Come for the corned beef, stay for the animatronic chickens in the deli aisle. (I am not kidding.)

My opponent says he's a Democrat, but his donors tell a different story. Pat Hynes is being funded by: Major MAGA donors, union busters, landlords who sued their own tenants, and property tax attorneys who helped Trump cut his tax bill. On March 17, send MAGA Pat packing.

Huge thank you to the volunteers hitting the doors in Proviso Township today! We’re sending a strong message that Cook County is NOT for sale! Now let’s win this thing on March 17.

Y'all: Spaces are still available in my @newberrylibrary.bsky.social online seminar for this term! It's a discusson of Chicago poetry, from Sandburg and Brooks to our lucky city's contemporary poetry Renaissance: Coval, Olivarez, Marshall, and Ewing. Check it out: www.newberry.org/calendar/chi...

I’m voting for Toni Preckwinkle because she solves big problems. Being able to wipe away this much medical debt will help lift people out of poverty and inject money into our local economy that would otherwise go to big corporations. bsky.app/profile/toni...

“Three property tax attorneys at Holland Hicks Law — including partners Holland and Hicks — donated a combined $8,500 to Pat Hynes' campaign. You might not recognize the firm's name… It used to be called Madigan & Getzendanner until they rebranded after Madigan was indicted.” Seems bad!

When you have the chance, please take the time to watch Harrison Ford's remarkable, beautiful Life Achievement Award acceptance speech. #ActorAwards www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV_2...

On Casimir Pulaski Day, just a quick reminder that before he was a day off for municipal workers, folks on what had been Crawford Avenue fought for almost 20 years in courts and the Illinois legislature to keep the street from being renamed for Pulaski. Anti-Polish prejudice was powerful.

I’ve now had a full night’s sleep and have determined that I am still correct.

Since pazcki are taken, I vote that kolazcki become the unofficial pastry of Casimir Pulaski Day.

And speaking of pressuring members of Congress: if you subscribe to @us-gov-funding.bsky.social the affiliations of top donors are labeled at the top of their posts. Or non-posts, as the case may be. It's clarifying enough.

One night, about 15 years ago, I told @matty.wtf @localcelebrity.bsky.social @chicagoleah.bsky.social and others that Roombas were the first step toward Terminators and everyone was all “hahaha” but I am just here to say I was right. nypost.com/2026/02/26/w...

I always appreciate when people can see the big picture and the arc of our work. We’ve not been perfect but our team is dedicated to making this office more ethical, transparent, and easier-to-use.

Hundreds of violence prevention workers this week celebrated their role in helping Chicago achieve a steady dip in homicides, noting how the expansion of their grassroots work has gone a long way toward decreasing gun violence. blockclubchi.co/40w3DlU

When I think about new technology I think about: Is this helping humanity? Is this hurting vulnerable populations? What does it do for labor/workers rights? Who does it benefit?

Cook County is NOT for sale. Proud to stand with Rep. Garcia, @delia.bsky.social, local lawmakers, and advocates today to call out the special interests trying to buy the Cook County Assessor's race.

“The race for Assessor is about who pays: big corporations and commercial properties, like Trump Tower, or homeowners,” said Kaegi. “Pat Hynes has made his choice. He is being bankrolled by property tax attorneys responsible for driving up homeowners’ tax bills.” www.loopnorth.com/news/mobi/ka...

The coalition-building Jackson did lives on through so much Chicago organizing. As much as he’s been rightly recognized as a titan this week, the complexities and challenges of his work need more examinations like this.

Come for the quote, stay for the stinger at the end.

I know there’s *a lot going on* but it felt good to help create a community space for accountability and independent democracy this week. So much of our ward’s politics seems pre-determined. It doesn’t have to be.

If you're watching @fritzforassessor.bsky.social on @fox32chicago.bsky.social, this is what he's talking about in his debate with his opponent.

My heart breaks for the Torres family. Ofelia showed incredible courage speaking out against ICE and fighting for her father’s freedom. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/14/c...

