Illinois Tollway overcharged drivers $152K last year by not giving change

By Brad Weisenstein

01/10/2020

The Illinois Tollway is spending $33 million on toll machines, some of which can’t make change. The state agency’s legacy is broken promises, political patronage and overcharging Illinoisans.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, cash register, cashier, change, corruption, George Ryan, I-Pass, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois State Toll Highway Commission, Illinois Tollway, Jim Edgar, Jim Thompson, Rod Blagojevich, Springfield, tollway, transaction

Former Chicago official had side job with red-light camera company

By Ben Szalinski

11/15/2019

The former deputy aviation commissioner had an undisclosed position as a sales representative for SafeSpeed LLC. The red-light camera vendor keeps emerging in federal probes.

TAGS: board of ethics, Chicago, Chicago Board of Ethics, chicago city hall, Chicago Department of Aviation, Cook County, cook county commissioner, department of aviation, federal investigation, IDOT: Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois General Assembly, investigation, Jim Edgar, Martin Sandoval, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Springfield

CTBA pension plan: Unsound, unfair and unaffordable

By Adam Schuster

11/26/2018

A pension plan pushed by one Illinois think tank fails to reform the state’s broken pension system and risks repeating costly mistakes. Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker shouldn’t be fooled and should instead endorse meaningful, lasting reform.

TAGS: CTBA: Center for Budget and Tax Accountability, debt, Edgar Ramp, JB Pritzker, Jim Edgar, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions

58 former Illinois state lawmakers collecting six-figure pensions

By Joe Barnas

11/06/2018

Former lawmakers receive generous benefits from the state’s worst-run retirement fund.

TAGS: Arthur L. Berman, COLA, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, Jim Edgar, lawmaker pay, pensions

Damage from Edgar ramp obscured by dotcom boom

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

10/25/2016

Former Gov. Jim Edgar’s pension compromise with House Speaker Mike Madigan in the 1990s set the state’s pension funds down an unsustainable road.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, Jim Edgar, pensions

Former Gov. Edgar’s ‘compromise’ pension plan led to Illinois’ fiscal crisis

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

06/09/2016

Under former Gov. Jim Edgar’s pension ramp, unfunded pension liabilities have increased nearly $100 billion despite taxpayers contributing $16.4 billion more to the five state-run pension systems than required under the Edgar plan.

TAGS: Jim Edgar, pensions

Five reasons why Madigan’s pension fix is a step backward

11/29/2013

There’s immense pressure on Illinois legislators to pass a pension bill. With the state pension system nearing insolvency and credit agencies warning of further downgrades, the perceived wisdom is that any pension fix, no matter how small, is a “step forward” that must be passed. But when it comes to pension reform in Illinois, that...

TAGS: COLA, Jim Edgar, Pat Quinn, pensions, retirement age

Power in payments: Illinois can help unbanked residents, save money by adopting best practices in payment methods

Each year, tens of billions of dollars flow through Illinois state government.1 These flows all depend on methods of payment. In deciding on those payment methods, policymakers must consider a number of important factors, including security controls, cost effectiveness, accessibility, speed and allowance for choice. This report shows that by adopting best practices across all...

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Power in payments: Illinois can help unbanked residents, save money by adopting best practices in payment methods

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Ifeoma Nkemdi

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

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