Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Email About Tribune Subscription

From "Patrick
Mullane"
Subject Re: The Mayor's Response to the Tribune
To "William Shih" <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>, "John Sabl" <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>,
"Michael Crowley" <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>, "Kristen Cabanban"
<Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>, "Han Nguyen" <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>,
"Reshma Soni" <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>, "Kate Lefurgy"
<Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>, "Jennie Bennett" <Jennie.Bennett@cityofchicago.org>, "James
Mc Donald" <James.McDonald@cityofchicago.org>, "Weston Hanscom"
<Weston.Hanscom@cityofchicago.org>, "Klonskymill" <klonskymll@gmail.com>
Date September 22, 2020 at 11:53:11 AM CDT
TW1
Last spring, Chicago became one of the first cities in the nation to temporarily modify ticketing enforcement practices in
the midst of a global health pandemic to ensure residents were not burdened throughout this crisis.

TW2
This modification included suspension of late fees, debt collection practices and defaults on payment plans, as well as
prioritization on ticket enforcement for public safety reasons.

TW3
Recently, reporting from the @chicagotribune regarding my Administration got it completely wrong. And then the
editorial board doubled down and effectively called me a liar. I have a thick skin for many things but I will never be silent
when someone calls me a liar, in public, particularly when they are dead wrong.
TW4
Since the very first day we announced these efforts, I was crystal clear that the emphasis on public safety-related
ticketing did not translate to free parking. Don't take my word for it. This was widely reported...
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/yes-you-still-have-to-pay-parking-meters-in-chicago-during-stay-at-home-
order/2243322/

TW5
Here's another one.
https://www.radio.com/wbbm780/articles/lightfoot-to-motorists-you-still-must-pay-the-meters

TW6
And one more...
https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/03/24/parking-tickets-wont-stop-during-covid-19-crisis-after-all-so-keep-feeding-the-
meter/

TW7
If the @chicagotribune wants to ignore the facts, so be it. The data speaks for itself, which is why overall tickets dropped
by 85% from mid-March through April compared to 2019, largely for compliance tickets.

TW8
On top of all that, the City implemented a system to dismiss any tickets that were given contrary to our policy. If you
feel that you were wrongly issued one, we encourage you to call us at 312-744-PARK.
From: William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>

Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 11:46 AM
To: Patrick Mullane <Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; John Sabl <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley
<Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Han Nguyen
<Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>; Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy
<Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett <Jennie.Bennett@cityofchicago.org>; James Mc Donald
<James.McDonald@cityofchicago.org>; Weston Hanscom <Weston.Hanscom@cityofchicago.org>; Klonskymill
<klonskymll@gmail.com>
Cc: Joel Flores <Joel.Flores@cityofchicago.org>; Maurice Classen <Maurice.Classen@cityofchicago.org>
Subject: RE: The Mayor's Response to the Tribune

Below with this group’s edits, MLL edits not included yet

TW1
Last spring, Chicago became one of the first cities in the nation to temporarily modify ticketing enforcement practices in
the midst of a global health pandemic to ensure residents were not burdened throughout this crisis.

TW2
This modification included suspension of late fees, debt collection practices and defaults on payment plans, as well as

TW3
ticketing did not translate to free parking. Don't take my word for it. This was widely reported...
order/2243322/

TW4
Here's another one.

TW5
And one more...
meter/

TW6
If the @chicagotribune wants to ignore the facts, so be it. The data speaks for itself, which is why overall tickets
dropped by 85% from mid-March through April compared to 2019, largely for compliance tickets.

TW7
On top of all that, the City implemented a system to dismiss any tickets that were given contrary to our policy. If you
feel that you were wrongly issued one, we encourage you to call us at 312-744-PARK.

From: Patrick Mullane <Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>
To: John Sabl <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban
<Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Han Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>; William Shih
<William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy
Subject: Re: The Mayor's Response to the Tribune

Sure, if DOL has concerns, can you guys send a dial-in asap as we'd like to get this in front of MLL
From: John Sabl <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>

To: Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Han
Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>; William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Patrick Mullane
<Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy

Can we get on a call to discuss this ASAP?