The Cook County Assessor’s Office used to be one of the most corrupt government offices in America. Here’s how we changed that: We banned pay-to-play donations on day one, hired real data scientists, and made sure big mansions were paying their fair share. No favoritism, just fairness.

Money talks. When politicians like Pat Hynes take tens of thousands of dollars from MAGA, and even more from property tax lawyers who profit when your taxes go up, it tells you everything you need to know: He’s not on your side. Check out our new ad, airing now:

Got a minute? Here’s @fritzforassessor.bsky.social explaining the circular pay-to-play property tax system he’s still fighting to fix.

I discovered that my Chicago Public Library card gives me free access to the Consumer Reports website, which was great because we needed to replace my broken dishwasher and it helped us find a cheaper model. Libraries offer so many useful resources. Get a library card. They're great.

Let’s fucking go.

A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:

Listen to Phil.

The team-up you didn’t expect.

Honestly I wish there was commentary from B&B for all of these. Would make them at least somewhat watchable

as you find the right mortgage for you from the Mr. Rogers Rocket™️ commercial, maybe also donate to your local PBS station

Super Bowl commercials used to be good, right? I didn’t hallucinate that?

Sometimes it be your own people Uno reverse

It has always frustrated me that Illinois Policy Institute (billionaire astroturf) is the first result when you try to look up who your legislators are in Illinois ✨ So I'm happy to share an open source alternative that organizations can deploy on their websites ✨ github.com/MisterClean/...

NEW — Chicago Black Restaurant Week, which lasts from Feb. 8 to 22, features over 30 Black-owned businesses across the city and neighboring suburbs. New additions this year include Sanders BBQ Supply Co. in Beverly and CheSa’s Bistro in Avondale. thetriibe.com/2026/02/chic...

A cup of joe coffeehouse in Garfield ridge was getting hate from anti-immigrant residents and they put out a call to support a few days ago due to a planned protest at their business today. This morning there were lines of people down the block to support their business. Amazing.

In case you missed it, my dopey website turned twenty-fucking-five years old today. How about that?

Good morning to everyone who enjoys simple, declarative sentences. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/07/e... @fritzforassessor.bsky.social

Ratboys tix at the Vic are almost sold out, kids.

In a local, non-presidential election cycle when attention is hard to come by, I appreciate that @fritzforassessor.bsky.social’s re-election race is seen for what it is: “Reform is worth defending, and corruption is not something we get to shrug off as politics-as-usual.”

“The Cook County Assessor’s Office processed more than 1.5 million property tax-saving exemptions for homeowners last year, while …reaching a new milestone in its affordable housing incentive, with 1,500 properties joining the program.” www.cookcountyassessoril.gov/news/assesso...

Me, six months after I became “friends” with people who lived next to me in my dorm during my sophomore year in college.

My time with The Washington Post is up. I was laid off with hundreds of folks I am so honored to call my colleagues. I covered it all at The Post (really), so now I'm looking for my next adventure. ➡️ kbellware [at] gmail dot com Website update coming soon @postguild.bsky.social forever

Kim Bellware brought a Chicago and Midwest lens to WaPo’s reporting. To lay her off is D.C. news saying it doesn’t need to know what’s going on in the rest of the country. You’d think we would have learned our lesson about that. News orgs: Get at her. She’s the best.

A lot of people I know are doing everything they can to push back on the horrific actions of ICE. Many more of them grieved the killing of Alex Pretti. Pat Hynes, who is running for Cook County Assessor, accepted 25k from the people who celebrated the fact that ICE killed him.

Indivisible Lincoln Square is proud to endorse Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi (@fritzforassessor.bsky.social)

Recordings I obtained of Chicagoans calling 911 to report ICE activity—including Marimar Martínez’s call after an agent shot her—are included in this week’s episode of @thisamericanlife.org

I am also doing this! You should come!

Pat Hynes has taken 115 donations from property tax attorneys who profit when your tax bill goes up. Commercial properties got $450 million in tax cuts last year. The average homeowner is paying $700 more because of it.