Chicago Sun-Times

Don’t keep Midway plans in shadows

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:40:08 -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

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:49:16 -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

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:34:57 -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

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:43:13 -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 …

Sandi Jackson joins City Council’s Hall of Shame

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:40:37 -0500

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 Streeter. Joseph Kotlarz. Joesph Martinez. Jesse Evans. Larry Bloom. John Madrzyk. Virgil Jones. Percy Giles. Jim Laski. Arenda Troutman. Ed Vrolyak. Ike Carothers. And now, Sandi Jackson. Roll call for inductees into Chicago’s “Hall of Shame” — 35 ex-aldermen who’ve been nailed for corruption since 1973. So you might think that, in the spirit of …

Reform spotlight doing some good

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:39:25 -0500

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 way, the message is relevant, and that’s why watchdog groups like the Better Government Association, which investigates public officials and recommends policy changes in the here and now, should look back periodically to see if the problems we identified are persisting, or the reforms we pushed are taking root. So from time to time we’ll …

No bold stand vs. conflicts of interest

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 06:39:45 -0500

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 private interests, even when it hurts the taxpayers who elect them regularly and compensate them generously. I visualized the return of Pat Quinn the populist-activist-maverick gadfly — the crusader who led petition drives to cut the size of the bloated General Assembly and create the consumer-friendly Citizens Utility Board — after four wobbly years as …

Tax bill exposes shopaholics

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:38:08 -0500

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 misleading job titles. And she claimed multiple homeowner tax exemptions on property she and her husband owned though you’re allowed only one. So Maria Pappas, the longtime Cook County treasurer, has taken some well-earned hits from, among others, the Better Government Association. But she’s also automated, downsized and, to a large extent, professionalized an office …

Too many boards for us to support

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:48:43 -0500

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 and commissions, many of them costly and of dubious value, starting with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Advisory Board and rolling through the alphabet to end with the Youth Development Council. Taxpayers are covering the salaries and benefits of board and commission members who “oversee” a wide range of functions that probably don’t need another …

Conflict of interest in mayor’s office

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:34:50 -0500

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 executive with a history of alleged mob ties. And it turns out the mob angle is only one troubling aspect of the deal with Chicago-based United Maintenance Co. and its president, Richard Simon. Another little-known eye-opener is that Simon and Theresa Mintle, Emanuel’s chief of staff, were co-investors in a popular downtown restaurant. They were …

Springfield dances on the Titanic

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:35:29 -0500

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 and making small talk. Inauguration day, whether it’s Springfield or Washington or Chicago’s City Hall, is one of those exhilarating time-honored traditions that remind even cynical political observers that our democracy is vibrant — and still the envy of the world — even when it malfunctions as badly as the Illinois General Assembly. And that’s …

Springfield’s lame ducks should back pension reform

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:33:39 -0500

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 one of the most dystopian legislatures in the country. This week technically concludes the 2012 session, so you’re here as “lame ducks” until your replacements are sworn in with the new General Assembly on Jan. 9. So order one last Horseshoe, Springfield’s iconic artery-busting sandwich. Watch House Speaker Mike Madigan go through his evening dining …

Mentor ‘made all the difference’

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 06:26:41 -0500

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 “shipped off” to one for new managers in the summer of 2009, after I left my political reporting perch at ABC 7 and signed on to run the Better Government Association, an anti-corruption civic watchdog that works for government reform in Illinois. The BGA is a venerable, 89-year-old nonprofit with a great history, but it’s …