Policy

Here’s the inherent dilemma that keeps me up at night as the head of a full-service anti-corruption watchdog organization: How to hold elected officials accountable, and critique their policies, and still get them to support our legislative agenda.

Students of the Cold War remember the “domino theory,” the prevailing argument for American military involvement in Vietnam.

I’ve been thinking about falling dominos in a different context lately — government here in Illinois — where the danger is an erosion of transparency and accountability in public agencies funded with our tax dollars.

Money talks, but apparently not to the watchdogs who face greater workloads but not additional funding in 2014 City of Chicago spending plan.

Money talks, but apparently not to the watchdogs who face greater workloads but not additional funding in 2014 City of Chicago spending plan.

Dear Mike: We haven’t talked in months, so I was surprised to learn that, in your capacity as Illinois Democratic chairman, you recently sent a letter to party leaders condemning the Better Government Association and my tenure as its CEO.

Voter apathy lets “connected” voters maintain unethical status quo

Lite gov, or gov lite, is what the Capitol crowd calls the lieutenant governor, and that’s being charitable.

Some of the best reflections on the human condition come from Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin or the Bible, so let’s tap one of those reservoirs of reason — Scripture — to describe the apparent conflict of interest that arises when public officials who control our tax dollars also conduct private business that involves those same tax dollars.