Nicole T. Lee

Six clips, newest first

Pensions and the CPS loanNicole T. LeeMember · Committee on Education and Child Development · May 26, 2026 · 2:37:28We have no idea what the TIF surplus is going to be. I know that it’s been touted that it was a record surplus, like it was some great thing. For the record, that $500 million didn’t all go back to students. $175 million of that came back to the city for, for the pension payment.Open the meeting at 2:37:28

TIF districts“This TIF has been collecting increment consistently in this time, but we hit the ceiling over a year ago, and so nothing has been able to be spent because we have to give ourselves the authority to do that.”Nicole T. LeeMember · Committee on Finance · Sep 22, 2026 · 2:38:13 “Can you talk about the interplay of the surface lots and the planned temporary surface lots? Because I know that they are meant to be temporary. How many spots are are planned currently for the surface lots while the, while the main parking, while the parking structure is being erected?”Nicole T. LeeMember · Committee on Finance · Jul 13, 2026 · 2:48:55 “We had a— we ended last year with a $217 million surplus, and that is in a reserve fund someplace, correct?”Nicole T. LeeVice chair · Committee on Budget and Government Operations · Jul 16, 2026 · 5:13:32 “I’m interested in online sports wagering. The budget called for $26 million in revenue. There’s some legislation at the state about preemption.”Nicole T. LeeVice chair · Committee on Budget and Government Operations · Apr 27, 2026 · 2:06:01 “…a BID overlap an SSA, or does it have to be one or the other?”Nicole T. LeeMember · Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development · Oct 8, 2026 · 31:03

Officials only. Public speakers are counted, never named.

Issues Lee raised, by number of meetings

We count who raised an issue, not which side they took.

Every roll call, and Lee’s other bodies

Present at 19 of 20 roll calls at the City Council

From the clerk’s own record. We don’t compare members on it.

PresentAbsentOldest first, 1 square per roll call

Absent 1. Nov 14, 2025 to Oct 14, 2026. The clerk’s record covers 20 of the 22 meetings we hold, through Oct 14, 2026.

Official roll call, from the clerk →

City Council: 1.9 min of speech a meeting, range 1.0–3.0. In the same range as 46 other members.
Committee on Finance: 2.2 min of speech a meeting, range 1.3–3.5. In the same range as 22 other members.
Committee on Budget and Government Operations: talk time not compared. Ran some of its meetings, so isn’t compared with the members.
Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development: talk time not compared. On a random sample of meeting time, between 41% and 70% of members' speech here carries a name; we rank when the low end reaches 60%.
Committee on Police and Fire: talk time not compared. Seated for only 6 meetings in 12 months.
Committee on Aviation: talk time not compared. Seated for only 2 meetings in 12 months.
Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight: talk time not compared. Seated for only 6 meetings in 12 months.
Committee on Education and Child Development: talk time not compared. Seated for only 2 meetings in 12 months.
Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development: present at 11 of 13 roll calls. Official roll call, from the clerk

What they talk about

Commendations, ceremonies and memorials took 14% of Lee’s speech with a checked topic

By the topic two AI readers agree on for each stretch of their talk, at the City Council and its committees. 182 of 236 minutes of their speech have a checked topic. How much they talk about it, not which side they take.

Commendations, ceremonies and memorials14%

Development and land use5.8%

Health and behavioral health3.6%

Housing and tenants2.5%

Arts, culture and libraries2.1%

Taxes and fees0.6%

Questions

Lee asked 114 questions at the 13 Committee on Budget and Government Operations meetings where we identified them

At least this many: direct questions only.

Of Lee’s 99 questions to city departments at the Committee on Budget and Government Operations, 26 went to budget, finance and controller.

Who they question: 132 questions to a department, 3 bodies · Oct 24, 2025 – Oct 9, 2026.

Committee on Budget and Government Operations99 questions to city departments

Committee on Budget and Government Operations: questions by department
Department	Share	Questions
Budget, finance and controller		2626%
Public health and mental health		1717%
Administration, HR, contracts and facilities		1010%
Human services, aging, youth		1010%
Police and sheriff oversight		99%
6 other departments		2727%

Committee on Finance27 questions to city departments

Committee on Finance: questions by department
Department	Share	Questions
City attorney / law department		1037%
Human services, aging, youth		519%
Planning and zoning		519%
Water, power and utilities		415%
Budget, finance and controller		14%
2 other departments		27%

Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development6 questions to city departments

Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development: questions by department
Department	Share	Questions
Transportation and transit		6100%

Neighborhoods Lee named

3 places Lee named in meetings

Lines where Lee named the place, read by two AI readers that both agree it means that place. Each dot plays the newest one; brighter means named more often.

