Landmark investigations, new good-government tools, and most importantly: results.
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Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
More Trouble for Country Club Hills Mayor?
Just days after a BGA/WGN-TV investigation of Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch’s spending habits, the city council canceled municipal credit cards. And, it turns out, the state’s attorney is taking an interest in what’s going on there.
Posted inAnalysis, Policy
Country Club Hills should tee up some reforms
Country Club Hills should tee up some reforms
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
CREDIT CARDS CANCELLED
JUNE 27, 2011 — After a BGA/WGN-TV investigation into Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch’s spending, the city council eliminates all but one city credit card.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Suburban Mayor Living ‘Country Club’ Lifestyle, Courtesy Taxpayers
Times may be rough, but in Country Club Hills, the mayor is rolling in the green, courtesy of taxpayers and donors to his campaign fund, according to a review by the Better Government Association.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Country Club Hills’ Big-Spending, Unabashed Mayor
This BGA/WGN-TV investigation shines a light on Mayor Dwight W. Welch and his hefty expense account. He says he spends (taxpayer) money to make money for the south suburban town — is he missing the basic principles of good government?
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Elmwood Park Leaders Get Home Improvements on Village’s Time
“At the very best it’s a conflict of interest,” Andy Shaw, BGA president and CEO, said. “A good reform would be to make it illegal for a public sector employee to do work for his employer, even on his own time.”
Posted inPress Release
A Landmark BGA Investigation: ‘The High Costs of Wrongful Convictions’
A seven-month investigation by the Better Government Association (BGA) and the Center on Wrongful Convictions (CWC) reveals the wrongful convictions of 85 men and women for violent crimes in Illinois has cost taxpayers more than $214 million, and imprisoned innocent people for more than 900 years.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Special Investigation: The High Costs of Wrongful Convictions
This seven-month investigation with the Center on Wrongful Convictions tracked exonerations in Illinois from 1989 through 2010 to determine the financial and human costs, and proposes several reforms.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Reform Blueprint: Changing Law Enforcement’s Culture, Tactics
The BGA/CWC compiled a list of best practices already in place elsewhere in the country, proposals from blue-ribbon commissions, and recommendations made during previous reform efforts in Illinois, chosen because nearly all involve only minimal expense. This list should be considered as a starting point toward reducing the escalating human and financial toll of wrongful