Policy

Barbara Byrd-Bennett is gone, but the questions linger on.

Together we shine a light on government and hold public officials accountable for the way they spend our hard-earned tax dollars and make the policy decisions that affect our lives.

Latest mishap involving dog accidentally left in Chicago Animal Care and Control van for days is latest evidence the public and benefactors are being ill-served.

We don’t expect to be loved when we carry out our watchdog mission. It’s enough to be respected, and perhaps appreciated.

The landscape has indeed changed, so reform efforts have to change too if we’re ever going to limit the corrupting influence of money in politics.

BGA’s “open letter” to Mayor Emanuel: Time to finish the reform work that’s left over from your first term.

There’s red ink flowing over every level of government—villages, towns, cities, and, of course, the State of Illinois, which is the biggest fiscal train wreck, followed by the city of Chicago and its public schools.

As we head into the final innings, the box score indicates the General Assembly is playing “small ball”—moving ahead on bills aimed at eliminating a few more unnecessary units of government, expanding transparency, increasing civic engagement, and improving the criminal justice system.

Investigative reporters and groups like the Better Government Association watch from the outside, but someone—preferably an independent inspector general with broad powers— should be watching from the inside.

Police brutality leaves two victims in its violent wake: Physically abused suspects, who obviously suffer the most painful injuries; and taxpayers, who take a financial beating when government is ordered to compensate targets of excessive force.