UP YESTERDAY TO BEGIN FILING THE NECESSARY PAPERWORK TO BE ON THE BALLOT FOR CHICAGO'S FIRST ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD.

MEANWHILE, MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON LAUNCHED A REPARATIONS TASK FORCE AND THE CITY'S ETHICS COMMITTEE CHAIR CALLS FOR PUBLIC FINANCING IN CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS HERE WITH ALL THAT AND MORE OUR SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM, AMANDA BENNETT, THE HEAD OR SHARON.

SO, HEATHER, LET'S START AT CITY HALL.

YOU WERE THERE THIS MORNING, A GROUP OF OLDER PEOPLE AND ADVOCATES FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT CALLED FOR TAXPAYER MONEY TO BE USED TO FUND CAMPAIGNS FOR CITY COUNCIL.

HOW WOULD THIS WORK?

WELL, ESSENTIALLY, IT WOULD GIVE UP TO $200,000 TO CANDIDATES WHO CAN PROVE THAT THEY CAN GET A CERTAIN NUMBER OF SMALL DONATIONS FROM PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CHICAGO AND SPECIFICALLY LIVE IN THE WORD THAT THEY WANT TO REPRESENT ON THE CITY COUNCIL.

AND THIS IS AN EFFORT.

ALDERMAN MATT MARTIN SAID TO GET BIG MONEY INTERESTS OUT OF LOCAL POLITICS AND OTHER PEOPLE, INCLUDING ALISA KAPLAN, FROM THE REFORM FOR ILLINOIS GROUP, WHICH IS SORT OF DEDICATED TO SORT OF IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY AND HOW ILLINOIS'S GOVERNMENT WORKS AT THIS WOULD BE A CORRUPTION FIGHTING MEASURE.

WE ALL KNOW 38 ALDER PEOPLE SINCE 1969.

HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF CORRUPTION-RELATED CRIMES.

SHE SAYS THIS WILL FORCE PEOPLE TO ESSENTIALLY GO DOOR TO DOOR TO FUND THEIR CAMPAIGNS.

AND THAT MEANS THERE'S LESS OF A CHANCE OF SOMEBODY SORT OF AMASSING A MASSIVE WAR CHEST AND SORT OF USING THAT TO SORT OF, YOU KNOW, DO SKULLDUGGERY IS GOING OKAY.

I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S THE FIRST SPOTLIGHT OPENINGS AND NEVER ANY CORRUPTION IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M SO MAYOR JOHNSON MADE SOME HEADLINES YESTERDAY AT THE RAISING OF THE JUNETEENTH FLAG DALY PLAZA.

FIRST HE INTRODUCED HIS NEW CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER AND ALSO ANNOUNCED THE CREATION REPARATIONS TASK FORCE, THOUGH HEATHER, THE MAYOR ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS GOING TO CREATE THIS TASK FORCE BACK IN NOVEMBER.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?

WELL, NOW THEY'RE ACTUALLY GETTING TO WORK TIME, OF COURSE, FOR JUNETEENTH THE ANNIVERSARY OF WIND SORT OF THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION MADE ITS WAY ALL THE WAY TO TEXAS AND THIS IS REALLY DESIGNED TO START DOING THE HARD WORK.

WHAT DESERVES REPARATIONS?

IS IT SORT OF A QUESTION OF ONLY DESCENDANTS OF ENSLAVED AFRICANS OR IS IT WIDER IT AND HOW WILL THE SORT OF THE LEGACY OF JIM CROW AND THE SYSTEMIC RACISM WERE ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH IN CHICAGO, BE INCORPORATED AND IS IT MONEY OR IS IT EDUCATION IN THE CITY SCHOOLS OR IS IT SORT OF A LEG UP IN GETTING BUSINESS GRANTS?

ARE OF THOSE THINGS.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE ON THE TABLE.

AND FINALLY, FINALLY, SOME WORK IS GOING TO BE OKAY.

NOW THE STATE ALSO LAUNCHING REPARATIONS COMMISSION.

ITS FIRST PUBLIC HEARING IS IN JUST UNDER A MONTH, JULY 13TH, THE KENNEDY KING COLLEGE.

AMANDA, BRIEFLY, WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS COMMISSION SO FAR?

WELL, SO THERE IS THAT COMMISSION, WHICH ALSO WAS FROM SOME TIME AGO, ACTUALLY BACK IN 2022.

FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER, THERE ARE ACTUALLY SOME VACANCIES STILL ON THAT COMMISSION.

SO IT IT'S GETTING ITS START A BIT LATE.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE GOING FOR THIS FIRST HEARING, AS YOU NOTED, WILL BE HELD IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND APPEARS TO BE EXPOSED TO IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS TO GIVE THEIR INPUT.

BUT IT ALSO IS GOING TO BE IT SEEMS LIKE SOME SORT OF LECTURE OR LEARNING A LESSON BECAUSE THERE ARE A COUPLE OF PROFESSORS THAT ARE SCHEDULED TO BE PRESIDENT THERE ARE ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS OR COMMISSION MEETINGS THAT IS THAT ARE SCHEDULED THROUGHOUT THE FALL.

SO SIMILAR IDEA HERE WHERE THERE'S INTENDED TO BE TALK ABOUT HOW TO MAKE REPARATIONS.

BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THE CLASSIC SENSE OF THE WORD IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, CASH CHECKS.

IT COULD BE THAT.

BUT IT IS STILL QUITE EARLY.