Chicago

Armour Square 8 times, the most of any official
Bridgeport 2 times, the most of any official
Chatham 1 time

Places are drawn at the centre of their own boundary in the city’s Boundaries - Community Areas file (City of Chicago Data Portal). A dot says the place was named, not where Lee was or what was said about it.

Meetings

Every meeting where we identified Lee’s voice

52, newest first. The date opens the meeting; the time plays the video at Lee’s first remark.

Oct 8, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development2.9 min34:31
Oct 5, 2026Committee on Finance0.8 min2:21:06
Sep 29, 2026City Council3.9 min1:34:34
Sep 24, 2026Committee on Finance3.4 min3:40:56
Sep 23, 2026City Council4.5 min2:22:56
Sep 22, 2026Committee on Finance1.4 min2:26:16
Sep 14, 2026Committee on Finance2.1 min1:46:36
Jul 16, 2026Committee on Budget and Government Operations2.9 min5:13:22
Jul 15, 2026City Council2.0 min1:17:57
Jul 14, 2026Committee on Aviation2.2 min49:16

Show all 52Show fewer

Jul 13, 2026Committee on Finance8.5 min2:46:58
Jul 9, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development1.7 min1:12:11
Jul 8, 2026Committee on Budget and Government Operations0.3 min49:29
Jun 30, 2026Committee on Police and Fire0.8 min48:07
Jun 25, 2026Committee on Finance7.3 min2:24:40
Jun 17, 2026City Council3.9 min2:24:19
Jun 11, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development0.6 min1:25:52
May 26, 2026Committee on Education and Child Development7.5 min1:59:30
May 20, 2026City Council8.6 min1:48:05
May 19, 2026Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight8.9 min51:27
May 18, 2026Committee on Finance5.0 min1:08:42
May 13, 2026Committee on Budget and Government Operations0.1 min43:09
May 13, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development0.1 min43:09
May 11, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development2.8 min1:32:55
May 6, 2026Committee on Police and Fire5.2 min1:18:51
Apr 27, 2026Committee on Budget and Government Operations3.4 min1:06:34
Apr 15, 2026City Council3.7 min1:11:17
Apr 13, 2026Committee on Finance2.3 min1:34:17
Mar 18, 2026City Council6.0 min1:11:54
Mar 13, 2026Committee on Finance1.3 min1:17:38
Mar 13, 2026Committee on Police and Fire1.1 min38:41
Mar 12, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development0.2 min47:58
Feb 18, 2026City Council2.4 min1:15:58
Feb 11, 2026Committee on Finance3.8 min1:48:56
Feb 10, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development0.3 min46:56
Jan 20, 2026Committee on Aviation1.7 min33:32
Jan 13, 2026Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development1.2 min1:08:06
Dec 17, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations3.6 min2:16:30
Dec 16, 2025Committee on Finance5.4 min1:23:54
Dec 11, 2025Committee on Police and Fire1.2 min38:00
Dec 10, 2025City Council0.8 min59:59
Dec 4, 2025Committee on Finance0.3 min1:34:14
Nov 13, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations16.4 min1:14:47
Nov 12, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations19.0 min1:01:53
Nov 12, 2025Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development4.1 min2:02:22
Nov 10, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations1.7 min1:15:26
Nov 10, 2025Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development2.2 min28:12
Nov 6, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations12.2 min4:11:24
Nov 5, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations4.9 min5:22:31
Nov 4, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations11.6 min3:09:53
Oct 30, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations19.9 min2:25:01
Oct 29, 2025Committee on Budget and Government Operations18.3 min1:31:33

How we identify who is speaking · blind check, pooled across five cities: of 410 council lines drawn, 352 right, 0 wrong, 1 unclear, 57 couldn’t be judged

We identified Lee’s voice at 52 meetings across eight bodies. A meeting missing here means we couldn’t attribute the voice, not that Lee was absent. Claude and Gemini each read every transcript with that day’s roster. A voice gets Nicole T. Lee’s name only when both agree and a code check finds the name said on, or just before, their turn. Voices our transcripts merge with someone else’s are never attributed, so every count here undercounts what Lee said. For councils and their committees, of 410 lines drawn, 352 were right, 0 wrong and 1 unclear, and the checkers couldn’t judge 57. We have since removed the voices behind 110 of those lines (0 wrong, 1 unclear, the rest we had already held for other reasons). Of the 300 lines we still publish, the checkers could judge 268: all 268 right (90% lower bound 0.99). They couldn’t judge the other 32. The check is one sample pooled across the five cities, not of Lee or of Chicago alone.