“Running For Local Office” Workshop At The Lab 2/22
Category: About Civic Engagement
Who Plans What For Who? Let’s Look At Chicago Planning Efforts
Chicago Teachers For Social Justice and the CivicLab are collaborating for a six-week session where people come together to examine an issue in order to act. It’s called “Inquiry To Action” and the inquiry we are hosting at the Lab starts on February 25. We will meet from 6:30pm to 8:30pm on six Tuesdays through April 1.
GRASSROOTS VISIONS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; TUESDAYS 6:30-8:30PM
Chicago is said to be the city of Big Plans. But WHO made those plans and who benefits from them? Many big-ticket projects have been proposed by City Hall over the years in order to make Chicago a “world-class city.” But what, exactly, is a world-class city? This study group will review the history of community planning in Chicago, starting with the 1909 Burnham Plan and will investigate key players in the city’s planning history in the present era. Who are they and what, exactly, are they planning for us? We will seek to understand the context and motivations and outcomes for these plans. We will look at the Right To The City movement and other frame-challenging planning movements to see what other sorts of visions can be surfaced for the future of our great city.
This is a peer process of inquiry. The sessions will be co-facilitated by CivicLab co-founder Tom Tresser and CPS teacher and manager of the CivicLab Research Team, Emily Finchum.
There is a Kickoff Event on Saturday February 15 6-8pm and a Finale Event on Saturday April 5 6-8pm.
There is no charge to participate. Attendance at all sessions is encouraged. YOU MUST REGISTER HERE.
“TIF 201” Workshop January 28
TIF 201 – Organizing Around The TIF Program
The CivicLab
Wednesday, January 28, 2014 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Tax Increment Financing Districts have been in the news lately.
Just WHAT are TIFs?
HOW do they work and how MANY of them are there?
Do they HELP or HURT the city?
Tom Tresser, the co-founder of the CivicLab and the lead organizer of the TIF Illumination Project, will break it all down in this informative and – yes – engaging and strangely entertaining workshop. Learn what over 2,000 other Chicagoans have learned from the TIF Illumination workshops done all over the city!
This session will past the TIF basics covered in previous workshops and will focus on how to help communities organize to impact the TIF districts that in their area.
$10. Attendees must register via EventBrite @ http://tif-201-1-28-14.eventbrite.com. All proceeds go to support the operation of the CivicLab. Making democracy.
The Nation recently profiled our work in a cover story entitled “Chicago Rising!” The author said “Chicago is where the spreadsheets are meeting the streets — and changing the face of politics in the city.” Join us to learn why and how this is happening.
What attendees at previous sessions have said…
“I just wanted to say thank you for the fantastic class last night. I learned a ton of new and disturbing information. I learned about Civic Lab while taking a class during the Chicago Ideas Week and I am looking forward to more classes! Thanks so much for creating such a wonderful organization and I look forward to seeing you speak at other events.” – John D.
“Illuminating and impressive presentation on TIFs in Chicago/Cook County las night. I thought I was up to speed, but proceeded to have my mind further blown on the lack of transparency and accountability. Highly recommend checking out The CivicLab Chicago. Thanks to Tom and the team there!” – Cory Jaffe
“The TIF 101 Class was AWESOME!!!! It is information that everyone should know. I hope that you will consider publishing that booklet that you presented. It would sell like wild fire!” -Dr. Carmen L. C. Palmer, Founding President, Educational Village Keepers
Holiday Hours
The CivicLab wll be on holiday hours through January 1. Which means we’ll be mostly closed so call before coming by, OK? 312-857-6485. Best wishes for a Healthy & Happy New Year from all of us at the CivicLab!
TIF Illuminators Testify
Got a few minutes? Then watch these brief videos from TIF Illuminators Maureen, Don, Bill and Marjorie as they explain why they got involved in the TIF Illumination Project.
The recordings were made at the 49th Ward TIF Town Meeting on July 1, 2013.
