Chicago Sun-Times

Pension deal must address abuses

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 02:12:06 -0500

Illinois lawmakers are returning to Springfield on Wednesday for a special session on the pension crisis. They’re searching for a plan that’s fiscally sound, constitutional, politically palatable and capable of winning passage in the Legislature. So far they haven’t found it, which is no surprise because it’s a daunting challenge. But they have to, and soon, because state and local pension systems are heading toward insolvency, and current pension obligations are gobbling up too many scarce budget dollars. So reform is imperative, and that means — in addition to a comprehensive fiscal solution — a targeted ethical cleansing that outlaws …

A good day for justice in Illinois

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:33:26 -0500

Lost in the chorus of catcalls from the pundits after Springfield’s colossal failure to agree on pension reform or gaming expansion or marriage equality — big issues that could have been resolved but weren’t — is a smattering of applause for a few things our anguished lawmakers did accomplish. That includes several reforms supported by the Better Government Association, topped by passage of a bill that gradually extends electronic recording of police interrogations to eight additional felony categories. Current law requires detectives to record interviews only with homicide suspects. Pending the governor’s signature, the additional recording will be phased in …

Secret deal from Daley boosted fire chief’s pension by $27,000 a year

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:27:52 -0500

THE WATCHDOGS: For two years, Raymond Orozco Jr. led the Chicago Fire Department as fire commissioner. But when it came time to calculate the city fire pension he now gets, Orozco got credit for four years in that position under a potentially lucrative secret deal engineered by the Daley administration, a Chicago Sun-Times / Better Government Association investigation has found.The difference? For now, it’s about $27,000 a year in Orozco’s pocket. Over his lifetime, it could amount to an additional $800,000.

No feeling the love on parking meters

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:37:46 -0500

Mayor Emanuel’s negotiators are looking for some love as they argue for City Council approval of the concessions they wrung out of the loathsome parking meter contract. They’re especially proud to have driven down the cost of compensation for out-of-service meters by more than a billion dollars over the life of the 75-year deal — that’s $20-25 million a year — so they can’t understand why aldermen, journalists and civic groups aren’t showering them with more praise. Instead, their financial projections, and their plan to trade free Sunday parking in the neighborhoods for extended meter hours in the Downtown area, …

Election reform boring? Not really

Sun, 26 May 2013 02:39:47 -0500

What do these terms have in common: Debt ceiling, unfunded liability, sequester, infrastructure and filibuster? They’re important public policy issues, but they’re also “government speak,” so our eyes glaze over when we hear them. In real time they’re numbers with lots of zeroes, projects with lots of cement, and maneuvers with lots of blabbing. About as interesting as watching paint dry. But their long-term impact, individually or collectively, on our lives and our livelihoods, could be more like getting hit in the forehead with a paint ball. Ouch! So let’s consider two more words from the same family: Redistricting, the …

City job safe, despite felony convictions, after Quinn pardon

Tue, 28 May 2013 08:56:01 -0500

When Gov. Pat Quinn pardoned a politically connected city of Chicago health department official in late 2011, he didn’t just erase Juan Elias’ rap sheet, which included convictions for marijuana possession, burglary and vote fraud. The pardon also kept Elias, who heads 1st Ward Ald. Joe Moreno’s political organization, safely in the $78,828-a-year city job that he got after after failing to disclose on his job application that he had a criminal past.

Spare us the snarky CTA emails

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:39:38 -0500

The CTA is big news these days as transit officials begin the massive, and massively disruptive, Red Line overhaul on the South Side. We’re told the short-term construction pain will beget long-term commuter gain in the form of faster, cleaner L rides. Let’s hope so. But we’re also interested in another CTA-related news story the Better Government Association reported on with the Sun-Times’ “Watchdogs” a couple of weeks ago: The transit agency’s decision — announced in a vague, somewhat misleading February press release — to replace its private security force at most of the L and subway stations with what …

Some scams scamming less

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:45:28 -0500

One of the public’s beefs with the media is that newspapers and TV stations don’t follow up on enough of their stories. A scandal or controversy makes a big splash when it hits the airwaves or the front page, and then, poof, it disappears like a wisp of smoke, so people don’t know what happened next. The Better Government Association is making an effort to avoid that pitfall by periodically circling back to previous investigations — to “rewind” — so people get, in the words of broadcasting legend Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story.” It’s also a good way …

