The shuffling of papers and the quiet murmur of small talk broke the silence of the nearly empty Chicago City Council chambers as a handful of city staffers filed in for a Traffic Control and Safety Committee meeting Dec. 5, 2007.
Investigations
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Rosemont mayor returns mob-linked funds
Saying a federal appeals court mistakenly created a “watershed moment” that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sides with insurance titans that administer healthcare reimbursements
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Report: Grading the United States on FOIA responsiveness
Better Government Association and National Freedom of Information Coalition give 38 out of 50 states “F” grade in overall responses to FOIA requests.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Deputies at Odds
Saying a federal appeals court mistakenly created a “watershed moment” that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sides with insurance titans that administer healthcare reimbursements
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
2008 BGA-Alper Integrity Index
New Jersey, Louisiana have strongest ethics and transparency laws; Vermont, South Dakota at the bottom
Posted inInvestigations, News
Election chairman faces accusations of conflict of interest
Saying a federal appeals court mistakenly created a “watershed moment” that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sides with insurance titans that administer healthcare reimbursements
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Curiosity Killed the Cat: A report on compliance with the Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act
“A report by the Better Government Association (BGA) reveals an overwhelming rate of failure among public agencies asked to produce public records.”
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Examination discovers procurement reform measure is largely toothless
In 2001 the BGA and the Chicago Tribune investigated the effects of changes made to the Illinois Procurement Code. The study found that numerous loopholes were created, in what was billed as a measure to help eliminate conflicts of interest.
Posted inInvestigations
BGA Study: The Tourism Industry in Chicago: It’s the Arts, Stupid
Are Illinois riverboat gamblers tourists? Are any gamblers tourists? What are tourists? Back in 1994, the BGA began to investigate this question. We went door to door in all ten riverboat towns looking for signs of economic development. We didn’t find it.
