Even into his 90s, John J. White pushed to ensure the Better Government Association held fast to its mission of investigating and exposing waste and corruption in government.
“John was one of good government’s greatest champions,” said Andy Shaw, the BGA’s president and CEO. “He loathed the arrogance and the corruption that have polluted the political process in Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois, and he believed that an aggressive, robust BGA was essential in the fight for the better government we deserve.”
White died July 23.
City Clerk Miguel Del Valle said in March that his office would make a Web video archive of City Council Meetings, which he touted as an “unprecedented government transparency initiative.”
Residents have since started to use the archive. However, the city acknowledges that follow-up measures are needed for the videos to really enhance civic dialogue.
“It has enabled some people to see the City Council for the first time ever,” says Del Valle spokeswoman Kristine Williams. Read more...
Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown has dropped the controversial Jeans Day program that deep-sixed her bid for County Board president, according to a report by Fox Chicago News.
Fox obtained an internal memo describing the decision, in which Brown blamed media coverage and employee unrest.
The Jeans Day program required employees to pay $2 or $3 for the privelege of wearing jeans to work. The money purportedly was donated to charities, including one for victims of Hurricane Katrina and another for an employee whose home burned down. Read more...
Republican nominee for County Board President Roger Keats today announced he would embrace a number of reform proposals supported by anti-corruption watchdogs, and said he hopes lawmakers in Cook County and Springfield will put such reforms into law.
Keats says he has support from some county commissioners and state lawmakers to make some of the reforms outlined in a February report from the University of Illinois at Chicago law.
“What we’re trying to remind people is that as corrupt as this place is, there are some of us who are trying to do something about it,” said Keats, who is running against Democrat Toni Preckwinkle and Green Party nominee Tom Tresser.
Read more...
It’s rare that a top Chicago official calls out the city’s shortcomings, but if you ask City Clerk Miguel Del Valle, Chicago is far behind other municipalities in putting its dirty laundry out there for all to see.
“It’s a world-class city that needs to have a world-class legislative branch of government,” he said. But, “we’re playing catch up. We’re not leading the way here.”
In unveiling a City Council video archive housed on the
clerk’s site today, Del Valle called it a small step forward in guaranteeing transparency in government, and said the city still has a long way to go.
Read more...
