November saw Chicago’s City Council let the term of the legislative inspector general, who is tasked with overseeing City Council, expire without hiring a replacement, as well as several other instances of breach of public trust and influence peddling around the state.

October saw a former Chicago Public Schools CEO plead guilty to wire fraud and several other instances of criminal charges and civil lawsuits against public officials, as well as crony deals between businesses and government.

The start of a new year always comes with resolutions for improvement, but only time will tell if they translate into effective action.

The state that gave rise to Rod Blagojevich, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Rita Crundwell still hasn’t learned its lesson.

HB 3796 would hamstring watchdogs in a state riddled with corruption. Lawmakers should let Quinn’s veto stand.

One of the best protections against government corruption is transparency. And in today’s digital age, one of the easiest ways for government to be open and accountable is through posting public documents on the Internet. Illinois needs to strengthen online transparency standards to fight government corruption and wasteful spending practices, especially given its troubled history...

It’s not all bad news in Illinois. Sometimes our politicians get it right. Illinois lawmakers have made it a Class 4 felony to intentionally hide public records from the public. House Bill 4216, introduced by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, was passed unanimously by both the Illinois House and Senate. It was signed into...

An online transparency bill inspired by the shocking Rita Crundwell corruption scandal that cost Dixon, Ill. taxpayers more than $53 million will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2015. House Bill 5503, introduced by state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, will require Illinois counties and municipalities to be more transparent about how they spend taxpayer dollars. The...