Civic Consulting Alliance was called on by the Chicago Mayor’s Office to support the Mayor’s Women Advisory Council to analyze the impact of the ‘she-cession,’ a gender gap in employment rates and pay in Chicago that was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The final report, “Creating a More Equitable Recovery: Addressing the Economic Barriers COVID-19 Exacerbated for Women in Chicago,” provides decision-makers with recommendations to center women’s economic recovery in their planning and policies.

Civic Consulting Alliance staff are experienced in coordinating large groups of stakeholders with diverse ideas and priorities to “get big things done.” We partnered with the Mayor’s Office to support and facilitate the Museum Campus Working Group. The final report, “Where Worlds Connect,” provides recommendations to transform Museum Campus into a more accessible, relevant, and attractive public space that is activated year-round.

In July 2021, Chicago’s City Council passed the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance. This landmark ordinance creates two bodies: a new city agency called the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), with power to advance systemic reform, and District Councils, which will be elected in each police district and work to improve policing and public safety in the district. The Commission and District Councils will give community members powerful new tools to provide oversight of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), COPA (Civilian Office of Police Accountability), and the Police Board, while promoting meaningful community engagement to build and implement public safety solutions.

Since 2019, CPD has made progress on specific consent decree mandates. However, there has not yet been intentional focus on the complementary cultural change that is needed to realize the spirit of reform. Building on our prior work to support CPD and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) in preparing for and responding to the consent decree, in 2021 and 2022, Civic Consulting Alliance undertook a series of projects to achieve this culture change and to accelerate the Department’s reform efforts.

Since March 2021, Civic Consulting Alliance and our partners have committed significant resources to support the City and the County in planning for effective investment of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to maximize their impact on the issues most critical to our region’s future. In recent months, our collaborative focus has transitioned to turning these plans into action.

One of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s policy priorities is to eradicate poverty and address systemic inequities. This priority only grew in importance due to the COVID-19 crisis, as thousands of residents faced unemployment, loss of income, and other hardships. While the City worked to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, it sought to ensure an inclusive and equitable economic recovery—pursuing strategies that would lead to enduring change. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Civic Consulting Alliance supported a series of critical projects with the City to achieve this vision for economic equity and vitality.