CITY HALL — Ending a protracted stalemate, two leading aldermen selected a former state budget officer as the first head of the City Council's independent budget office.
Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), chairman of the Budget Committee, announced Wednesday that Ben Winick, formerly a high-ranking official in the state budget process, would head the City Council Office of Financial Analysis.
Winick served in the Governor's Office of Management and Budget, including a stint as chief of staff, in the administration of Gov. Pat Quinn. He went on to become vice president of policy for Innovation Illinois, a progressive think tank.
"He comes with a great reputation," said Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), one of the lead sponsors of the ordinance that created the independent budget office, first submitted in December 2012, budgeted by the council a year later and finally passed a year ago.
"The city is faced with significant financial challenges, and we created the COFA to provide essential policy analysis and research to aldermen so that we can make informed decisions," Austin said in a statement. "I believe that Ben Winick is the best candidate for the job and will prove to be an asset to the city."
Austin and Pawar reportedly differed over the budget chairman's desire to install former Ald. Helen Shiller (46th) in the post, but Pawar downplayed any conflict.
"I wouldn't call it a struggle," Pawar said. "I would just say it's been a long road."
Pawar cheered Austin's move to appoint Winick in time for him to be put in place ahead of what's widely considered to be a difficult budget process this fall, with the city facing what Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called a "$600 million pension cliff" with overdue pension payments required by the end of the year.
"Chairman Austin made that a priority," Pawar said.
With Austin and Pawar in agreement, Winick's approval by the COFA Oversight Committee should be a formality. Emanuel likewise cheered the selection Wednesday.
Pawar also cited Winick's background in "pensions and the other public-private partnerships," saying, "Those skills are easily translatable here," and adding, "I think he's gonna be able to hit the ground running."
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