Law firm employing state legislator does a staggering amount of work for local governments – including state agencies he helps oversee. How is this not a glaring conflict of interest?
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Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Playing Ball
Late-great Pittsburgh Pirate and Latino sports icon Roberto Clemente was known for a strong arm. Was an Illinois legislator using strong-arm tactics to get Metra to re-name a train stop after Clemente?
Posted inAnalysis, Perspective, Policy
Put Aside Distractions, Focus on Illinois’ Fiscal Mess
There are plenty of big stories in the media, enough to satiate even the hungriest news junkie. But it also means a lot of important political and governmental stories fall below the radar screen.
Posted inPress Release
BGA, Chicago Headline Club Launch FOIA Web Site
McCormick Foundation backs new Internet transparency initiative.
Posted inAnalysis, Policy
Budget Crisis Task Force Examines Illinois’ Debt Woes
The mounting debt piling up at the state and local levels threatens to prolong the nation’s economic problems and delay recovery.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Chicago Alderman Owned Reputed Drug House
For roughly a decade, Ald. Jason Ervin owned an “investment property” that was a magnet for drugs and other crime. The building is no longer his problem: he stopped paying the mortgage, and the bank took control.
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
PENSION AGENCY LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION
In the wake of questions from the BGA, the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund initiates an investigation into why a part-time contract lawyer for Calumet City’s municipal government stands to collect a six-figure taxpayer-subsidized pension someday.
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
BGA PROBE PROMPTS PAYBACK FROM POL
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and her husband refund more than $5,000 after the BGA disclosed they secured three property tax breaks during the 1990s when only one was allowed.
Posted inAnalysis, Perspective, Policy
Parking Meter Audit a Slick PR Move
By ordering an outside audit of the city’s deal with Chicago Parking Meters LLC, Mayor Emanuel looks tough by sending a signal to the parking meter company that City Hall is minding the store and guarding the cash register.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Shouldn’t She Know Better?
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office processes property tax payments, but back in the 1990s, while she was a county commissioner, she was pocketing three tax breaks for her personal property when only one was allowed.