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Andy Shaw Biography
Andy Shaw is an award-winning Chicago journalist, and president and CEO of the Better Government Association . The BGA is a nonprofit and nonpartisan watchdog …Read More
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Don’t keep Midway plans in shadows
Spinning off some or all of Midway Airport to private investors is a high-flying topic that many civic-minded Chicagoans are eager to discuss, debate and learn more about, especially in the wake of that ignominious disaster known as the parking meter deal. For instance, the …Read More
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Maywood miracle gives us hope
‘Do you believe in miracles? Yes!!” That was sportscaster Al Michaels’ rhapsodic riff when the U.S. hockey team beat the heavily favored Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics. And it came to mind the morning after the suburban Cook County elections on April 9 when …Read More
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Let’s not be hasty with gaming bill
Hold ’em or fold ’em? Walk away or run? That’s what country singer Kenny Rogers ponders in “The Gambler,” his iconic song about the choices we face at the gaming table and, by inference, in life. Well pardner, it’s decision time here in Illinois as …Read More
More Columns
Too many candidates unopposed in upcoming local elections
Tuesday is decision day in the 500 Cook County taxing bodies that elect their leaders: municipalities; school, park and library boards; special service districts; and my favorite poster child for unnecessary bureaucratic waste — townships. Voter turnout is expected to be low, as usual — …
Is Toni Preckwinkle really for reform?
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the famous line Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis coined for watchdogs defending transparency: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” He meant that you can’t assess what you can’t see. And you can’t see what’s not visible. So you can’t …
Is City Council ready for reform?
Not sure if I offended, motivated or simply woke up some Chicago aldermen in a recent column when I dusted off the old Paudy Bauler cliché about City Council still not being ready for reform. I was reacting to Council’s spineless yet thoroughly predictable rejection …
Mayors and booze licenses a bad mix
Suburban mayors typically wear two hats at the same time, thanks to the quirks of state law: Head of their municipal government; and local liquor commissioner, which means licensing, regulating and punishing businesses that sell booze. And since this is Illinois, it’s no surprise many …
A pol’s ethical lapses inspire us
Cook County taxpayers owe their new recorder of deeds, Karen Yarbrough, a debt of gratitude for committing enough ethical faux pas in her first three months to remind us it’s time to re-launch the campaign to consolidate several similar county offices, including hers, into one, …
On-duty police and alcohol are a dangerous mix
Cops and pops may rhyme, but they don’t mix. Consider: The City of Chicago recently approved a $4.1 million settlement to the family of an unarmed man fatally shot by a Chicago police officer who was reportedly drinking before work. It’s a no-brainer to point …
Sandi Jackson joins City Council’s Hall of Shame
Fred Hubbard. Joseph Jambrone. Joseph Potempa. Casimir Stasczuk. Tom Keane. Frank Kuta. Paul Wigoda. Matt Danaher. Ed Scholl. Donald Swinarski. Stanley Zydlo. William Carothers. Lou Farina. Tyrone Kenner. Chester Kuta. Wallace Davis. Cliff Kelley. Perry Hutchinson. Marian Humes. Bill Henry. Fred Roti. Ambrosio Medrano. Allan …
Reform spotlight doing some good
British philosopher Edmund Burke warned in 1790 that “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it,” and Spanish-born humanist George Santayana parsed the admonition in this more widely quoted 1918 iteration: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Either …
No bold stand vs. conflicts of interest
Gov. Pat Quinn’s handlers got me pumped this week with a heads-up that his “State of the State” speech would confront a major ethics issue that’s bedeviled Illinois for years: Conflicts of interest. That’s what occurs when lawmakers use their public positions to benefit their …
Tax bill exposes shopaholics
She signs her letters and emails “Dragon Lady” because she knows her tart tongue, mercurial mien and intimidating intellect make a lot of people uncomfortable. She’s run her office imperiously by tucking a chauffeur/bodyguard, a cleaning woman and two party planners in her budget under …
Too many boards for us to support
Run a business? Perform a public service? Have a civic interest? Enjoy a hobby? Then chances are the State of Illinois has a board, a commission or panel watching over you. And that’s the problem. Illinois is home to more than 300 separate tax-supported boards …
Conflict of interest in mayor’s office
In politics, perception often is more important than reality. And that’s why Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who understands this as well as anyone, is inexplicably undermining his own reform claims by defending the awarding of a $99.4 million cleaning contract at O’Hare Airport to a local …
Springfield dances on the Titanic
The Illinois Senate in Springfield is abuzz on Wednesday morning as lawmakers new and old prepare for the inauguration ceremony that begins the next legislative session. They’re dressed in their best — flowers in hand, spouses and kids in tow — smiling, posing for pictures …
Springfield’s lame ducks should back pension reform
Dear Lame Ducks, You know who you are — 35 Illinois state senators and representatives who are enjoying, or at least tolerating, your final days in Springfield because you were either defeated in November or decided to get a life that doesn’t involve membership in …
Mentor ‘made all the difference’
I always thought of “boot camp” as a military term for the training I never got because I chose to fight news battles instead of real ones. But it now implies intensive preparation for whatever — not just grunts with guns — and I got …
Pols feeding at the campaign trough
One of our latest investigations can be summed up in a word: Oink. The Better Government Association teamed up with Chicago magazine to shine a light on how some prominent local politicians are spending campaign money. Bottom line: Campaign funds are treated like personal piggy …
Koschman case only about justice
It was never about Rich Daley, the former mayor. Or his nephew, R.J. Vanecko. Or even David Koschman, the victim of the lethal punch Vanecko allegedly threw during a booze-fueled altercation on Division Street in 2004. It was always about a justice system that must …Read More
