Illinois at times can seem a state that never misses a chance to miss a chance.

Earlier this year, there still seemed a possible chance for meaningful ethics reform. There also was a chance — theoretically at least — for fairly drawn electoral maps.

But as the spring legislative session winds down to its final days, neither seems likely to happen.

There is hope for some strengthening in the state’s fiscal health. And the fight over utility regulation, which uncharacteristically is pitting Gov. J.B. Pritzker against his stalwart union supporters, could yet result in more accountability for Commonwealth Edison.

Read more at the chicagotribune.com.

David Greising is the president and chief executive of the Better Government Association, joining the BGA in 2018. For nearly a century, the BGA has fought for honest and effective government through investigative journalism and policy advocacy.

Greising’s career started at the City News Bureau of Chicago, with stops at the Chicago Sun-Times, Business Week magazine, the Chicago Tribune and Reuters. He was a co-founder of the Chicago News Cooperative and worked briefly as a consultant to World Business Chicago. Today, Greising writes on government issues in regular columns for the Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business.

Under Greising’s leadership, the BGA has played a key role in uncovering public corruption amidst the wide-ranging federal probe, starting with an in-depth report about Ald. Ed Burke’s conflicts of interest before the federal charges against Burke. The BGA also has exposed waste and fraud at O’Hare and the proliferation of corruption and poverty into Dolton, Lyons and other Chicago suburbs. The BGA’s policy team has led calls for ethics reform in Chicago’s City Council and in state government.