PAWAR LAUNCHING NEWS OUTLET TO SERVE AS‘ PROGRESSIVE RESPONSE’
Nearly five months after dropping out of the race for governor, Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar ( 47th) is jumping into a new challenge — launching his own nonprofit news outlet meant to be the “progressive response” to the conservative think tank, the Illinois Policy Institute.
The North Side alderman plans to announce the launch of One Illinois on Wednesday, with the organization’s first batch of stories to focus on Illinois’ river towns and “the resilience of communities” — with a trip planned from Galena all the way to Cairo. Pawar said the first stories will go live shortly after the March 20 primary.
“Our goal here is— I don’t think it’s liberal or hyper liberal or far left to simply talk about investment or equity or fairness because if that is considered liberal or progressive, we are heading to a very scary place,” Pawar said.
“Illinois is not broken. Illinois is not a terrible place to live, despite what people say. There are a lot of things to see and a lot of things to do that are worth highlighting.”
Pawar, 37, said he’ll work to bring communities together “for economic development, for policies that support working families.”
“And that is not partisan,” Pawar said. “That is just rational.”
But one of the group’s goals is “disruption,” according to a pitch provided by One Illinois that singles out the Illinois Policy Institute.
“One Illinois has the opportunity to disrupt the marketplace of ideas by countering the IPI narrative with a contrary story line based on empathy and unity,” the group says. “One Illinois will disrupt the IPI market ownership by highlighting the human impact its policies have on voters and by putting a face on those who suffer the consequences.”
The Illinois Policy Institute, led by John Tillman, is a conservative and free- market think tank, which at one point had close ties with Gov. Bruce Rauner. The group has spent years developing a presence on its website, and also in newspaper editorials and on the radio. Many of the pro- business, antiunion proposals that made up the governor’s “Turnaround Agenda” had been advocated for years by the institute.
Pawar has a staff of six, and he’ll serve as president. Ted Cox, a former DNA Info Chicago and Daily Herald reporter, is the group’s senior adviser and editor. And political fundraiser Katelynd Duncan — who helped to spearhead Illinois’ # MeToo movement by both signing a letter and speaking out about harassment she’s endured — serves as senior adviser and co- founder.
Pawar has freelancers, a documentarian and a podcaster on board, and he’ll be featured as an “on- camera personality.”
Reached for comment, the Illinois Policy Institute said it has a “track record of uniting people and parties to pass policy solutions that improve Illinoisans’ lives.”
“For 15 years, the Illinois Policy Institute has been the state’s strongest voice for taxpayers. We’ve built an amazing policy, media and messaging organization that holds politicians of both parties accountable,” spokeswoman Hilary Gowins said in an email.
Pawar believes he’s got a head start on building a base.
“The goal is to highlight resilience, how we can come together to forge solutions,” Pawar said. “That’s what this is about.”