Civic Flyer Landing Page

Did you get a flyer and want more info? You're in the right place!

Hiii! Thanks for visiting our flyer landing page for the Campaign for Civic Reimagination. This page includes links to Charter Chat events (find one near you!), helpful resources, and ways to get involved.

Upcoming Charter Chats

The links below will take you to an eventbrite page; RSVPs aren’t required but it will make it easier to add the details to your calendar and get updates if anything changes unexpectedly.

• April 15, Chicago Bee Branch Library at 6:00pm

• April 20, Bucktown-Wicker Park Library at 6:00pm

• April 27, Budlong Woods Library at 6:00pm

• May 12, Edgewater Library at 6:30pm

What is the Campaign for Civic Reimagination

2026 is our chance to reimagine Chicago's civic potential.

Elections are coming (Feb 2027) and we’re asking all aldermanic and mayoral candidates to commit to radically improving how we do government by supporting: 1) the creation of a voter-approved city charter and 2) implementing civic assemblies to tackle the problems they’ve been unable to (like housing, transportation, and taxes).

Did you know Chicago is the only major city without a voter-approved city charter (which is like a rulebook for local government)? Creating a city charter would give us the chance to fix the things (aldermanic prerogative, fiscal oversight, election timing, and more) that prevent city council from actually solving problems. Here’s some more info:

• Civic Federation of Chicago; What is a City Charter, and How Could Having One Help Chicago

• National Civic League; Model City Charter (with democratic innovation)

Meanwhile, cities like Paris, Lexington, LA, Boulder, Ft. Collins are using civic assemblies to take politicians out of the hot seat and equipping regular people to be in the driver seat. The results are impressive and people feel good about the process. Here’s some info on civic assemblies, (which are known by other terms including citizens’ assemblies and policy juries):

• 3 minute civic assembly explainer video by Unify America

• 2.5 minute video about Ft. Collins Civic Assembly (warning: the first few seconds are shouty)

• Civic Assembly for Decatur’s City Charter Revision

• Lexington City Charter Civic Assembly

Who Supports the Campaign for Civic Reimagination?

We’re holding this place for a “scoreboard” so that Chicago voters can see where various stakeholders stand. We plan to keep 3 updated lists:

1. Alderpeople (and candidates) who HAVE and HAVE NOT signed on to the Campaign for Civic Reimagination.

2. Mayoral candidates who HAVE and HAVE NOT signed on to the Campaign for Civic Reimagination.

3. Organizations who have signed on in support

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