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Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he "reformed" the parking meter deal, but city drivers continue to pay millions of dollars a month to the private meter company.

While the city is strapped for cash, the private parking meter company makes millions of dollars more

by Mick Dumke on May 6, 2015 at 8:30AM

As Mayor Rahm Emanuel searches for money to cope with the city's grave financial health, the private firm that controls Chicago's parking meter system collected another $131 million from city drivers in 2014 to wrap up its most lucrative year yet, according to a financial audit posted Tuesday on the city's website. Chicago Parking Meters LLC has now hauled in $633 million in revenues since it took over the street parking system six years ago, audits show.

A small chunk of central Chicago gets most of the investment from the tax increment financing program, according to city data.

Just when you thought it was safe, here comes another debate over TIFs

by Mick Dumke on April 3, 2015 at 9:00AM

In case you were distracted Tuesday by that other debate—you know, the one between Rahm Emanuel and Jesus "Chuy" Garcia over who's best equipped to be mayor—you might have missed the latest showdown over the city's tax increment financing program. This round, like the last one, was prompted by a Crain's columnist I'll call Greg Hinz, since that's his name.

What happens now that Chicago is taxing the 'share' economy?

by Patrick Sisson on March 30, 2015 at 1:00PM

A local woman who rents out her Ukrainian Village condo on Airbnb says she has nothing but great things to say about doing so. Using the service has introduced her to cool strangers and changed her perspective on people for the better—and it often makes her as much as two times more money in a month than she would make with a standard tenant.

The limousine as petri dish, in Cronenberg's Cosmopolis

Maps to the Stars is David Cronenberg's latest science project

by Ben Sachs on March 17, 2015 at 3:00PM

It's been a while now since David Cronenberg opened a film with a proper credits sequence, as opposed to printing a few titles and leaving the remaining credits for the end. Until recently, the credits sequence had been a mainstay of his work.

Mayor Emanuel says he 'reformed' the parking meter deal, but he actually sold off more of the city streets

by Mick Dumke on February 19, 2015 at 11:00AM

Throughout his reelection campaign Mayor Rahm Emanuel has boasted that he reworked the infamous parking meter deal and saved the city $1 billion. Most recently, he's turned the claim into an attack on Alderman Robert Fioretti, one of his challengers.

Rahm Emanuel has donors in Los Angeles who want to help him stay in office in Chicago.

Rahm's reelection campaign is largely funded by people outside Chicago

by Mick Dumke on February 11, 2015 at 7:30AM

On Tuesday—hours before the last prime-time mayoral debate—Rahm Emanuel released his latest TV commercial. Like his previous campaign ads, it presents him as a man of the people of this diverse, proud, hardworking city: he's shown shaking hands, laughing, listening, and visiting the offices and factories where people actually work for a living.