Chicago City Wire

Stacy Davis Gates, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union, is under scrutiny for receiving a homeowner’s tax break for a property in Indiana where she doesn’t reside. While she and her husband reside in their Chicago house, questions arise about the dual residency claim.

“Stacy Davis Gates is taking a property tax break on a house she owns in Indiana but doesn’t live in. She and her husband own a home and reside in Chicago. So how can the Chicago Teachers Union president claim to live in two places?” Illinois Policy said, the Cook County Republican Party noted on Facebook.

Public records obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute reveal that Davis Gates and her husband, despite living in Chicago, own a property in South Bend, Ind., and benefit from a homestead deduction reserved for homeowners who occupy their homes. The deduction reduces their property tax liability significantly. This raised questions about Davis Gates’ commitment to paying her “fair share” and claiming a tax break in a state where she does not live.

The investigation also revealed discrepancies in Davis Gates’ residency statements. In 2004 she submitted a “Sworn Residency Statement” with Chicago Public Schools, while during her registration to vote in Illinois in 2014, she listed the South Bend address as her former registration address. She received a traffic violation in Chicago while holding an Indiana driver’s license in 2016.

Davis Gates has faced previous controversies such as enrolling her son in private school while opposing school choice programs for low-income families. Critics argue that these inconsistencies raise questions about her presidency’s integrity and commitment to representing members’ interests.

The CTU has become one of the major players in politics in the State of Illinois recently. The Chicago GOP accused Democrats of prioritizing the CTU agenda over educational opportunities for minority children. It noted that since 2010 "outright socialists" had taken over the union leadership.

The group criticized Democrat leaders' role in denying the renewal of the Invest In Kids program, which provided scholarships for low-income students to attend non-public schools and technical academies in Illinois. This program faced opposition despite a waiting list of 40,000. Illinois will be the first state to discontinue such funding when it ends in late 2023.

The CTU raised its dues to support the candidacy of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a CTU member himself who has worked as a lobbyist on behalf of the organization. WTTW Chicago’s Paris Schutz highlighted the campaign cash flowing into Johnson’s campaign before he was elected. 

"Brandon Johnson is set to receive millions of $$$ more from CTU," Schutz tweeted.