South Cook News

The Bring Chicago Home Referendum was removed from the March 19 Primary Election ballot by a Cook County Circuit Court judge. 

According to a release from the Southland Black Chamber of Commerce, their work in a lawsuit against the referendum alongside BOMA/Chicago, Chicagoland Apartment Association, and others, was successful as the proposal was taken off the ballot.

“The question was very obviously worded in such a way to trick voters into voting ‘Yes’ to the referendum," Southland's Chairman Cornel Darden Jr. said. "We also had extreme concerns for the business climate and rental market. When raising the cost of doing business, we can’t expect anything other than those raised costs being passed down the line, affecting consumers.”

The Bring Chicago Home Referendum proposed restructuring the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), which is a one-time tax on properties at the time of sale, and use the funding to created a dedicated stream of income to provide permanent affordable housing in an attempt to decrease homelessness in the city. 

Joliest-based Southland Black Chamber of Commerce is an advocacy group focused on improving the business and economic well-being of the Cook, Will, Kankakee, and Grundy County areas. Founded in 2020, its current president is Cornel Darden Jr.