A rare moment of agreement from a prominent voice on the left has reignited debate over governance in America’s largest cities, as Wirepoints founder Mark Glennon joined Chicago’s Morning Answer to dissect what he and Dan Proft described as the predictable consequences of runaway public spending.
The conversation began with commentary from CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, who recently criticized Democratic-led cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago for “promising more, spending more, delivering less,” while pushing fiscal problems into the future. Zakaria pointed to rising homelessness in Los Angeles despite billions in spending, ballooning rental assistance in New York even as housing costs climbed, and Chicago’s mounting pension obligations as examples of structural mismanagement.
Proft noted the basic economic principle at play: when government heavily subsidizes something, demand and costs tend to rise. Glennon agreed, arguing that such dynamics have been visible in Illinois for decades.
“You didn’t have to be a wizard to see it,” Glennon said, recalling that warning signs were evident as far back as the early 2000s when state revenues faltered after the tech bubble burst. The fiscal trajectory of many major cities, he said, has long reflected a pattern of expanding government commitments without sustainable funding models.
Glennon contended that while Zakaria now describes the problem in stark terms, the underlying issues—pension underfunding, escalating subsidies, and unchecked spending—have been widely discussed for years by policy analysts outside the mainstream urban political establishment.
The discussion turned to Illinois specifically, where Glennon said pension obligations and rising property taxes continue to weigh on residents. Proft contrasted that environment with Florida, where lawmakers are debating a constitutional amendment to eliminate certain non-school property taxes on homesteaded properties. The disagreement in Florida, Proft noted, is over how much tax relief to provide—not whether to expand government revenue streams.
Glennon characterized the contrast as emblematic of diverging policy philosophies. “Policies tie your fate to the policy choices you make,” Proft added, pointing to population shifts from high-tax states to lower-tax states as evidence of voter preference.
The two also addressed the Obama Presidential Center under construction in Chicago’s Jackson Park. Glennon said taxpayer costs associated with infrastructure have risen from early estimates of $174 million to roughly $225 million, while total project costs now approach $850 million to $1 billion. He argued that long-term fiscal exposure remains uncertain, citing escalating expenses and limited transparency.
Glennon and Proft further discussed a recent Wall Street Journal profile of Wirepoints president Ted Dabrowski, highlighting his emphasis on fiscal data and structural reform. Glennon drew comparisons between Dabrowski and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, who is often credited with steering Indiana toward balanced budgets and tax competitiveness during his tenure.
Glennon suggested that Illinois voters may be open to technocratic leadership focused on data-driven reform, though he acknowledged the state’s entrenched political dynamics present significant obstacles.
As the conversation concluded, both men framed the broader issue as one of governance philosophy. For Glennon, the lesson is straightforward: sustained spending increases without structural reform tend to worsen affordability challenges rather than alleviate them. Whether voters in Illinois and other blue states will demand a course correction remains an open question.