(Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune) Since he was elected mayor, Rahm Emanuel has announced plans to lay off 625 city employees unless their unions agree to work-rule changes, and his handpicked school board has scrapped a scheduled 4 percent pay raise for Chicago teachers.

Considering that Emanuel is trying to close a $635.7 million budget gap, it seems entirely possible that he’ll also be re-conceiving how the city stages – and pays for – its summer music festivals.

He can start by reinventing the oldest and creakiest of the events, the Chicago Jazz Festival, which on Sunday completed its 33d annual edition.