Perils Of Privatization
Historian and reporter for The Nation Rick Perlstein is doing a series of articles on the perils of privatization. In this 13 minute interview on WBEZ he lays out the reasons to be very skeptical about the sorts of deals Chicago is “forcing down the throats” of the taxpayers. He gives a shout out to the work of Tom Tresser and the TIF Illumination Project.
Read “State of Deception.” Then Join Restore The Forth
From the December 16 issue of The New Yorker. “It is evident from the Snowden leaks that Obama inherited a regime of dragnet surveillance that often operated outside the law and raised serious constitutional questions. Instead of shutting down or scaling back the programs, Obama has worked to bring them into narrow compliance with rules—set forth by a court that operates in secret—that often contradict the views on surveillance that he strongly expressed when he was a senator and a Presidential candidate.”
Read this and then come to the CivicLab to join in with the volunteers from the Chicago chapter of Restore The Fourth. Big Brother IS watching. E-Mail: RT4.Chicago@gmail.com, 773-417-9943. https://www.facebook.com/RTFChicago.
You Can Run For Local Office…
..or help someone you know and support run for local office! On December 3 master organizers Kitty Kurth and Kevin Lampe conducted a workshop on the basics of running for local office. We had a packed house at the CivicLab. At least five people said they are planning on running for office! We’ll be scheduling more workshops like this in the near future. Keep your eye on the CivicLab workshop schedule at Eventbrite.
A Giant Passes
Take Workshop On Running For Office
Unhappy about the way your local government is running? Stop complaining and BE the government! That’s right, YOU can run for local office and become part of the solution to persistent problems and create new possibilities for your community.
This dynamic 90 minute workshop will show you the BIG picture when considering a run for local office. We will show you a path for success and you will hear from candidates who ran and lost and who ran and won. Bottom line: You CAN do this. This session will explore the Frequently Asked Questions about seeking local office. We will be offering a full day training on the mechanics and tactics in January where attendees will take home a play book for action. Attendees to the December 3rd workshop will receive a discount to that full day training session.
$20. PLEASE REGISTER @ https://running-12-3.eventbrite.com.
The workshop instructors are Kitty Kurth and Kevin Lampe. Kurth Lampe is a Chicago-based strategic communications firm with an international reach with Chicago know how. Complicated ideas are turned into compelling and persuasive messages. Campaigns Kitty Kurth has worked on numerous campaigns serving in roles as campaign manager, press secretary, fundraiser, and advance coordinator. Kurth has served as a media consultant and general consultant for political races at every level from local to presidential including the role of Illinois campaign manager for Presidential candidate Paul Tsongas, national press and advance staff or the general election campaign of Governor Michael Dukakis and Illinois press secretary and spokesperson in the primary and advance person /organizer for Ron Brown’s campaign for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.Training Kurth regularly provides training for candidates and campaign staff for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Women’s Campaign Fund, National Women’s Political Caucus, and other groups. In 2001, the U.S. State Department sent Kurth and Lampe to Uganda to conduct campaign-training workshops for women Members of Parliament, candidates, and activists.
Kevin Lampe’s professional experience includes political campaigns ranging from local library boards to presidential campaigns. He has worked during each presidential election cycle since Governor Mike Dukakis in 1988. He served in variety of senior staff roles – including Director of Communications – for presidential candidates. Additionally, he served as an advance man for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. Lampe is regularly called upon to train his clients to work with the media. He has performed this task for everyone from US Presidential candidates and other elected officials to community leaders and business executives. Since 1996, he has served on the Speaking Tracking Team at each Democratic National Convention – which handles all the speakers at this event. At the 2004 convention, he worked with then state Senator Barack Obama on his keynote address. In 2012, Lampe was in charge of training for entire Speaking Tracking Team at the Democratic National Convention. Kevin has worked with Hotel Rwanda’s Paul Ruesabegina, Erik Estrada, Ambassadors, CEOs, Senators, and Congressmen. He has worked across the US and in Kosovo, Uganda, Belgium, Albania, Sweden, United Kingdom, Norway, Mali and Macedonia.