CHA blew it in passing on Walter Burnett's leadership

Walter Burnett Jr.’s career is a great example of what real leadership looks like — especially when it comes to affordable housing.

During his time on the City Council, Walter didn’t just talk about housing; rather, he got it done. He helped move forward projects and policies that created real affordable and mixed-income housing, making sure that as neighborhoods changed, the people who built those communities weren’t pushed out.

What made Walter different was how he led. He believed in working with people, not over them. His approach was rooted in partnerships with neighborhood organizations from the Near North to the West Loop to River West. Walter lifted people up by listening, collaborating and making sure communities had a real voice in the decisions affecting them. He never dictated.

And for Walter, this work is personal. He grew up in public housing. He understands what stable housing means for a family because he lived it. That experience shaped a lifelong mission to expand opportunity and make sure others have the same chance to succeed.

You can see the results. Neighborhoods in the 27th Ward grew in a way that included and benefited local residents. More than anywhere else in the city, development and affordability can go hand in hand, he showed.

That’s why it’s disappointing — and frankly shortsighted — that the Chicago Housing Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development missed the opportunity to have someone of Walter Burnett Jr.’s stature lead CHA.

Chicago needs more leadership like his, not less.

Armando Chacon, executive director, West Central Association

Randall Blakey, executive director, Near North Unity Program

John Bosca, president emeritus, Neighbors of River West

Hegseth should keep Jesus’ name out of his mouth

I recently realized that Thomas Jefferson and Pete Hegseth have at least one thing in common: They both like to cut and paste their own versions of the Gospels. Jefferson called his version "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth." He literally cut out passages from the Gospels with a razor and glued them into his new book. Jefferson’s aim was to keep the ethical and moral lessons from Jesus while excluding parts he thought were irrational, superstitious or supposedly divine. The Jesus Jefferson presented was a mortal man who was a great teacher of morality, preaching peace and love and taking care of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Hegseth, on the other hand, gives us a Jesus based on the Old Testament, contradicting what Jesus is quoted as having said in the Gospels. Hegseth has asked the American people to pray “every day on bended knee” for military victories in Iran “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Even though many times the God of the Old Testament is said to have helped his chosen people achieve military victory — they were conquered other times — let’s not turn the Jesus of the Gospels into a God of hate and war.

Hegseth has a tattoo on his right bicep with the Latin saying "God wills it." That phrase has been used to justify slavery and mass slaughters in the past, and is now being used to justify extermination of a civilization. Cutting and pasting passages of the Bible to create a version where Jesus is in favor of mass slaughter is obscene. Let’s try having a little humility. Let’s start by keeping Jesus’ name out of justifications for war.

Kevin Coughlin, Evanston

Eliminating swipe fees will help Illinoisans

Credit card giants are trying to scare you about a new Illinois law banning swipe fees on taxes and tips starting July 1.

Turn on the TV or any streaming service and you might see a panicked advertisement about so-called "credit card chaos" in Illinois. The ad might even try to convince you that your credit or debit card might not work starting July 1 because of a new state law.

These claims are false. Banks and credit card companies are trying to scare you because Illinois passed a first-of-its-kind law to ban credit card companies from charging hidden fees — commonly known as swipe fees — on any taxes and tips, which affects their bottom line.

You’re probably familiar with the fine print at the checkout saying something about a 3% surcharge for credit card payments. This is specifically to cover the cost of swipe fees. Small businesses at the mercy of credit card giants often have no choice but to pass these costs onto us — the consumers.

Year after year, credit card giants raise these fees with no relief for the merchants and customers they impact. In 2022, Visa and MasterCard implemented fee increases that cost retailers billions. While people struggled with rising inflation, they increased fees again in October 2023, January 2025 and again this January. How are small businesses expected to keep up?

That’s why I introduced the original swipe fee ban in February 2021. It started the conversation that eventually led to the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, which was signed into law June 7, 2024.

In a win for Main Street businesses, a federal judge upheld the swipe fee ban earlier this year after financial corporations tried to knock the law down in court. Now, with the ban in place come July 1, there will be fewer hidden fees at the checkout for everyone.

The economy has been upended by the Trump administration’s excursions at home and across the globe. People are feeling the pressure everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pump to their insurance premiums — and every step Illinois takes to curb costs makes a big difference.

State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin

People living with celiac disease need more answers

When my son kept getting sick despite our strict gluten-free routine, I assumed we were missing something. We were — but not where I expected. The problem was hidden gluten in toothpaste and, later, in a medication.

My son was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2010, when he was 5½. Since then, I learned that “just follow a strict gluten-free diet” sounds much simpler than it is. Gluten shows up in obvious places, but it also hides in cross-contamination, in poorly labeled products and in items many families do not think to question at all.

