Marie C. Dillon

Private conference calls between aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot violated “nearly every meaningful requirement” of the Illinois Open Meetings Act, the lawsuit says.

Public bodies throughout Illinois are holding virtual meetings during the statewide stay-at-home order. The Open Meetings Act still protects the right of citizens to observe and participate.

State and local governments have exercised extraordinary authority to deal with the public health crisis. That calls for more transparency, not less.

In Illinois, the Legislative Inspector General answers to a panel of legislators appointed by other legislators. No wonder this doesn’t work.

The General Assembly needs a fully empowered inspector general. It also needs stronger laws against legislative misconduct.

Why have multiple reform efforts failed to clean up the state Capitol? One answer is that the General Assembly never fixed the laws that apply to itself.

Illinois is an outlier when it comes to taxing retirement income — it simply doesn’t. That means younger generations will shoulder a tax burden they didn’t create. That’s a disincentive for them to stay.

The City Council’s Office of Financial Analysis can help aldermen make sound decisions about money matters. This ordinance will unlock that power.