From: Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>
To: Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Han Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>; William Shih
<William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Patrick Mullane <Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; Reshma Soni
<Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett
<Jennie.Bennett@cityofchicago.org>; James Mc Donald <James.McDonald@cityofchicago.org>; Weston Hanscom
<Weston.Hanscom@cityofchicago.org>; John Sabl <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>; Klonskymill <klonskymll@gmail.com>

Adding Maurice, I’m going to bring this in to MLL shortly.

From: Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>
To: Han Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>; William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Patrick Mullane
<Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley
<Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett
Cc: Joel Flores <Joel.Flores@cityofchicago.org>

I spoke to John Sabl and DOL is good with using the 85%.

From: Han Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>
To: William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Patrick Mullane <Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; Reshma Soni
<Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley
<Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett

Looks good. Any flags from anyone?

--
Han Nguyen | Director of Digital Strategy, Office of the Mayor | w 312.744.2483 | c 312.718.4558 | pronouns: He,
Him, His | Schedule time

To: Patrick Mullane <Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban
<Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy
<James.McDonald@cityofchicago.org>; Weston Hanscom <Weston.Hanscom@cityofchicago.org>; John Sabl
<John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>; Klonskymill <klonskymll@gmail.com>; Han Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>

Think it’s great, all good from me

To: Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban

Here's a revised version. I like using the 85% number, it shows that we did scale back enforcement. Let me know
thoughts.

TW1
Last spring, Chicago became one of the first cities in the nation to roll back ticketing enforcement practices in the
midst of a global health pandemic to ensure residents were not burdened throughout this crisis.

TW2
This financial relief included suspension of late fees, debt collection practices, defaults on payment plans and

TW3
ticketing and our efforts to scale back enforcement on expired meters did not translate to free parking. Don't take
my word for it. This was widely reported...
order/2243322/

TW3
Here's another one.

TW4
And one more...
https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/03/24/parking-tickets-wont-stop-during-covid-19-crisis-after-all-so-keep-feeding-
the-meter/

TW5
If the @chicagotribune wants to ignore the facts, so be it. The reality is that the City said we would be scaling back
parking enforcement, and we did. The data speaks for itself, which is why ticket enforcement practices dropped by
85% from mid-March through April compared to 2019.

TW6
On top of all that, the City implemented a system to dismiss any tickets that were given contrary to our policy to
ensure residents were not improperly ticketed. If you feel that you were wrongly issued one against this policy, we
encourage you to call us at 312-744-PARK.
From: Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>

To: William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Patrick Mullane <Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban

I agree with Will regarding the concept.

Shouldn’t we emphasize that there was a drop in ticketing since we said we will limit and focus our ticketing to public safety related items?

To: Patrick Mullane <Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>; Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Michael
Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett
<Weston.Hanscom@cityofchicago.org>; John Sabl <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>; Klonskymill <klonskymll@gmail.com>; Han
Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>
Cc: Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>; Joel Flores <Joel.Flores@cityofchicago.org>

Strong agree with the concept. Two points from me:

1. Let’s lead with a stronger piece on WHY we decided to do this in the first place because that’s getting lost—“We were one of
the first cities to take action around ticketing during the pandemic because we wanted to help people out, etc etc etc.”
2. I think rather than the 85% drop, what we focus on the last piece about how we have been dismissing all compliance tickets
and that if you feel that you were wrongly issued one against this policy, we encourage you to call us at 312-744-PARK

But I think the concept is totally right.

To: Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kate
Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett <Jennie.Bennett@cityofchicago.org>; James Mc Donald
<John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>; William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>; Klonskymill <klonskymll@gmail.com>; Han
Nguyen <Han.Nguyen@cityofchicago.org>

Adding some others here.

All --

Here are my thoughts...I think we should turn this draft op-ed into a tweet thread rather than a full op-ed for a couple
reasons, it'll come off more concise, it'll reach a larger audience and give us an opportunity to link out to previous stories
that covered this. I don't think we need to get into the back and forth with the Tribune right now but rather present the
facts, which is the main point we want to get across to residents. Let me know thoughts.

