March 28, 2025
SCOTT METCALF
MEMBER, CIVIC FEDERATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Number of years as a member: 3
You joined the Civic Federation many years ago, serving as Vice President and Research Director and then on the Board of Directors in 2022. What drew you to our work and what do you think of the Civic Federation’s value in Chicago’s civic community?
When I first joined the Civic Federation in the summer of 1999, I was a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago’s master’s program in political science, and the Federation’s evidence-based approach to advocating for good government appealed to me. Once I started working day-to-day in the former Federation offices in the old DePaul University building on S. Wabash, I realized how unique the Federation is both locally and nationally. The Federation is particularly needed given Chicago’s long and storied political history.
What was one of the most memorable projects you worked on as Vice President and Research Director?
The most memorable project I worked on was the report calling for the elimination of the Suburban Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District. This unit of local government had outlived its usefulness and needed to be incorporated into the Cook County Health Department, but inertia kept it going and extending a property tax levy year after year. Our report calling for the dissolution of the Sanitarium District was going to be on the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times. Tragically, the front page that day was instead dedicated to the lives lost in the fire at the County Administration Building at 69 W. Washington.
What do you find most exciting about where the Federation is going, particularly in light of our new President and Strategic Plan? What is your greatest wish for the Civic Federation for the road ahead?
The most exciting part of where I see the Civic Federation going is the organization’s ability to maximize the financial resources that are now available to it. I am not sure if newer board members realize how much the finances of the organization have improved over the past 25 years. The impressive number and variety of board members and other financial supporters makes possible the growth in staff and resources that will allow the Federation to take on an even more important role in the future.
As a Partner at Franczek, with some focus on the public sector, how do you see your work and the Civic Federation’s work overlap? Are there any instances of when our research helped inform your work?
Like the Civic Federation, my firm exists at the intersection of the private and public sectors. The synergy between business and government in Chicago makes it unique and vibrant in a way that no other city can match. There are so many instances in which the Federation’s research has informed and influenced my work that I cannot pick just one. It happens all the time.
What advice do you have for public sector professionals and groups in the State of Illinois and Chicago?
Focus on partnering with government, not fighting it.
What impact are you trying to make and what challenges are you most often addressing?
I remain involved with the Civic Federation to play my own small part in promoting public policy that does the most good for the most people, resisting public policy that is self-interested or corrupt, and advocating for public policy that is fair and rational.
What's your favorite Chicago hidden gem?
It is not hidden, but the Chicago Architecture Center boat tour.
What do you most enjoy doing in your free time?
During the pandemic, I discovered English professional soccer. I am now an avid supporter of a team, Leeds United F.C. and spend a ridiculous amount of time following the team on social media, watching every match, and traveling to England to attend matches whenever I can.
Scott focuses his practice on counseling and representing public bodies in the broad range of matters that fall within the fields of board governance and government operations. Scott consults with clients regarding board meeting procedures as well as compliance with the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and represents them in litigation involving these laws. Scott also counsels and negotiates on behalf of public sector clients in all manner of operational issues, including annexations and detachments, budgeting, bidding, finance, contracting, construction law, tax levies, real estate, revenue protection and property tax litigation. He regularly appears before administrative tribunals, including the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB), as well as state and federal courts on these issues.
As part of his commitment to the community and to good government, Scott serves on the Board of Directors of the Civic Federation, an independent, non-partisan government research organization that provides analysis and recommendations on government finance issues for the Chicago region and State of Illinois. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Scott was the Vice President and Research Director of the Federation.
Scott is a regular speaker at events and has authored or co-authored numerous articles. Most recently he co-authored the chapter entitled “Property Tax Litigation” in Real Estate Litigation (2021), an Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education publication.