WEST RIDGE—Only 15 of the city's 50 alderman rejected Mayor Rahm Emanuel's $589 million tax hike last Wednesday, and among them was 50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein.
The tax hike, which included $545 million to pay fire and police pensions and another $45 million for Chicago Public Schools projects, mapped out a budget Silverstein said she couldn't vote for the bill knowing the "burden unfairly" rests on the shoulders of her ward's residents.
"Many residents of the 50th Ward cannot afford such a large increase and should not have to face such undue hardship," she said in an email to residents.
The second-term alderman said while she acknowledged the city could not "shirk our responsibilities" to meet financial obligations, she didn't believe the property tax increase was the solution, saying some homeowners tax bill could go up by 12 percent.
She worries that will be passed along to renters, as other property owners across the city have warned — as well as a $9.50 per month garbage collection fee she says will add another $114 a year for homeowners.
She also said she's concerned about the impact the bill will have on businesses getting priced out of the area.
Silverstein said another reason for her "no" vote stemmed from recent changes to taxi alternatives like Uber and Lyft, saying that their ability to now pick up fares at the airport and McCormick Place unfairly encroaches upon areas traditionally serviced by taxis.
"While I fully believe in fair competition, I do not believe the new rules go far enough towards leveling the playing field and will unduly harm the taxi industry and all of our hardworking drivers," she said.
Although she was one of the few to vote against the mayor's bill, like neighboring Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), she said she still plans to work with his administration to help "trim excess" and increase revenue without raising taxes.
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