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Better Government Association

Better Government Association

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WE READ BUDGETS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO

BGA Policy is providing snapshot analyses for each day of City of Chicago departmental hearings. Sign up to get each snapshot delivered to your inbox each day of budget hearings, starting October 11.

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David Kidwell

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

Madigan at Center of Federal Case Against ComEd

by David Kidwell July 17, 2020November 10, 2022

Criminal case against utility giant follows more than a year of reporting, including by the BGA, about the federal investigation.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

Feds Subpoena ComEd for ‘Communications’ With Embattled State Sen. Sandoval

by David Kidwell and Dan Mihalopoulos October 10, 2019November 10, 2022

This is the second subpoena the utility giant has received connected to a wide-ranging federal probe. It arrived 10 days after investigators searched Sandoval’s offices in Springfield and Cicero.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

Feds Search for Michael Madigan Records at Home of Retired Alderman, Sources Say

by David Kidwell and Dan Mihalopoulos July 12, 2019November 10, 2022

In a related move, the feds subpoenaed utility giant Commonwealth Edison about the company’s state government lobbying activity.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

Chicago Ethics Board Fines Ald. Ed Burke for ‘Improper Influence’

by David Kidwell and Dan Mihalopoulos May 3, 2019November 10, 2022

Prompted by a Better Government Association/WBEZ investigation, the city’s ethics watchdog hits Burke for $2k fine.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

Cook Judge Bars Publication of Documents About Student Drowning, Raising Free Press Concerns

by David Kidwell and Lauren FitzPatrick February 7, 2019November 10, 2022

After CPS lawyer provides BGA with internal records about drowning death of teen with autism, a Cook County judge issues order temporarily prohibiting publication. School district lawyers say they released the documents by mistake.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

Feds Charge Powerful Ald. Ed Burke With Corruption

by David Kidwell and Dan Mihalopoulos January 3, 2019November 10, 2022

Burke, the longest-serving alderman in Chicago history, is accused of using his position as alderman to illegally seek business for his private law firm. The questionable intersection between Burke’s public and private roles was the focus of a recent BGA/WBEZ investigation.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

The King of Recusals: How Ald. Ed Burke’s Private Law Business Intersects With His Public Power

by David Kidwell, Patrick Judge and Dan Mihalopoulos December 26, 2018November 10, 2022

Chicago’s longest-sitting alderman has recused himself 464 times in the last eight years, far more than all other aldermen combined. Following recent federal raids, questions of his conflicts of interest have arisen again.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

How City Colleges Won A National Minority Achievement Prize With Manipulated Data

by David Kidwell December 18, 2017November 10, 2022

An Emanuel administration drive to project an image of rapid improvement at City Colleges led to a national award for Kennedy-King College in Englewood. But the BGA found the improvement that led to the award was measured using data from an international pastry program located in the Loop.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

Internal Report: City Colleges Awarding Invalid Diplomas In Apprentice Program

by David Kidwell November 29, 2017November 10, 2022

The college system also improperly sought state taxpayer tuition reimbursements for courses offered for free.

Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation

City Colleges Union Chief Slaps Administration Over BGA Probe

by David Kidwell November 13, 2017November 10, 2022

A top teacher union official at the City Colleges of Chicago chastised Chancellor Juan Salgado for his “dismissive” response to a BGA investigation that found lowered standards and manipulated data created a misleading record of success.

The Better Government Association is a non-partisan, non-profit news organization and civic advocate working for transparency, efficiency and accountability in government in Chicago and across Illinois.

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