Chicago City Council has 50 alderpeople, representing around 54,000 people each. That’s compared to 51 council members in New York City, each representing 173,000 people. Los Angeles has 15 council members with each member representing about 257,000 people.
Better Government Association
A new report shows Gov. J.B. Pritzker's vast investment portfolio includes a dozen companies that earned billions of dollars in state contracts. When he took office, Pritzker promised to shift that portfolio into a blind trust, to eliminate conflicts of interest. But an investigation from the Better Government Association throws into question whether or not the move worked.
Radioactive water leaking from Illinois nuclear power plants, despite promised safeguards—an investigative reporter on what’s been done.
After 10 years, the city and labor unions are preparing for a new round of contract negotiations. What you should know about the process.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is supporting a bill that would require testing of groundwater near quarries where construction debris is dumped.
Is CPS denying support services for children with special needs in order to save money? We speak with the author of a new report from the Better Government Association.
A movement is underway to have the Illinois legislature expand what's called "home rule authority." Bob Reed of the Better Government Association explains what that could mean for towns and villages throughout the state.
Former CPS CEO to Plead Guilty to Fraud Scheme
Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett will reportedly plead guilty to a federal bribery indictment along with the co-owners of SUPES Academy, her former employer. We'll talk with the reporter who broke the story and the former CPS Inspector General who blew the whistle, as well as a former federal prosecutor.
An investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Better Government Association finds that pension funds for government workers are continuing to pay benefits to some retirees long after the retiree and their spouse have died. One of the lead investigators on the story breaks it down for us.
A new proposal before the City Council aims to prevent another controversial privatization deal like the infamous parking meter lease of 2008, but some critics say the plan doesn’t go far enough. Joining Chicago Tonight to discuss the proposed ordinance is Judy Stevens, policy coordinator at the Better Government Association, which consulted the Emanuel administration when crafting the ordinance.
We share what you had to say about the Better Government Association's report on police-involved shootings in Chicago, the rising price of rent across the city, whether or not the proposed tax on sugary beverages is a bitter pill, and Geoffrey Baer's conversation with Newton Minow.
Chicago police officers shot and killed 70 people between 2010 and 2014, according to a new report from the Better Government Association. Andrew Schroedter, senior investigator with the BGA, joins Chicago Tonight to talk about these numbers and their implications for Chicago.
Chase bank will no longer take more than a little loose change from customers -- a move they say is in the name of customer service. But some customers are outraged, including Robert Reed, who wrote a column for Crain's Chicago Business. He joins us to lament the decline of banking services for retail customers.
The Better Government Association reports that some Illinois municipalities struggling with high debt loads and troubled budgets could be looking at bankruptcy as an option to get out of a financial hole -- even though it's technically illegal.
We look into what the City of Chicago is doing to protect the dogs and cats in its care.
Rahm and Reform
The BGA assesses how many promises Mayor Rahm Emanuel kept during his first term.
