Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot isn’t the only one who has an ambitious agenda for the first 100 days of her administration.
So do progressive aldermen and the labor and community organizations that helped put them in office.
They’re pushing seven long-stalled and, therefore “shovel-ready” ordinances tailor-made to create a more livable, affordable and equitable Chicago.
The measures include:
- Raising Chicago’s minimum wage in 50-cent increments until it reaches $15-an-hour, and no later than July, 2021. Chicago’s minimum wage is $12-an-hour, increasing to $13 on July 1.
- Strengthening the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance by mandating construction of three-bedroom units suitable for families; eliminating “loopholes” that allow developers to buy their way out of a requirement to build on-site units in gentrifying neighborhoods and requiring developers seeking “up-zoning” authority to make at least 30 percent of newly-built units affordable.