UIC Urban Forum to explore pensions, debt, government services
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s 2018 Urban Forum, titled “The People’s Money: Pensions, Debt and Government Services,” will examine the paradox of improving economic conditions alongside the challenging fiscal situations of the nation’s cities and other local governments.
WHEN:
Thursday, Sept. 13
8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
(Doors open at 8 a.m. for continental breakfast; box lunch served at 1 p.m.)
WHERE:
Student Center East
Illinois Room
750 S. Halsted St.
DETAILS:
Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president
The 2018 UIC Urban Forum will convene civic leaders and top finance professionals. Experts will address matters impacting the ability of local and state governments to meet citizens’ needs and expectations in an era of mounting challenges, including pension liabilities, deferred infrastructure maintenance and investment, and a changing municipal bond market.
Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president, and Richard Ravitch, former lieutenant governor of New York, will deliver keynote addresses.
The opening panel, “Who Gets What and Why?: Cities and the People’s Money,” will feature Melanie Hartzog, director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, and Samantha Fields, budget director for the City of Chicago. The discussion will be moderated by Heather Gillers, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has covered pensions, municipal debt and state government for over a decade.
The second panel, “When Governments Go Broke: Lessons from Puerto Rico and Detroit,” will include Ana Matosantos, board member for the Puerto Rican Oversight and Financial Management Committee, and Boysie Jackson, chief procurement officer for the City of Detroit.
The final panel, “Sins of Our Fathers: Inheriting Pension Burdens,” will include Chris Morrill, executive director and CEO of the Government Finance Officers Association, and Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation.
Richard Ravitch, former lieutenant governor of New York
Moderating the second and third panels are government management experts Richard Greene and Katherine Barrett, principals of Barrett and Greene, Inc., respectively. The husband-and-wife team has more than 25 years of experience in research, writing, analysis, evaluation, and consultation related to state and local governments.
For complete event details, including agenda, speakers and commissioned background papers, visit the Urban Forum website.
Admission is $25 for the general public, including a box lunch. Admission is free for all Chicago-area teachers, faculty and students with a valid school ID. Registration is required for all attendees. Walk-in registration will be allowed with credit card or check payment only. For more information, call (312) 413-8088.
The American Planning Association has approved the 2018 UIC Urban Forum as an eligible event for American Institute of Certified Planners members to earn 4.25 credits toward their certification maintenance.
Co-chairs of the 2018 UIC Urban Forum are Preckwinkle and Michael Amiridis, UIC chancellor. Michael Pagano, dean of the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, serves as program director.
This year’s forum is sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, WBEZ 91.5, the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, and the UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement.
