Emanuel campaigned on a pledge to create "the most open, accountable, and transparent government that the City of Chicago has ever seen." Even his most ardent critics would concede that he has delivered on some part of that.

Last week was the launch of Cook County's new Open Data website. The website makes an unprecedented amount of County information available to the public, all available with just a few clicks of a mouse.

If you're still gloating over the fact that you are "mayor" of five Chicago bars on Foursquare, a new partnership announced by real Chicago Mayor Rahm...

Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh voted for a government shutdown even though the vast majority of his constituents favored the opposite. If I am elected to Congress, I will put the interests of our community first.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a law Friday that gives government entities a longer time period to respond to requests for public records, despite...

Requiring preliminary budget estimates is the first step in implementing a more transparent and accountable budget process. This allows us to better engage our stakeholders, including County residents, in the budget process.



I realize that simple band-aid solutions won't fix broad, systemic problems. A key step towards reform in any government requires taking an honest and thorough look at the current budgets and programs.

Last week, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel took away his access to city credit cards, cars and the police officers assigned to drive them. On Tuesday, Chic...

For years, the Chicago Reader's Mick Dumke has been reporting on everything from the city's misuse of TIF funds to its lack of recycling. Shedding lig...