Reform was definitely in the air on Friday, Jan. 15, when six candidates for Cook County Board president faced off at luncheon forum moderated by the Better Government Association's executive director, Andy Shaw. The forum hosted by the Union League Club of Chicago in partnership with the Chicago Public Affairs Group was lively, combative and entertaining as the candidates laid out their credentials, defended their records, challenged one another's claims and promised to clean up and streamline county government if they're elected.

And most encouraging, from the BGA's standpoint, is that all of the candidates--four Democrats, one Republican and one from the Green Party--offered excellent reform proposals when Shaw asked them how they would work to fulfill the BGA mission of eliminating the "corruption tax" we pay when government is run for the benefit of the politicians and not the people through waste, fraud, inefficiency, patronage, nepotism, cronysim, padded contracts and pay-to-play.

The forum also produced an unusually candid series of admissions & comments when Shaw suggested a "mea culpa" round, asking each candidate to acknowledge a mistake they've made in office--bad vote or appointment or decision.

Here are some of the highlights:

Stroger: "There were a few people I hired that I forgot that story [if that guy is going to represent you in the administration...you need to know more about him before you recommend him.]"

Stroger: "The first thing I would do is thank Todd Stroger for leaving the government in such good shape."

O'Brien: "I love it that my opponents are firing on me, because that must mean that I’m leading the pack here."

Keats: "I'm going to fire 150 strangers and replace them with 25 brand new assistant inspector generals." (in retaliation to Stroger stating he did not have 150 friends and relatives on the payroll)

Tresser: "It's been my decision up until recently to be a lifelong Democrat. That's been my mistake. I've been clinging to the hope that the Democratic Party would bring justice, service and fiscal sanity to America and to Illinois, and boy was I wrong."

The 90-minute forum attracted a sell-out crowd of 300, and the comments on the way out reflected a general consensus that this was one of the most engaging, informative and entertaining events of the primary campaign season. The BGA agrees, and thanks the hosts, the participants and the attendees for letting us share an important moment in our fight to give Illinois residents a government they can be proud of.