Chicago Tribune Opinion Thursday, July 9, 2026 | | |
| | | | | Good morning. Innovative ideas for addressing seemingly intractable problems can and do come from many places, and Chicago mayoral candidate Joe Holberg offers one in our pages today. While Chicago remains hopelessly behind in replacing water pipes contaminated by lead, Holberg has a reasonably cost-effective plan to help residents in affected neighborhoods right away. Check it out. More good ideas on another front — convincing young adult Chicagoans to spend more nights at the Lyric Opera — come from Helmut Paul, founder of The Vanguard Initiative for Arts & Enterprise. You say you want a revolution? Mayor Brandon Johnson said he does, and what's more, he says the majority of Chicagoans do, too. The editorial board takes issue with that dubious claim. And a separate editorial discusses the systemic failures in Cook County and Chicago that make it inordinately difficult for survivors of domestic abuse to obtain protection. A new task force report shines a new light on an old problem. Finally, as the city of Chicago girds for yet another harrowing budget season, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce CEO Jack Lavin writes that the mayor and City Council need to place much more emphasis on creating conditions for economic growth. We've got readers' letters as well. Enjoy these midsummer days, and we'll be back here again tomorrow. — Steve Daniels, editorial board member Submit an op-ed | Submit a letter to the editor | Meet the Tribune Editorial Board | Subscribe to this newsletter | | | | Chicago’s lead pipe problem is one of the largest public health crises in the U.S., and under-the-sink water filters can help. | | | | | The flashes of innovation are present at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. What is missing is sustained community. | | | | | A civilized society does not merely pass laws against domestic violence, it builds institutions capable of protecting the people those laws were written to serve. | | | | | Mayoral rhetoric trashing business is really hammering at Chicago’s future. | | | | | Achieving growth in Chicago relies on businesses of all sizes expanding where there’s capacity, leading to more jobs and a broader tax base. | | | | | DSA’s politics are not “baggage.” They are the central feature that makes us more popular than anything the center has to offer. | | | |
