A package of changes to Chicago’s government ethics ordinance has stalled in City Council, despite the backing of the city’s Board of Ethics and the chair of the council’s ethics committee. The Better Government Association calls on Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council to advance the package, which includes:
- Expanded pay-to-play rules ensuring that owners and operators of companies with city contracts are bound by the same campaign contribution limits as their business entities.
- Clarification of restrictions on the use of images of city property in campaign literature and a “stand by your ad” provision requiring candidates personally to approve and be held responsible for campaign materials.
- Expansion of existing ethics rules for city employees to include independent contractors employed as staff by City Council and its committees.
The Board of Ethics first proposed a public draft version of their recommendations in August 2023. A final version was submitted to City Council and the mayor on November 14, 2023. Ethics committee chair Ald. Matt Martin introduced an ordinance incorporating the above recommendations in January 2024.
The ordinance has stalled since its introduction. An ethics committee meeting in March heard a quarterly report from the city’s inspector general but otherwise took up no new business. Committee meetings scheduled in April and May were canceled shortly before they were due to be held.
A Better Government Association analysis of campaign contributions to the recent mayoral campaigns of incumbent Lori Lightfoot and eventual run-off challengers Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas found hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from the owners and operators of city contractors. The proposed language from the Board of Ethics would restrict the individuals profiting from city contracts to the same $1,500 per year campaign contribution limit as their business entities.
“Mayor Johnson’s administration and the current City Council have been alarmingly slow to move on issues of ethics and transparency,” said Bryan Zarou, the Better Government Association’s Policy Director. “We’ve seen multiple initiatives stall out over the past year. There’s not the sense of urgency the public expects to see in a city where high-profile politicians are still being indicted and convicted for criminal wrongdoing.”
A short-lived rules change to require 48 hour public availability of legislative language before it could be voted upon was jettisoned when City Council set its new rules for its current four-year term. Multiple Board of Ethics seats were left vacant for months, forcing the cancellation of the board’s March meeting due to lack of quorum, and with two more seats expiring at the end of July there’s danger of a repeat. And on the package of reforms from the Board of Ethics, the administration has been silent, declining to respond to multiple queries or state what, if anything, they object to in the board’s proposals.
“Ald. Martin’s ordinance implementing Board of Ethics recommendations should not be subjected to a governmental slowroll,” said Zarou. “If the administration or individual alderpersons object to the content of the ordinance, they should make their case publicly in the ethics committee. If not, it’s time for a vote.”
The Better Government Association is a 101-year-old civic watchdog that seeks better government through investigative journalism, policy reforms and civic engagement efforts that lead to more open, equitable and accountable government. The policy team and investigative unit operate independently of one another, while both seek to advance the cause of better government in Chicago and across Illinois.
# # #
