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McHenry County: A Political Podunk No More?
We used to see McHenry County as a sleepy Illinois outpost; a simple, aw-shucks cousin to the fast-talking, wink-and-a-nod, wheeling-and-dealing city of Chicago. But consider just the past few months:...
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Dispatch from Division: Reform Fight Takes a Party Break
By Andy Shaw, BGA President & CEO I didn’t see the shakedown coming as I approached Butch McGuire’s on Division Street for the first party of the holiday season on the Tuesday night before...
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Blago 2.0: To Watch, or Not to Watch?
By Andy Shaw, BGA President & CEO One of our BGA interns, Emily Jurlina, ran the Boston Marathon on Monday. Folks in the office tracked her progress online, and at about the halfway point, her...
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2011 Chicago mayoral petitions, already under scrutiny, now available for...
So a minister, a developer and a registered sex offender walk into a polling place… Sounds like the start of a joke, but this being Chicago, and election season, it’s not far off from the truth.If...
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Chicago Tribune, EveryBlock Follow Up on BGA Investigation of Deteriorating...
Today the Chicago Tribune picked up on a BGA and Chicago News Cooperative investigation from late 2010 about the deteriorating Brown Line renovation project. The Brown Line recently underwent a $530...
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‘Ask not…’ and receive not, in DuPage County
Hard to say what the best political speech or sound bite has been over the years. Some members of “The Greatest Generation” might remember the proud defiance of Great Britain Prime Minister Winston...
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Stepping down, then stepping up in Stickney
Cody Mares quit his position as trustee with the Village of Stickney earlier this week just before a board meeting. He then was appointed head of public works at the meeting. This isn’t sitting well...
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Musings on Maria: a Post-Investigation Perspective
By Andy Shaw, BGA President & CEO Our BGA/CBS 2 investigation of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ questionable expenditures, budget chicanery and lack of transparency sparked a ton of reaction,...
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Ex-Niles Mayor Finds Salvation
After serving less than a year on a federal corruption conviction, ex-Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase has been released from the prison camp in Duluth. Blase, 82, was transferred from the Minnesota tundra...
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Chairman of South Suburban College Board Takes Campaign Cash From Union,...
The union representing teachers and staff at South Suburban College has donated more than $60,000 to the elected official who serves as chairman of the South Holland school and helps set their...
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As Relationship Simmers Between Chicago Fire Commissioner and IG, Management...
In the opening scenes of the 1991 Ron Howard film “Backdraft,” two young brothers are horsing around in the Chicago firehouse where their father works when an emergency call comes in. As firefighters...
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Trying Times At Daley Center
Daley Plaza / Photo by © Jeremy Atherton, 2006 (CC BY-SA 2.5) Find a specific court case and make photocopies of the entire file, my editor requested last week. It was a seemingly simple assignment,...
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2012: TOP TEN INVESTIGATIONS
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOP TEN INVESTIGATIONS OF 2012 The post 2012: TOP TEN INVESTIGATIONS appeared first on Better Government Association.
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Old-School Politics In New-Age Community?
Oak Park has a reputation as a progressive place, where education and the arts matter, where voters care about social issues and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. They’d be “lakefront...
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Illinois’ Fiscal Crisis: We’re No. 2!
One of the nation’s most influential financial analysts sees big trouble ahead for Illinois. Meredith Whitney is sounding the alarm about the dire fiscal condition of the nation’s 15 largest states....
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Clearing the air under the CTA’s June subway fire probe
The safety and security of passengers should be the CTA’s top priority. So it was encouraging to see the transit agency produce a hard-hitting and scathing internal report delving into the...
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Candidate for Cook County Pension Post Pleaded Guilty In 1985 Vote Fraud Case
A former Cook County government employee who pleaded guilty to vote fraud in 1985 is now running for election to the Cook County Pension Board, an estimated $6.9 billion retirement fund serving nearly...
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State Filing on Medicaid Delays Asks Court to Reconsider
State health officials are siding with large insurance companies to block a federal court decision supporting claims the state government is neglecting its responsibility to oversee billions of...
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Wealthy Donors Backing Hopefuls In Chicago’s Hot 43rd Ward Election
In 2005, Jennifer Tremblay got into hot water with the City of Chicago when officials determined she was a minority business front for some members of the O’Brien family, of the well-known O’Brien’s...
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Radio Silence in Melrose Park, Despite Some Promising Reforms
Melrose Park remains a curious place. Historically it was a town with strong organized crime influences. While the current leaders of Melrose Park may not like that image, they don’t do a lot to...
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