On Chicago’s Morning Answer, Wirepoints president Ted Dabrowski joined Amy Jacobson and Jim Iuorio to sound the alarm on the latest economic developments in Illinois—warning that recent wage mandates and tax policies may deepen the state’s financial and civic challenges.
With tipped wage increases set to take effect in Chicago on July 1, Dabrowski expressed concern about how the new rules could hurt small businesses and drive closures. “We’re already seeing places shut their doors,” he noted, citing the recent closure of Gail Street Inn, a Jefferson Park staple for over 50 years, which Dabrowski said was partly due to concerns about rising labor costs and declining neighborhood safety.
“Chicago keeps trying to outsmart the market,” Dabrowski said. “But price controls never work out the way politicians promise. They make it harder to run a business, especially in a city already facing soaring crime and office vacancies.”
The discussion also addressed a new Illinois law that shifts the burden of school construction tax referendums onto voters. Previously, school districts needed approval from residents before issuing bonds for large construction projects. Under the new law, districts can move forward with plans before voters have a chance to weigh in—leaving residents to scramble afterward to collect signatures and challenge the spending.
Dabrowski pointed to Effingham as an example of grassroots resistance, where residents have fought repeated efforts by the local school district to push through multimillion-dollar construction plans. “It’s the fourth time they’ve had to rally to stop this,” he said. “People are working full time, raising families—they can’t keep battling tax hikes every year.”
Despite frustrations, Dabrowski sees momentum building for broader political pushback. “You’ve got people in central and southern Illinois upset about runaway spending. You’ve got Chicago residents upset over billions in taxpayer-funded migrant healthcare and failing schools,” he said. “The opportunity for a real opposition movement is there. The challenge is organizing it.”
Asked about possible political shake-ups in the coming months, Dabrowski speculated that Governor JB Pritzker may announce a run for re-election soon, potentially using the governorship as a launchpad for national ambitions. “He likes the visibility,” Dabrowski said, though he joked about starting a fundraising drive to “support Pritzker’s presidential run—just to get him out of Illinois.”
The interview ended on a note of urgency regarding Illinois education. Dabrowski emphasized that real reform must start with literacy and math proficiency. “We need to obsess about literacy. If we don’t, there’s no future for this state,” he said. “Kids can’t read. They can’t do math. And yet we’re busy building new kindergarten facilities instead of fixing the fundamentals.”
Ted Dabrowski is president of Wirepoints, an Illinois policy research and commentary organization. He appears weekly on Chicago’s Morning Answer on AM560.