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Chicago & Midwest  + Downtown  + Finance  | 

Chicago Real Estate Industry Turns a Wary Eye to Incoming Mayor

The mayoral candidate backed by some of Chicago real estate’s heaviest hitters didn’t win last week’s runoff election. Now the industry is bracing for what comes next under the administration of the more progressive-minded Mayor Brandon Johnson, reported Crain’s Chicago Business

Johnson is taking office at a tough time for almost anyone who owns commercial property in Chicago, Crain’s reported. There are problems that affect many large cities, like remote work hollowing out office buildings and prompting a wave of financial distress. 

And there are more local concerns, such as the ongoing friction with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and the question of how to balance investment in a flagging Loop with historically disinvested South and West Side neighborhoods. 

If Johnson can demonstrate progress supporting the city’s assets like public transportation and addressing issues like crime, “you have an entire [real estate] industry that will go and sell that, sell whatever the public safety plan is,” Farzin Parang, executive director of the Building Owners & Managers Association of Chicago, told Crain’s

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

  • ◦Development
  • ◦Policy/Gov't
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