Chicago Charter Symposium

​Chicago is the largest city in the United States without a city charter. The next-largest? Indianapolis. This half-day symposium hosted at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law will bring together experts from across the country and locally to discuss what Chicago can learn from charter reforms in other big cities, including Los Angeles and New York, and how local policymakers can work toward a successful, voter-approved charter for Chicago.

​Featured Speakers + Panelists

​Raphael Sonenshein served as the Executive Director of the successful Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission in 1999, and is the former executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA. He currently serves as executive director of the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. He is the author of several books, including “Politics in Black and White: Race and Power in Los Angeles.”

​Eric Lane is the Eric J. Schmertz Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Public Service at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. He served as executive director/counsel to the historic New York City Charter Revision Commission, which was responsible for the most substantial changes in the institutions and processes of New York City government since its creation.

​Illinois State Rep. Kam Buckner is a native of the Southside of Chicago; the son of a law enforcement officer and a Chicago Public School teacher. He has had the honor of representing the 26th Legislative District in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2019. The district, completely situated in the city of Chicago, contains parts of South Shore, Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Downtown, River North, and the Gold Coast. Kam has taught Public Policy at the University of Chicago and holds a BA from the University of Illinois and a JD from DePaul University.

​Mitch Holzrichter is a partner in the government practice of Mayer Brown, a global law firm, and specializes in state and local government law, including home rule authority.

​Austin Berg is the Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and co-author of "The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities."