Our friends at the Citycast Chicago podcast posted their Feb. 19, 2026, episode "Battle of the Bike Lanes, More Bears Drama, So Many Holidays," which is available to listen to online.

Citycast's Jacoby Cochran, Simone Alicea and Michelle Navarro offer one of the more nuanced and balanced takes on the issues of new bike lanes on South Archer Avenue reducing traffic capacity, the dueling protests taking place there, and the launch of the 2027 race for 12th Ward alderperson with Claudia Zuno throwing her hat into the ring.

Although Citycast and other coverage have focused on Zuno's background, all have avoided any examination of incumbent Julia Ramirez's political connections and support. Some coverage is just straight-up politicking and partisan candidate support by supposedly independent 501(c)(3) publications driven by agenda marketing, but masquerading as news.

The McKinley Park News is the only publication that touched on the significant issues of partisan politicking by local non-for-profit groups in support of the Ramirez campaign . It is our direct, observed experience that this collusion not only continues, but has expanded. especially for groups like the McKinley Park Development Council , which is now receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money and effectively acts as a committee of the 12th Ward, always working together in lockstep collusion, with never any disagreement.

As a resident of McKinley Park, I condemn politicians taking advantage of local non-profits to corruptly help their campaigns, as well as the corrupted supposedly charitable organizations operating instead as political agents for specific candidates.

As a founder and years-long former board member of the development council, I condemn what it has become and the economic harm it has been wreaking on the neighborhood hand-in-hand with the 12th Ward. Their coordinated opposition to the Wheatland Tube development is one example; another is current attempts to set up a "chamber of commerce" not driven by business interest, support or expertise, but seemingly just to support the 12th Ward and fund its not-for-profit political allies.

If any readers encounter instances of politicking by local not-for-profits, please send us email at info@mckinleypark.news to inform our reporting. Capture what you can in writing, photo or video. This includes any example of a not-for-profit advocating on behalf of a candidate in speech or writing, conducting campaign activity in publicly funded spaces and/or through publicly funded groups, or even things that make you scratch your head and make you go Hmmmm.

The McKinley Park News will continue to employ our deep understanding of local politics to accurately report on what's going on in the neighborhood, unlike dilettante publications that send credulous reporters to swallow self-serving narratives without question, almost always in sync with their non-profit funders' marketing agendas.

I overlooked including this example from a bit after the last 12th Ward election: 
"Development Council Choosing McKinley Park Migrant Housing Sites"