That is why I hope the upcoming Digestive Disease Week conference in Chicago, which starts May 2, widens the conversation.

These gatherings matter. Research matters. Emerging therapies matter. But for families living with celiac disease every day, the most urgent question is often much more basic: How do we stay safe right now?

Doctors, dietitians and specialists rightly emphasize vigilance. Read labels. Ask questions. Avoid cross-contamination. All of that is essential. But sometimes it still is not enough. One of the biggest blind spots, in my experience, is medical labels. Families can do everything right and still be left guessing about whether a prescription, an over-the-counter medicine, or even an everyday product is safe. That should not be acceptable.

What helped us, finally, was having one more way to check. A portable Nima gluten sensor helped us identify hidden gluten that was making my son sick. It did not replace common sense, careful label-reading or trusted medical advice. It simply gave us more information when the usual precautions had failed us.

That is the part of the celiac conversation I do not want overlooked. Families need more than promises of future breakthroughs. We need clearer labeling, especially for medications. We need more transparency from manufacturers. And we need practical tools that help people make safer decisions in the real world — at restaurants, at school, while traveling and at home.The only effective treatment for celiac disease today is strict gluten avoidance. If that is the standard, then families deserve better support in meeting it.

Nadia Gould, Lincoln Park

Time flies in retirement

Retirement was supposed to slow things down. Instead, time seems to have shifted into a higher gear. Weeks pass at the pace days once did. I finish breakfast, and astonishingly, it’s nearly dinner. The seasons change before I’ve even pulled my sweaters from the drawer.

I used to measure time by deadlines and meetings. Now I measure it by small domestic negotiations: the loose shutter I keep meaning to fix, the dripping faucet that has outlasted several good intentions. With a calendar largely my own, you’d think I could conquer these tasks. Yet the hours slip away just the same.

Perhaps the real change isn’t in the clock but in me. When we’re young, time feels abundant and distant. Later, it feels precious and oddly compressed. I find myself wondering each morning how to make the most of the day.

I’ll settle on a plan soon.

Right after my nap.

Scott T. Thompson, Bloomington, Indiana

Cops on CTA a move in the right direction

Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) says getting rid of Monterrey Security and its two Black-owned subcontractors is a “betrayal of the city’s commitment to equity” because some of the security guards are Black. What are the Chicago cops who will replace them? All white?

Anyone who actually rides the CTA has seen these groups of guards standing around on their phones doing nothing. We might as well just light money on fire.

Look around and you will see far too many single-occupancy vehicles and Ubers with one person inside. Safety on the Chicago Transit Authority is — by far — the No. 1 concern of Chicagoans, and a major reason why more of us don’t ride the bus or train. I strongly support and applaud Mayor Brandon Johnson and CTA President Nora Leerhsen for doing something about it.

Cyrus Dowlatshahi, Bucktown

Trading one problem for another

The Salesforce building is being converted into apartments. That's great. River North needs more residences, especially with the office vacancy rate around 28.6% Downtown. But then we see rental prices start at $2,300? Great. Let's not make affordable housing. Let's just make more expensive housing. Good luck filling up all that open space.

Mark Weiher, Lake View

Illini shouldn’t give up on homegrown talent

Am I the only Illinois resident who does not like the fact that Brad Underwood would rather recruit international professionals for the Fighting Illini men's basketball team than utilize state/local talent? Coach Underwood has admitted that it is easier to recruit international talent than spending four years recruiting a high school player. I believe what he is really saying is he would prefer a more finished product, rather than having to teach and develop, which I thought was part of his job. I miss the days of Marcus Liberty, Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Luther Head, Dee Brown, Deon Thomas, and so many others. Consider me a former University of Illinois basketball fan.

Judson Mitchell, Matteson

Make businesses feel at home here

Illinois lawmakers should pass legislation to make it more attractive to start and/or relocate a businesses. New businesses and the taxes they would pay could broaden the tax base and grow revenues.

I know it is more popular to run on "sticking it to the rich," but remember the rich can simply leave. Lawmakers should remember simple math; zero times any number is still zero.

Warren Rodgers Jr., Orland Park

Cutting Chicago ties

Why hasn't the city simply told the Bears that if they move, they will no longer be allowed to call the themselves the "Chicago" Bears?

Mike Mitchell, Park Forest

Dredge the Des Plaines River

Can someone explain to me why the Des Plaines River can't just be dug out to eliminate the rise of the river? It seems like a simple solution. Am I missing something? The cost of the flooding has to outweigh the solution.

Judith Reed, Des Plaines