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A Look Back on Eight Years of Progress

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A Look Back on Eight Years of Progress MOVING CHICAGO FORWARD: A LOOK BACK ON EIGHT YEARS OF PROGRESS MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL MOVING CHICAGO FORWARD • A LOOK BACK ON EIGHT YEARS OF PROGRESS LETTER FROM THE MAYOR May 2, 2019 Dear Fellow Chicagoans, It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve the people of this great city as mayor for eight years. Together, we have addressed longstanding challenges, overcome old obstacles and confronted new headwinds. At the outset of my administration, Chicago was beset by fiscal, economic and academic crises. Many thought our best days were behind us, and that the ingenuity and ability to rise to meet great challenges that had defined our city for generations was part of our past, but not our future. In response, Chicagoans came together and showed the resolve and resilience that define the character of this great city. Today, Chicago’s fiscal health is stronger than it has been in many years, with a smaller structural deficit, a larger rainy day fund, true and honest accounting of city finances, and dedicated recurring revenues for all four city pension funds. Our economic landscape is dramatically improved, with historic lows in unemployment, the highest level of jobs per-capita in the city in over five decades, and a record amount of corporate relocations and foreign direct investment. Academically, Chicago’s students are raising the bar for success and making our city proud. Every year for the past seven, a new record number of Chicago’s students have graduated high school. More graduates than ever now go to college. Stanford University found CPS students are learning faster than 96 percent of students of all districts in the United States. A child who is born in Chicago today will get four more years worth of school than a child born a decade ago. This progress is a sign that the whole city is doing something right together. For eight years we have worked together toward a brighter future for all the residents who live here, all the immigrants from around the world who flock here because they still see Chicago as a beacon of hope, and all the children and young people who are growing up here and will inherit this great city that we love. When I first campaigned to serve as mayor of Chicago, the job of a lifetime, I was clear that I expected to be held accountable for my record in office. I hope you take the opportunity to review this assessment of the progress we have made together, and to use the lessons from this past progress to help shape a brighter future for this city we all love. Thank you for giving me the honor and the opportunity to serve as mayor of the greatest city in the world, and thank you for all you do to make Chicago a great place to live, work and raise a family. Respectfully, Rahm Emanuel Mayor, City of Chicago MOVING CHICAGO FORWARD • A LOOK BACK ON EIGHT YEARS OF PROGRESS TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................9 STATE OF THE CITY: 2011 AND TODAY ................................................................. 13 LOOKING BACK: 2011 TRANSITION COMMITMENTS .......................................... 19 Scorecard of Promises vs. Accomplishments .............................................................24 BUILDING MOMENTUM IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD ........................................ 35 Accountability, Transparency and Ethics ...................................................................... 37 Arts, Culture and Tourism ...................................................................................................44 Education and Youth ............................................................................................................50 Economic Development and Small Businesses .......................................................... 57 Environment and Sustainability ........................................................................................64 Financial Reforms ..................................................................................................................68 Housing and Homelessness ................................................................................................71 Infrastructure, Transportation and City Services ....................................................... 77 New Americans .......................................................................................................................87 Public Safety ........................................................................................................................... 90 Quality of Life ..........................................................................................................................95 Working Families ................................................................................................................... 101 SNAPSHOT: SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCIES .........................................................107 WORKING TOGETHER: DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES............................... 109 Finance and Administration ...............................................................................111 • Office of Budget and Management ................................................................111 • Department of Innovation and Technology .............................................. 114 • Department of Finance ......................................................................................117 • Department of Law .............................................................................................121 • Department of Human Resources ............................................................... 124 • Department of Procurement Services ....................................................... 126 • Department of Fleet and Facility Management ..................................... 129 Infrastructure .......................................................................................................132 • Department of Streets and Sanitation ........................................................132 • Department of Transportation ...................................................................... 134 • Department of Aviation ....................................................................................137 • Department of Water Management ............................................................ 142 Public Safety ........................................................................................................146 • Chicago Police Department ........................................................................... 146 • Office of Emergency Management and Communications ................. 149 • Chicago Fire Department.................................................................................152 MOVING CHICAGO FORWARD • LOOKING BACK ON EIGHT YEARS OF PROGRESS Community Services ..........................................................................................155 • Department of Public Health ..........................................................................155 • Commission on Human Relations ................................................................ 159 • Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities ............................................... 163 • Department of Family and Support Services .......................................... 165 • Chicago Public Library ..................................................................................... 170 City Development .............................................................................................. 173 • Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events ...............................173 • Department of Planning and Development ..............................................178 Regulatory............................................................................................................188 • Department of Buildings ................................................................................. 188 • Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection ...............190 • Chicago Animal Care and Control ............................................................... 193 • Board of Ethics .................................................................................................... 196 Sister Agencies ...................................................................................................198 • City Colleges of Chicago ................................................................................. 198 • Chicago Public Schools .................................................................................. 203 • Chicago Transit Authority ............................................................................... 210 • Chicago Housing Authority ............................................................................ 214 • Chicago Park District ........................................................................................ 219 • Public Building Commission of Chicago .................................................. 224 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MOVING CHICAGO FORWARD • A LOOK BACK ON EIGHT YEARS OF PROGRESS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2011, Mayor Emanuel campaigned on a promise to bring change to Chicago communities and to partner with government, residents and businesses to tackle the most pressing problems facing the city. When he took office, the City faced a financial crisis, with a $635 million structural budget deficit, Chicago’s students had one of the shortest school days in the nation, residents
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