This Northwestern music detective resurrected a trove of 400-year-old Christmas music: “Chicago’s own Newberry Consort will perform works of music from 17th-century Guatemala and Mexico that haven’t been heard by modern audiences,” by Hannah Edgar for WBEZ.
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| | THE STATEWIDES | |
| — MADIGAN TRIAL: Madigan judge says ex-Rep. Eddie Acevedo must testify at trial, rejects competency concerns: “Acevedo plays a role in two alleged bribery schemes in Madigan’s trial involving ComEd and AT&T Illinois. He has never faced criminal charges for that specific conduct, but he served a six-month sentence for a tax evasion charge in a spinoff prosecution,” by the Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel and Mitchell Armentrout. — Recent incidents prompt heightened Statehouse security: “Visitors may experience longer lines at entrances during upcoming sessions,” by Capitol News’ Peter Hancock. — Illinois Senate President Don Harmon stalling nursing home retaliation bill, advocates claim: “A bill pending in Springfield would give nursing home residents a better chance to sue facilities over retaliation claims that advocates say are rampant in Illinois. But a powerful industry trade group with deep financial ties to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon is lobbying against them,” by the Sun-Times’ Mitchell Armentrout. — More than 155,000 standard IDs and driver’s licenses issued to Illinois noncitizens in 5 months since law went into effect, by WTTW’s Eunice Alpasan — The Illinois Supreme Court has created the Data Task Force to coordinate what's going on with courts statewide. Announcement here — Amid concerns about paper, Illinois prisons would be able to electronically scan mail under new contract, by WTTW’s Blair Paddock
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| CHICAGO | |
— INVESTIGATION: Priest molested kids in Wisconsin. Why isn't he on a public list of alleged sex abusers there? “The list of alleged clergy sex offenders maintained by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and Archbishop Jerome Listecki, a longtime Chicago cleric, is one of the least comprehensive among large Catholic organizations in the United States,” by the Sun-Times’ Robert Herguth and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Laura Schulte. — In the neighborhood: LISC is accepting applications for the 2025 Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards, “celebrating 31 years of community and architectural excellence in Chicago neighborhoods.” Nonprofit and for-profit developers, as well as architects, are invited to showcase projects that have transformed communities. The deadline is Jan. 15.
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| COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | |
— WEDDING BELLS: Thinking about tying the knot in 2025? If you live in Cook County and you and your special someone are ready to take the plunge, newly elected Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon has a proposal. She’s inviting couples interested in tying the knot in 2025 to apply for the first marriage license of the New Year and to exchange vows in the Cook County Clerk’s Office annual First Marriage Ceremony. Sign up here. — George Dunham, Schaumburg’s longest-tenured trustee, stepping down after 33 years, by the Daily Herald’s Eric Peterson — Old Rosemont village hall to meet wrecking ball — but glass mosaic will be saved, by the Daily Herald’s Christopher Placek — Candidates for Oak Park and River Forest School Board challenged, by Bob Skolnik in the Pioneer Press
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| Real Estate | |
— Michael Jordan's house sold, at last, for $9.5M, by Crain’s Dennis Rodkin
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| Reader Digest | |
We asked about the theme of your holiday cards. Carlton Hull: “Unity!” Alison Pure-Slovin, a Skokie Village trustee: “Please consider donating food or volunteering with organizations that fight hunger locally. Ed Mullen: “The theme of my holiday card is ‘Next year, I promise.’” Next question: What's your take on presidential pardons? Email skapos@politico.com
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| THE NATIONAL TAKE | |
— AOC’s rise to the Oversight Committee marks Democratic generational shift, by POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz — A Jan. 6 rioter tried to join the Russian military to fight against Ukraine, feds say, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney — Some Democrats want to thaw their frosty relationship with Elon Musk, by POLITICO’s Holly Otterbein and Brittany Gibson
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| EVENTS | |
— 9:30 a.m. CT: Sen. Tammy Duckworth will lead a subcommittee hearing titled “U.S. Air Traffic Control Systems, Personnel and Safety.” It follows a Government Accountability Office report warning that the Federal Aviation Administration needs to modernize aging air traffic control systems. Livestream here or on YouTube
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| TRIVIA | |
WEDNESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Brian Munoz for correctly answering that the Progressive Miners of America (later renamed Progressive Mine Workers of America) was the labor organization that started in Gillespie in 1932 (It dissolved in 1999.). TODAY’s QUESTION: When did holiday lights first appear on Michigan Avenue? Email skapos@politico.com
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY | |
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Lindsay Huge, BGR Group CEO Bob Wood, Billy Goat Tavern owner Sam Sianis, Invest Aurora CEO Kelly O’Brien, Next Realty CEO Andrew Hochberg, YWCA Chicago’s Inspired Giving VP Kathleen Jacob and Narrative Strategies Managing Director David Pasch. -30- |
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