Last week, a woman who appeared to be homeless sat against a building in my complex for the day. She dozed in damp blankets under a misty gray sky and kept to herself. A half-eaten box of chicken and bones lay at her side. Her bare feet poked out from under her covers.
Later that day, I walked to Jones College Prep, my local polling place. I voted for Bring Chicago Home. I voted for it, even while keenly aware that my wife and I are fortunate enough that within several years, we would probably be subject to the increased property transfer tax — should the measure pass and we decide to sell the condo we bought last year.
In retrospect, I am glad the measure failed to pass.
I am glad Bring Chicago Home failed to pass because I do not yet trust Mayor Brandon Johnson — someone I voted for — or his administration to use the proceeds from that tax in a transparent and effective way. I’ve read comments to the effect of “this would just give Brandon Johnson a $100 million slush fund,” and while I find that statement reductive, I can’t actually argue against it. This measure was not defeated by MAGA supporters, who the Tribune Editorial Board correctly pointed out are such a small Chicago voting bloc that the notion they could defeat anything single-handedly is comical. The measure was defeated in large part by a lack of trust in the mayor by the electorate to use the money responsibly, effectively and transparently.
It’s not just me who has concerns about a lack of forthright information from this administration. Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, spoke to local news about the difficulty he has faced getting complete information about how the city is spending money allocated for migrant shelters. One company got $206 million, but the city’s website doesn’t share how much the company makes in profit from the contract, among other key metrics. Vasquez rightly called the available information “more translucent than transparent.” If an alderman can’t get the info we all deserve, how is an everyday Chicagoan like me supposed to trust that the administration will be transparent and effective with another huge pot of our money?
The wording of the measure did not indicate to me that there was a clear plan in place to spend the money in a way that people could check. If the measure is on a ballot again, I’ll vote against it without the concurrent establishment of a committee of experts (both financial policy experts and homeless mitigation experts) that publicly and thoroughly accounts for the dollars spent. Tell me who’s getting the money, and what it’s being spent on. If such accountability measures were in fact planned, then program advocates did not effectively communicate it to voters like me.
I want Johnson to succeed — I voted for him. I want Bring Chicago Home to someday succeed. I hope its failure makes it come back stronger and better planned. I want to show the country that a progressive agenda can work. But a progressive agenda can work only if there are clear policies, effective execution of those policies and a forthright, public accounting of how our money is spent.
Do this, and I’ll vote for Bring Chicago Home again in a heartbeat. I’ll vote for it because I’ll know that this tax will actually help people like that one-time neighbor of mine. I’ll know she’ll have shoes on her feet, a better meal than a box of chicken bones and a roof over her head instead of just a wall on which to lean under a drizzly gray Chicago sky.
Robbie Preece is a writer and luxury hotel manager. He lives in Printers Row with his wife, Emily, and their dog, Mar.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.