If Frank Mautino didn’t break the rules, the rules are broken

By Austin Berg

07/12/2018

Mautino might not be corrupt. But his conduct mirrored that of a person engaging in corrupt behavior.

TAGS: campaign finance, corruption, Frank Mautino, Illinois Auditor General

Illinois’ political machine is still humming

By Austin Berg

07/27/2017

Madigan, Martwick and Mautino are cogs in a well-oiled political machine that continues to enrich Illinois' political class at the expense of taxpayers.

TAGS: corruption, cronyism, Frank Mautino, Mike Madigan, property taxes, Robert Martwick

Mautino committee fined $5K for campaign finance disclosure violations

By Eric Kohn

05/15/2017

The Illinois State Board of Elections cast a tie vote on whether to refer to the Illinois attorney general or LaSalle County state’s attorney the disclosure violations case regarding Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino’s previous campaign funds.

TAGS: campaign finance, corruption, Frank Mautino, Illinois State Board of Elections

Frank Mautino and the arrogance of Illinois’ political insiders

By Austin Berg

04/27/2017

State agencies have paid more than $270,000 to Mautino Distributing Company – most of it after Madigan brought Mautino into a leadership role in 2009.

TAGS: corruption, Frank Mautino, Illinois Auditor General, Jeanne Ives, Mike Madigan, patronage, Rich Miller

Federal investigation exposes Madigan patronage

By Austin Berg

04/27/2017

With House Speaker Mike Madigan’s longevity comes a patronage army paid with public dollars.

TAGS: corruption, Frank Mautino, IDOT, Metra, Mike Madigan, patronage, Richard Daley, Rod Blagojevich

Mautino pleads the Fifth in campaign finance case

By Greg Bishop

04/20/2017

The gas the Mautino campaign claims to have purchased over 16 years would equate to more than 35,000 miles every year. The circumference of the earth is 24,901 miles.

TAGS: campaign finance, corruption, Frank Mautino, good government, transparency

Alcohol bill aimed to help special interests, further status quo

By Joe Kaiser

04/10/2017

An amendment to Illinois’ longstanding Liquor Control Act creates curious guidelines that seem likely to favor a few specific Chicago businesses, while keeping the status quo intact for the rest.

TAGS: Beer Industry Fair Dealing Act, Frank Mautino, James Clayborne, Juliana Stratton, Liquor Control Act, liquor laws, Wine & Spirits Distributors of Illinois, Wine and Spirits Fair Dealing Act

Budget Solutions 2020: A 5-year plan to balance Illinois’ budget, pay off debt and cut taxes

Gov. J.B. Pritzker inherited a $2.8 billion budget deficit the moment he stepped into office. Next year, that deficit is projected to be $3.4 billion1. It’s the same story every budget season. But Illinois’ budget crises could be a thing of the past if the state would adopt pension reform, right-size its union contracts and...

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Budget Solutions 2020: A 5-year plan to balance Illinois’ budget, pay off debt and cut taxes

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Tracy Ross

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students