Video poker no longer a bad bet for Illinois

The bill legalizing video poker in Illinois, described by detractors as the “crack cocaine of gaming” because of its addictive quality, emerged from the bowels of the state Capitol in Springfield three and a half years ago as a legislative loser. It carried the stench …

Mayor Emanuel should push for new ethics ordinance now

Ever heard of the Chicago Board of Ethics? If the answer’s “no,” don’t worry about it — you’re not alone. Few people — even those who work in government — know about this board, which is supposed to be a watchdog that enforces ethics and …

Schillerstrom now appealing tax cases to board members he appointed

The three members of the DuPage County Board of Review — a government panel that handles property tax appeals from home and business owners — were appointed or reappointed by Robert Schillerstrom during his 12-year stint as DuPage County Board chairman. Now a lawyer in …

POLICE NEED NEW INTERROGATION POLICY

Chicago vs. New York. Fans of these two world-class cities often argue about which metro giant has the better sports teams, political theater, cultural scene — even pizza. It’s mostly in good fun and, of course, we think Chicago has the edge. But NYC recently …

Tiny mosquitoes take big tax bite

Here’s the buzz: Cook County’s mosquitoes should be flattered by all the government attention they’re getting. But taxpayers should be flustered. Why? Because the county has four separate mosquito abatement districts that spend $11.5 million a year in property taxes. Public officials keep talking about …

End pension scams for clout crowd

Most of the conversation about reforming our cash-strapped public employee pensions focuses on government’s “Big Three” ­— Illinois, Chicago and Cook County. But no fix will ever be complete, or successful, if it doesn’t end the costly and wasteful pension perks and sweeteners that suburbs, …

Assessor’s office looking into improper exemptions

The Cook County assessor’s office — the government agency that helps determine how much home and business owners pay in property taxes — has launched an internal audit after finding an employee may have improperly capitalized on a perk designed to ease the tax burden …

‘Minority-owned’ isn’t always true

The City of Chicago’s set-aside program for minority- and women-owned business has made a lot of headlines over the years, but mostly for the wrong reasons. Too many contract dollars have been funneled to companies controlled by non-minority males instead of the people the program …

Calumet City’s top lawyer’s new post means huge pension boost

Dennis Gianopolus, a top attorney for Calumet City’s municipal government, has been generous to local elected leaders in the south suburb, donating more than $30,000 over the years to the campaign funds of the mayor and several aldermen.

It turns out those elected leaders have …

Corruption, cop’s murder call for investigation of Maywood

Rob Grant is retiring from the FBI to take a security job with Disney. But even as he trades the toxic “Chicago Way” for the antiseptic “Disney Way,” the man who ran the bureau’s local office for seven years will always be remembered for this …

Did global finance scandal hit home?

An international banking hoax may have cost Illinois taxpayers millions of dollars. The Better Government Association found that Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois’ legal and public finance experts, as well as money managers for the five major state-backed public pensions, are investigating …

Legislative scholarships ending but lawmaker abuse lives on

Legislative scholarships are the abusive gift that keeps on giving, despite the fact that Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill abolishing the scandalized program last week following years of reports by the BGA, Sun-Times and others about Illinois lawmakers who doled out the college freebies …

Top CHA exec paid $216,000 — $60,000 more than salary cap

Numerous taxpayers have seen their salaries drop in this economy, but the head of the Chicago Housing Authority will be spared that pain. The Obama administration recently put in place a salary cap of $155,500 for top officials at public housing agencies amid reports that …

State Police flip on whether to probe why sheriff’s teenage son had access to police database

We recently discovered that the teenage son of DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba was given access to a confidential law enforcement database, even though he isn’t a deputy or officially employed by his father’s agency.

Told of the situation, numerous Chicago-area law enforcement officials said …

Salaries rise at PBC while image falls

The Public Building Commission has been under fire recently, with news articles raising the specter of minority-contracting fraud, and portraying the agency’s inspector general as a politicized do-nothing. Now comes word the PBC — which oversees construction for government agencies affiliated with the City of …