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Gov. Pat Quinn delivered his annual State of the State address Wednesday. As he gave a brief run-through of his new budget Quinn tried to paint an optimistic future for the Prairie State. That’s no easy task.

Changing Gears is a joint project of Michigan Radio, WBEZ Chicago, and Ideastream Cleveland that explores the new economic reality of the Midwest. This week the series looked at leadership.

The Changing Gears series explores the Midwestern economy took a three-part look at leadership: Tuesday, Kate Davidson reported on how Detroit Mayor Dave Bing is trying to remake his troubled city.

Local political action committees aren’t the only players in the municipal elections- businesses also have a vested interest in who runs what. The political clout of corporations goes far back and the private sector has helped anoint many a king – locally and at the national level.

The historic former Carson Pirie Scott building in downtown Chicago is getting a new tenant.

The municipal election is giving Chicagoans the chance to ponder how a new Mayor might shape the future of their city. To provide some food for thought, Changing Gears is looking at the role leaders are playing in the transformation of this region.

When I was high up in Trump Tower a few weeks ago for that event I told you about, I couldn't get the words of a prominent Chicago urban planner out of my mind."You stand in a skyscraper and look out of a window facing east, and the view looks almost the same looking west and south,&q