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John Amdor

@johnamdor.bsky.social

1.2K followers 790 following 420 posts

'John Amdor needs to get out more.' -Capitol Fax commenter, March 19, 2018 tweets without punctuation or capitalization are by cricket

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Feb 24

“Everything in moderation. Its such an appealing idea. It might be true for ice cream, bourbon & staying up til 3am. But what if juvenile prison isn’t like those things? Some things- heroin or Russian roulette- are dangerous even in moderation. Maybe prison is too.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/m...

What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons (Gift Article)

Lessons from a radical 20-year experiment and a quiet triumph of public policy.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by John Amdor

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 2d

By me this week - the happiest thing I've got to report of late, with a glorious trip over the summer to Montreal

"Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport."

www.economist.com/internationa...

Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport

Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war

www.economist.com

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Reposted by John Amdor

Audrey Wennink @awennink.bsky.social · 4d

The transit reform bill gives communities more tools to shape their communities around their transit stations. We need more people living and working near transit so more people can ride it. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/08/o...

Juan Sebastian Arias: Transit reform bill strengthens local decision-making on development

This is not about taking control away from communities. It is about giving them more tools to shape growth around transit.

www.chicagotribune.com

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Reposted by John Amdor

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 25d

Friends! Readers! Countrymen! The paperback version of my book is out today. Please buy it: bookshop.org/p/books/carm...

Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do about It

How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do about It

bookshop.org

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · 25d

I think in honor of Gov. Edgar.

Reposted by John Amdor

John Leavitt @leavittalone.bsky.social · Sep 11

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MONTRESSOR

Uncle Duke @uncleduke1969.bsky.social · Sep 11

Clearly, things had not worked out the way that Ronald had hoped.

A squirrel is trapped in a tall cylindrical bird feeder.

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 31

Pretty good morning to #bikethedrive and talk to people about saving transit. #fixitfundit #revenuesandreform

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Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice @endmoneybond.bsky.social · Aug 25

President Trump has issued an executive order aimed at forcing states that have ended or reduced the use of money bail in the pretrial process to reverse those policies.

Tell Governor Pritzker & your legislators to defend the Pretrial Fairness Act: actionnetwork.org/letters/beat...

Beat Back Trump’s Attack on the Pretrial Fairness Act!

President Trump has said he wants to end the Pretrial Fairness Act and bring back money bail in Illinois. We are asking people from across the state to call on their legislators and Governor Pritzker ...

actionnetwork.org

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 20

You'll forgive me for thinking a midcentury nepobaby and a guy who got a sweetheart non-prosecution deal for an off-the-books "loan" while serving as a Cabinet secretary are perhaps not the people we want designing our political structures.

John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 20

My kingdom for a bipartisan group of septuagenarian Illinois politicians nursing decades-long grievances against Pat Quinn who will pool their resources to repeal the Cutback Amendment.

Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · Aug 19

A bipartisan pair of former high-level officials from President Barack Obama’s administration on Tuesday began their public push to stop state lawmakers from directly drawing their own district boundaries, a change they argue would mean a General Assembly that better represents voters.

Bipartisan group led by ex-Obama officials ‘rolling the dice’ on new remapping plan for Illinois legislature

“Fair Maps Illinois” marks the third attempt since 2014 to reduce heavy partisan influence in how Illinois district boundaries are drawn following the once-per-decade census.

trib.al

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 19

I'm all for change if things are actually getting improved!

John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 19

After a summer-long evaluation, I regret to report that ilga.gov sucks now.

Things that would be useful:
1) Audio/video archive
2) Hyperlinked ILCS crossreferences
3) Committee/tracked bill notifications

Things that aren't useful:
1) Clicking multiple times for things instead of a single click.

John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 13

golly its great to be back in springfield with so many fellow breakfast enthusiasts

Reposted by John Amdor

Active Transportation Alliance @atalliance.bsky.social · Aug 11

🚍 After 1,600 hours of community outreach & planning, IL now has the legislation we need to fix & fund our transit system. 🚊As our Executive Director Amy Rynell says, it’s now time to get this over the finish line – before devastating cuts begin. Learn more: activetrans.org/blog/nita-ri...

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 7

I do still appreciate the course at DePaul where you learn about the history of a neighborhood and do service work with a local org. It taught me how to learn about the city.

John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 7

A scene from "Community" season 3 where Britta tells the anthropomorphic embodiment of Subway restaurants that he should read Orwell's "1984." He replies he has, it's a great book that really awakened him in high school, and he thinks kids should be forced to read it.

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Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice @endmoneybond.bsky.social · Aug 6

"Contrary to Trump's rants, Illinois criminal justice reforms have been effective"‪

Thank you @repgreggjohnson.bsky.social‬ & @repguzzardi39.bsky.social‬ for speaking the truth & defending the Pretrial Fairness Act: chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/...

Contrary to Trump's rants, Illinois criminal justice reforms have been effective

Ending cash bail doesn’t mean dangerous people are roaming the streets. It means that a judge decides whether a person should be released from jail pending trial based on risk and not wealth.

chicago.suntimes.com

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 6

Disappointed to report it appears it's only available during happy hour in the upper floor of the lounge car.

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 5

Sure do!

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Aug 5

Out of office.

A hand holds a can of Coors Banquet aboard a train looking out the window into a green soybean field.

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Jul 30

It's a perfectly normal thing to expect from a first order subnational administrative division.

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Jul 30

Pass. Let's just hash it all out in the 2029 Con-Con.

Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · Jul 30

For the third time since 2014, a bipartisan group wants to amend the Illinois Constitution to affect how state legislative boundaries are drawn.

Bipartisan group launches latest effort to remove partisanship from how Illinois legislative boundaries are drawn

For the third time since 2014, a bipartisan group wants to amend the Illinois Constitution to affect how state legislative boundaries are drawn.

www.chicagotribune.com

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Reposted by John Amdor

Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice @endmoneybond.bsky.social · Jul 22

We are disappointed but unsurprised to see Illinois Republicans & President Trump exploiting a Megan Bos's death to spread misinformation about the Pretrial Fairness Act.

Read our full statement:

Republicans Exploit Megan Bos’s Death to Once Again Spread Misinformation about the Pretrial Fairness Act - Coalition to End Money Bond

Our heart goes out to Megan Bos’s family. Losing a child is unimaginable, and we cannot begin to comprehend the pain her family must be experiencing. Unfortunately, as has been the norm for those who ...

endmoneybond.org

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Reposted by John Amdor

Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · Jul 20

Also, just…it is the summer of 2025, and the crisis that a bunch of self-described progressives in an immigrant-heavy blue city neighborhood are volunteering 100s or even 1000s of hours collectively to fight is…preventing seven story buildings with affordable housing

Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · Jul 20

This is a disappointing article from the @chicagotribune.com @jake-sheridan.bsky.social leaving out the social context of e vs w of Broadway, the fact that proponents outnumbered opponents 2-1 in plan commission comments, and letting obvious lies go uncorrected www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/20/p...

Plan to upzone Broadway promises housing, divides Edgewater

A plan to allow bigger buildings along North Broadway has support of Mayor Brandon Johnson, but faces opposition from Edgewater activists who say it will wreck the neighborhood’s character.

www.chicagotribune.com

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Jul 20

Oh, it's been on every morning in our house.

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John Amdor @johnamdor.bsky.social · Jul 10

Uh-huh. tlthis is gold