In the months leading up to the Illinois Legislature’s approval of a bill that would have increased electric rates statewide, utility giants Commonwealth Edison and Ameren and their executives and affiliates gave more than $1.3 million to campaign funds benefitting state lawmakers and their party organizations, an analysis by the Better Government Association has found.
The city of Chicago is owed $47 million in unpaid water bills. It’s a big number for a cash-strapped city. A Better Government Association study found that those who owe much of that money might not be who you expect.
For many students, community colleges are a low-cost alternative to more expensive state and private universities. But Illinois taxpayers aren’t getting a break when it comes to paying for pensions awarded to thousands of retired community college administrators and teachers, according to a Better Government Association (BGA) investigation.
A Chicago Public Schools high school principal racked up almost $17,000 in charges on his CPS credit card for trips around the globe that included stays at luxurious hotels and meals at expensive restaurants, a joint Better Government Association/Fox Chicago investigation shows.
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.
