Tom Tresser

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Tom Tresser is a Chicago-based civic educator and public defender who has spent 50 years doing grassroots democracy, community organizing, and work in the defense of public assets and services. He is the author of No Games Chicago: How a Small Group of Citizens Derailed the City’s 2016 Olympic Bid and the lead organizer for the TIF Illumination Project.

A large group of people of all different ages, races, and genders sit on folding chairs in what appears to be a community room. Many people can be seen holding pamphlets or notebooks. The room is paneled in wood and has a large full-wall mirror on the back wall.

Opinion

Tax Increment Financing Harms Cities—Let’s Rein It In

March 17, 2026 | Tom Tresser

City redevelopment subsidies siphon tens of billions of dollars away from public services nationwide. Here are some ways, based on what has worked in Chicago, to fight back.