Pols violate intent of law

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 06:54:24 -0500

Several colleagues called recently to question the propriety of last Monday night’s fund-raising frenzy in Springfield, where state lawmakers headed into the final month of the Spring legislative session with an appeal for campaign cash from lobbyists and special-interest groups at more than 20 separate fund-raisers. Those transactions would have been illegal if the Legislature had convened earlier on Monday because end-of-session fundraisers are prohibited on scheduled “work” days. But they were off Monday and back Tuesday. So the flurry of fund-raisers violated only the intent of the law — not the law itself — as pandering pols slithered through …

Don’t keep Midway plans in shadows

Wed, 29 May 2013 07:35:32 -0500

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 American Planning Association held a session on Chicago’s privatization plans, including Midway, at a recent convention here in Chicago. And this week the Union League Club, a BGA partner and a leading civic voice, is hosting a panel on privatization that will certainly explore Midway’s fate. It seems like almost everyone in the public policy …

Maywood miracle gives us hope

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:37:56 -0500

‘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 I discovered, with proverbial “shock and awe,” that voters in west suburban Maywood had actually ousted their incumbent mayor, Henderson Yarbrough. Yes! It’s what should have happened, based on Yarbrough’s sorry record, but “should have” rarely “does” in these suburban contests, for reasons we’ve discussed before: Partisan election boards manufacture cockamamie reasons for knocking challengers …

Let’s not be hasty with gaming bill

Wed, 15 May 2013 06:43:59 -0500

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 Springfield lawmakers consider a humongous gaming bill that could eventually pump several hundred million new dollars a year into the state’s depleted treasury. Consider the magnitude of the proposed expansion: Five new casinos, including one in Chicago; slot machines at racetracks; and at O’Hare and Midway Airports. Illinois would have 23 major gambling venues with …

Too many candidates unopposed in upcoming local elections

Wed, 08 May 2013 06:41:21 -0500

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 — around 20 percent — which is one measure of the sad state of democracy in the burbs, and a reminder that you can’t criticize your local government credibly if you don’t vote. Another cause for concern is that 1,170 of the 2,000 separate election contests on the ballot — that’s 58 percent — have a …

Is Toni Preckwinkle really for reform?

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:51:28 -0500

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 shine a light on government and hold public officials accountable without following the paper trail that records the flow of tax dollars and campaign contributions, the awarding of contracts, the hiring of government workers, and the votes of our elected representatives. We access the trail by filing Freedom of Information Act requests, which generally produce …

Is City Council ready for reform?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:55:44 -0500

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 of the strongest provisions in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s ethics package. But hey — there may be a glimmer of hope after all. Some aldermen say they are ready for reform. So ready, in fact, they’ve doubled down to form two separate reform groups. Nine aldermen recently unveiled the “Progressive Reform Coalition,” a beefed-up iteration of …

Mayors and booze licenses a bad mix

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:37:34 -0500

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 of these mayors also tap their local liquor establishments for campaign cash. It’s perfectly legal but sleazy, a blatant conflict of interest: Taking money from places you regulate. Unfortunately, some mayors don’t get it. They wonder why the Better Government Association is concerned. So let’s look at southwest suburban Bolingbrook for an answer, courtesy of …

A pol’s ethical lapses inspire us

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:40:21 -0500

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, to save money and improve efficiency. So thank you, Karen, though that was hardly your intention. The Better Government Association and FOX-32 recently revealed that Yarbrough gave a family friend a $75,000-a-year government job despite the friend’s conviction for participating in an armored car heist. This followed an earlier story about Yarbrough and her aides …

On-duty police and alcohol are a dangerous mix

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:38:31 -0500

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 out that cops and booze are a potentially lethal combination, but incredibly, a lot of suburbs actually tolerate substantial amounts of alcohol in the systems of their on-duty police officers. In some cases — and here’s the real shocker — at blood-alcohol levels of nearly 0.08, the state’s definition of legally drunk. Visualize: Sworn officers …