To those who visit this great city, Chicago’s vibrancy must seem undeniable. Beautification projects have brightened many of our streets, and our downtown is bustling with new development.
We are inundated with pageantry and spectacle, and given a plethora of entertainment options from which to choose—fireworks, parades, dancing lessons and any number of other opportunities.
Perhaps most visibly, we have a new park that celebrates the millennium and the city itself—with a shiny new Bean that proudly reflects our gorgeous architecture for all to see, and two fountains that represent us to the world. They share our faces, celebrating Chicago’s diverse ethnic and racial makeup by playfully spitting water at each other.
But the organizations in the DGAP network, while appreciative of these fine elements, do not believe these to be complete measures of a city. Venturing outside the confines of the Loop and the wealthy neighborhoods clustered on the lakefront, we see signs of neglect, poverty and neighborhood deterioration. A city cannot be judged simply on the face it presents to the world; it is incumbent upon the citizenry to look beyond the public façade and analyze the issues that affect the lives of everyday citizens, such as the performance of schools, the accessibility of public transit, and the availability of affordable housing. It is in addressing those issues that true vibrancy—and accountability—can be measured.
The City Report Card on Justice and Democracy grades performance in seven critical areas in Chicago: Housing, Education, Economic Development and Jobs, Transportation, Environment, Criminal Justice, and Ethics and Corruption.
An analysis of issues that we have identified as vital is included in each of the seven topic areas. Each issue is given a “thumbs-up,” “thumbs-to-the-side,” or a “thumbs-down.” Two letter grades are provided for each of the seven topics areas—one for the way the city is performing now, and another that reflects the direction in which the city is heading.
We believe an accountable city government creates a democratic and just city for all its residents. With that in mind, we derived the letter grades by judging effort, process and results. An “A” represents excellence, indicating the city is doing all it can to precipitate positive social change that benefits all society, and is including the citizenry in that process. An “F” by these standards would indicate a city that is doing nothing to bring about change—or one whose powers-that-be are blocking change because the status quo benefits them individually or as a group. Likewise a “B” is very good, a “C” average, and a “D” near failing. Further, the grades were assigned using the following seven principles:
Principles of Good City Government
A good city includes the following:
- Policies that serve the interests of all people, regardless of race, income, religion or neighborhood.
- Adequate, accessible public resources targeted to the most vulnerable members of society, including schools, parks, community centers, infrastructure such as streets and sidewalks, and all programs and services.
- Participatory democracy that expands opportunities for residents to engage in decision-making through such avenues as local school councils, advisory boards and task forces, as well as regularly scheduled, conveniently located hearings and town hall meetings.
- Transparent decision-making, open communications and easy access to information.
- Fair and equitable hiring and biding practices that take into account historic and current injustices.
- Politicians that advocate on a federal, state and regional level for programs and funds that enrich all Chicago residents regardless of their race, class, gender, or neighborhood.
- Politicians who hold to high ethical standards in campaigning and fundraising.