Ben Joravsky Interviews: Inside Chicago Government

Whether Chicago Public Schools' do-not-hire practices have changed under Supt. Brizard; how to change CPS's illogical policies; and how do-not-hire resembles tax-increment financing. Length 5.1 minutes.

Removing services for the poor as a gentrifying force; why TIF district creators exclude gentrifying areas; and getting beyond the fiction that TIF doesn't divert revenues from Chicagoland's taxing bodies. Length 10 minutes.

Whether teachers' 75 percent minimum membership requirement for a strike vote hobbles their union; holding students accountable for their poor performance; and teacher accountability as a bandage on society's economic disparities. Length 8.5 minutes.

Whether voters want a strong mayor--for other people; summer as a voter aphrodisiac; and the mayor as an expert in spectacle. Length 6.7 minutes.

The double standard that marijuana laws reinforce; making the police superintendent sound smart; and the clever composition ability of police officers. Length 5.5 minutes.

What lies behind the motive to get rid of teachers; how Chicago can recruit better teachers in the face of "do not hire" designations and pay cuts; and how the free market encourages teachers to leave Chicago. Length 9.5 minutes.

The difference between a tax-increment financing district's budget and the amount of tax dollars it diverts; whether the park district could more easily implement a capital project via regular budgeting or tax-increment financing; and the last major elected official to call a corporation's relocation bluff. Length 9.3 minutes.

How Chicago Public Schools handle the re-applications of teachers in turnaround schools; the link between turnaround schools and cutting well-paid teachers; and expulsion: a teaching tool, or a convenient way to boost performance scores? Length 9.7 minutes.

How public school students get into particular high schools; why the state's board didn't enforce the law; and the effect on union organizing of federal versus state jurisdiction. Length 6.5 minutes.

What didn't make it into the timeline; the evidence for the manipulation of Carol Moseley Braun; and the list of candidates who might've beat Mayor Daley. Length 6.7 minutes.

The 43rd-27th ward boundary gerrymandered for racial purity; how the city changes property zoning; and why Mayor Emanuel apparently has immediate control of the City Council. Length 10.5 minutes.

Why using tax-increment financing to build new schools works against the school system's interests; whether tax-increment financing affects where and when to build new schools; and imagining an elected school board. Length 8.3 minutes.

Alternatives to tax-increment financing of well-endowed institutions; whether the city should spend TIF money on both the relocation of Finkl Steel and the redevelopment of its old site; and digging into increased funding of the Garfield Park TIF district. Length 9.3 minutes.

Why charter schools' ability to get rid of troublesome kids invalidates comparisons with non-charters; whether non-charters should have this same ability; and what level of unionization signals the demise of charters in Chicago. Length 8.5 minutes.

The different dynamics of black and Hispanic migration into wards; how moderating a candidate debate differs from interviewing candidates; and Ald. Stone's persistent denial of ward gerrymandering. Length 8.4 minutes.

Why Ben moderates aldermanic candidate debates; how ranked-choice voting (RCV) works; and whether Chicago could use RCV in municipal elections. Length 7.9 minutes.

The difference between magnet, charter, and selective-enrollment schools; how state senator Steans' bill essentially deregulates charter schools; and Rahm Emanuel's crush on New York City's education model. Length 8.8 minutes.

Why people outside the 5th Illinois senate district should care about Rickey Hendon; the argument for office-holders like Hendon staying in office; and who really will decide on Hendon's successor. Length 9.9 minutes.

What inspires Chicagoans to want to learn about their government; the mayoral voting habits of white people; and the subconscious guilt of white voters. Length 8.9 minutes.

A look into the back rooms where aldermen negotiate the remaps of wards; Mayor Emanuel's participation in ward remapping; and the history of and need for supermajority wards. Length 10 minutes.