TW1
This is demonstrably false. Since the very first day we announced changes to ticket enforcement, I was crystal clear
that the emphasis on public safety-related ticketing and our efforts to scale back enforcement on expired meters did not
translate to free parking.

TW2
Don't take my word for it. This was widely reported nearly six months ago by practically every outlet in Chicago.
order/2243322/

TW3
Here's another one.

TW4
And one more...
meter/

TW5
If the @chicagotribune wants to ignore the facts, so be it. The reality is that the City said we would be scaling back
parking enforcement, and we did. That is why our parking & ticket enforcement practices dropped by 85% from mid-
March through April compared to 2019.

TW6
On top of that, to further ensure residents were not ticketed improperly, the City implemented a system to dismiss any
tickets that were given contrary to our policy.


To: Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett
<Weston.Hanscom@cityofchicago.org>; John Sabl <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>; Patrick Mullane
<Patrick.Mullane@cityofchicago.org>

No portal. The trib obtained this info via FOIA request.

From: Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>
To: Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett

Thanks, Kristen. Just to clarify, do we not have a link to a portal where all of the ticketing info would be avail?

Definitely need legal’s review here.

To: Kate Lefurgy <Kate.LeFurgy@cityofchicago.org>; Jennie Bennett <Jennie.Bennett@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley
<Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; James Mc Donald <James.McDonald@cityofchicago.org>; Weston Hanscom
Subject: The Mayor's Response to the Tribune

Hi All,

Below are edits to the statement the Mayor would like to give to the Tribune. Can everyone put eyes on this pls. Reshma wants
to include that NBC and others reported the parking enforcement changes accurately, but the Tribune chose to ignore it. I tried to
incorporate that but I’m not sure it works.

We live in a time when there are many false narratives that circulate daily and often leave the public confused about who is a
trustworthy source and what they can believe. At the same time journalists and the media writ large is under constant attack,
and market forces are compelling a significant contraction that has left long time media outlets a shell of their former selves.

This is why it is all the more important that when the media reports, they need to do everything possible to get it right. Without
bias or favor, just give it to us straight.

Recently, reporting from the Tribune regarding me and my Administration got it completely wrong. And then the editorial board
doubled down and effectively called me a liar when other news outlets got it right.

I have never claimed perfection, and having journalists and others take shots at you goes with the territory as the Mayor of
Chicago. I have a thick skin for many things but I will never be silent when someone calls me a liar, in public, particularly when
they are dead wrong.

Here's the issue:

And you don't have to take my word for it. You obtained the data through a Freedom of Information request that demonstrated
our parking and compliance ticket enforcement practices, which incidentally was down by 85% from mid-March through April
compared to the same time last year. That’s because we placed a focus on public safety related ticketing. All of the underlying
data for the last six months of parking enforcement is available here or on (name the portal). All of this was available to the Trib
reporters and the editorial board if they had only cared about the facts. But obviously, another agenda was driving this slipshod
quest.

I know that taking on an institution as powerful as the Tribune is a huge risk. I expect retaliation from the editorial board and line
reporters. So, be it. As I said, getting dinged by the media comes with the territory. But as we tell our children, one of the most
important things we have in life is our reputation. And I am not going to stand idly by and let anyone sully mine without setting
things straight.

I urge members of the public, the next time the Tribune comes out with some big expose or a screaming headline-- please
consider the source. This is the same newspaper who believed four years ago that Gary Johnson (who you ask?) would make a
great US president, and whose editorial board constantly chides me about not being nice enough to President Trump. Consider
the source. I have and that's why I have cancelled my digital and print subscriptions to the Trib.

Lori E. Lightfoot

From: MLL <MLL@cityofchicago.org>
To: Celia Meza <Celia.Meza@cityofchicago.org>; Michael Crowley <Michael.Crowley@cityofchicago.org>; Kate Lefurgy

Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Email About Tribune Subscription

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From "Patrick

From: William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>

From: John Sabl <John.Sabl@cityofchicago.org>

From: William Shih <William.Shih@cityofchicago.org>

From: Reshma Soni <Reshma.Soni@cityofchicago.org>

From: Kristen Cabanban <Kristen.Cabanban@cityofchicago.org>

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