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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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Dangerous Political Terrain in Maywood?
Check out the following “musing” by Maywood Village Clerk Gary Woll, a veteran political figure in the near western suburb. We knew Maywood was hairy in various ways, but politics is literally a...
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Bloomberg News: Feds Falling Down on FOIA
Bloomberg News, an international finance and political information service, found that major U.S. federal government agencies are too slow or are outright failing to comply with Freedom of Information...
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ROUNDUP: Peepers, Parkers and Loaders — Oh My!
>> PEEPER BACK TO WORK FOR STATE If you take a peek inside the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) offices in Schaumburg these days, you might see James Stumpner, 48. Paid nearly...
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Legislative Lovefest Far From Picture Perfect
There are public servants in the trenches who deserve our gratitude and respect. In a somewhat literal sense, think about the American troops who risk their lives on a daily basis. In a figurative...
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Rumble in the Courts
A veteran Chicago attorney recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown that claims she sought to damage the lawyer’s reputation in retaliation for his...
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BGA Updates Popular Payroll Database With 2011 Salaries
Want to know how much a public employee is paid? Then ask the Better Government Association (BGA). The BGA—a non-partisan, non-profit government watchdog—has updated its popular Payroll Database with...
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Political Dredging Stirs Muck in Oak Brook
Last year, municipal leaders in Oak Brook hired a law firm to get to the bottom of three things: how the now-former police chief, Tom Sheahan, was hired in 2005 by the village government under a...
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ROUNDUP: Lollygagging, Finagling and Justifying
>> O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is the governmental agency responsible for processing human waste. But the organization also must...
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CTA Insecurity a Boon for Joyriders?
>> SECURITY SIEVE AT CTA Let’s say there are a couple hundred buses at the CTA’s 103rd Street garage. And let’s say each one of those buses is worth a few hundred thousand dollars. So let’s...
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BGA Posts City of Chicago’s ‘Do-Not-Hire’ List
If you saw Wednesday’s headline in the Chicago Tribune you’ll realize the City of Chicago has been less than successful in its commendable effort to keep employees who’ve quit or been fired for...
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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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