Policy

There’s red ink flowing over every level of government—villages, towns, cities, and, of course, the State of Illinois, which is the biggest fiscal train wreck, followed by the city of Chicago and its public schools.

As we head into the final innings, the box score indicates the General Assembly is playing “small ball”—moving ahead on bills aimed at eliminating a few more unnecessary units of government, expanding transparency, increasing civic engagement, and improving the criminal justice system.

Investigative reporters and groups like the Better Government Association watch from the outside, but someone—preferably an independent inspector general with broad powers— should be watching from the inside.

Police brutality leaves two victims in its violent wake: Physically abused suspects, who obviously suffer the most painful injuries; and taxpayers, who take a financial beating when government is ordered to compensate targets of excessive force.

The editors who lay out the Sun-Times totally nailed it last Monday when they filled most of the front page with a color photo of a man bodysurfing in tropical Australian waters while we were getting whacked by a swirling, snarling, way-too-typical spring snowstorm.

We invited the candidates to share their governing philosophies, including views on privatizing city assets and services, the scope and authority of an inspector general, and compliance with FOIA— the state’s open records law.

Legions of public officials bend the rules without being detected or held accountable because there aren’t enough watchdogs shining a light on their alleged chicanery.