IT COULD JUST AGAIN, EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.

THERE ARE A LOT OF OPTIONS.

AND THE OTHER POINT HERE IS THAT BOTH OF THESE AGENCIES, THE CITY AND THE STATE OR AIR TALKING REPARATIONS WHEN 10 YEARS AGO, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN BEEN UP FOR DISCUSSION AT WHICH IS A THING RIGHT HAD TO BRIEFLY TELL US ABOUT CHICAGO'S NEW CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER, CARLA COMPETE.

SO THIS IS FILLING A POSITION THAT HAS BEEN VACANT FOR SOME TIME IN CITY HALL.

AND HER JOB WILL REALLY BE TO DESIGNED TO SORT OF TELL MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON, WHETHER THE CITY IS USING ITS RESOURCES EQUITABLY OR NOT.

THIS WAS, AGAIN, ONE OF THOSE CHANGES MADE IN THE WAKE OF THE POLICE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD GOVERNMENTS FROM THE BIGGEST TO THE LITTLE IS SORT OF STARTED LOOKING AT ITSELF AND SAYING, ARE WE DOING THIS CORRECTLY?

AND THIS HAS BEEN A SPOT THAT I THINK MAYOR JOHNSON HAS A LITTLE BIT TROUBLE FILLING AND IS NOW GLAD TO SORT OF BE ABLE TO SORT OF SAY WE FOUND SOMEBODY FOR THIS POSITION AND NOW THEY CAN GET TO WORK BECAUSE THEIR EQUITY ISSUES ACROSS THE CITY RAISING FROM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ALL THE WAY TO ZONING.

AND IT'S TO HOW THE CITY SENDS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO ITS COMMUNITIES.

SO WE MENTION CANDIDATES LINING UP YESTERDAY MORNING TO SUBMIT THEIR UNNECESSARY 1000 SIGNATURES TO GET ON THE NOVEMBER 5TH BALLOT TO RUN FOR ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD FOR THE FIRST TIME HAD OR WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE ARE ARE TRYING TO GET ON THE BALLOT.

SO IT'S REALLY UP THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FILED ALREADY RUN THE GAMUT FROM SORT OF PARENTS WHO JUST WANT TO SORT OF IMPROVE THEIR SORT OF AREAS, EDUCATION AS WELL AS THOSE WERE HAVE BEEN HEAVILY INVOLVED IN BOTH THE EDUCATION REFORM MOVEMENT EITHER ADVOCATING FOR SORT MORE RESOURCES.

BUT THEY'RE ALSO PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE SORT OF OTHER SIDE OF THE ISSUE WITH SORT OF LESS CONTROL TOP DOWN WITH SORT OF THE CHARTER SCHOOL MOVEMENT.

AND THEY'RE ALWAYS ALWAYS BECAUSE CHICAGO, PEOPLE WHO ARE ASPIRING POLITICIANS WHO SEE THIS AS POTENTIALLY SORT OF A WAY INTO THE CITY'S PUT POLITICAL LIFE.

NOW IT'S GOING TO BE A COMPLICATED ELECTION.

THERE ARE 10 DISTRICTS.

THEY ARE EACH ELECTING ONE PERSON.

MAYOR JOHNSON WILL GET TO APPOINT ANOTHER PERSON TO REPRESENT THAT DISTRICT FROM BASICALLY A LITTLE BIT OF GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTINCT AREA.

AND THOSE 21 PEOPLE PLUS THE PRESIDENT APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR WILL SORT OF GOVERN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS UNTIL THE NEXT ELECTION WHEN EVERYONE WILL BE ELECTED IN PEOPLE.

CHICAGO, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN ILLINOIS WILL BE ABLE ELECT THEIR SCHOOL BOARD ASSIST A LITTLE COMPLICATED LITTLE GLAD YOU'RE FOLLOWING FOR YOU KNOW, AS WE JUST DISCUSSED, THE GOVERNOR'S PLAN TO CLOSE AND REBUILT TO STATE BUT THE COMMISSION ON GOVERNMENT FORECASTING ACCOUNTABILITY OR CAUSE.

I DIDN'T ACTUALLY VOTE LAST EXPLAIN PROCESS FOR US AND WHY THOSE NUMBERS DID NOT WELL.

THERE WASN'T A QUORUM AND APPEARS AS IF THERE ARE SOME FAIRLY LEGITIMATE REASONS THAT LEGISLATORS WANT AT THAT COMMISSION MEETING AND STILL, IT IS, I THINK, PERHAPS DISHEARTENING THE FOLKS WHO MAYBE WORK AT THEIR PRESENT AND WHO HAVE A LOVED ONE THAT IS HOUSED IN ONE OF THESE FACILITIES THAT THEY CARE ABOUT OR MAYBE A VICTIM WHO WANTS TO BE SURE ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF SOMEBODY WHO WAS THE OFFENDER THAT'S BEHIND BARS BECAUSE OF THAT.

SO THERE WASN'T A QUORUM.

THIS WAS ADVISORY VOTE ANYWAY.

BUT THIS IS A WHOLE SYSTEM THAT WAS SET UP AFTER FORMER GOVERNOR ROD BLAGOJEVICH TRIED TO CLOSE A BUNCH OF STATE FACILITIES.

LEGISLATORS GOT VERY UPSET ABOUT IT AND SAID WE WANT TO HAVE A VOICE.

WE NEED TO HAVE SOME INFLUENCE IN THIS PROCESS.

AND THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR