Perspective

Mayor Emanuel empowered an ethics task force and dumped an ineffectual ethics board. Now it’s time to get the task-force recommendations through the City Council.

It’s time for lawmakers to stop talking about changing the way the Chicago Police Department handles the interrogation of violent crime suspects and to begin working towards real criminal justice reform.

Cook County has four separate mosquito abatement districts that cost taxpayers more than $11 million a year. Public officials keep talking about consolidating the districts but are all talk and no action.

No public pension fix will ever be complete, or successful, if it doesn’t end the costly and wasteful perks and sweeteners that suburbs, towns and villages dole out to favored workers.

Chicago’s set-aside program for minority- and women-owned business has made headlines over the years – mostly because contracts have been funneled to companies controlled by non-minority males instead of the people it’s supposed to benefit.

What does a township actually do besides collect taxes to maintain its existence? Not much, according to many government experts.

This mid-size suburb just west of Chicago is about as dysfunctional as a unit of government can be.

Mayor Emanuel seems to view the city Inspector General as just another subordinate who’s entitled only to what the boss is willing to provide.

The Village of Lansing knows there’s a big problem with the way it’s awarding some public pensions. Lansing’s leaders just need to show some courage and fix it.

While the state’s latest legislative session ends with a whimper and not the big bang of much-needed public pension reform, taxpayers can still chalk up a few important victories.