Steven Biel, MoveOn.org Civic Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>

Dear MoveOn member,

Tom Tresser, a MoveOn member in Lincoln Park, is running a campaign to get Mayor Emanuel to release property taxes in Chicago’s TIF accounts to pay for schools, public transit, and other public needs—and has requested $1,000 from MoveOn to help take the campaign to the next level.

Here’s what Tom said about it: “Chicago has closed 50 public schools, claiming that the city is broke. Meanwhile there is $1.7 billion in property taxes held by the city’s Tax Increment Financing accounts–money used to shower hundreds of millions of public dollars on major corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, UPS, United Airlines, The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and even the company that bought the Sears Tower.”

Tom is working to change the budget debate in Chicago by investigating and explaining the impacts of Tax Increment Financing districts on a ward-by-ward basis. His project was profiled in a cover story of the July 22, 2013, issue of The Nation entitled “Chicago Rising!”

It’s a great campaign, but MoveOn gets hundreds of worthy requests like this—and we’ll have to turn some of them away unless MoveOn members chip in. So we’re looking for folks in your area who’d be willing to make a contribution to help MoveOn support Tom’s campaign. Can you donate $5?

Yes, I’ll donate $5.

If you’ve ever tried to start your own grassroots campaign, you know that fundraising can be really difficult. That’s why we’ve created the MoveOn Opportunity Fund—to provide small grants to help the most promising grassroots campaigns all across the country get off the ground.

Already, we’ve invested tens of thousands of dollars in member-driven campaigns. And with your support, we can make sure that hundreds of other leaders get the resources they need to win amazing progressive victories on the issues that MoveOn members care about most.

Yes, I’ll chip in $5.

Thanks for all you do.

–Steven, Manny, Joan, Wes, and the rest of the team

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