Whitney Woodward

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Emanuel ethics reforms pass City Council panel

October 3, 2012
Chicago Tribune
By John Byrne and Hal Dardick


Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to tighten up ethics rules for city employees advanced through a City Council committee Wednesday despite concerns by aldermen that the new rules could handcuff th

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Survey: Illinois Supreme Court wants recusal guidelines

March 16, 2012
Illinois Radio Network
By: Illinois Radio Network 

A recent survey finds some judges on the Illinois Supreme Court want recusal guidelines on certain cases.

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Civil rights, public policy groups back plan to bring transparency into Chicago ward redistricting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 2, 2011
CONTACT: Whitney Woodward
(312) 335-1767
(630) 247-7777

Groups ask City government to go beyond resolution by engaging residents, forgoing politics as usual in 2011 ward remapping

CHICAGO – A coalition of civil rights and public policy organizations supports a plan aimed at giving Chicago residents a chance to monitor the redrawing of the city’s 50 wards, but said the resolution, which will be considered at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, doesn’t go far enough.



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Press Release: Kilbride Race Was Nation’s Costliest Retention Vote in 25 Years, Report Says 

Illinois High-Court Campaign Also Cited for ‘Outrageous’ TV Ad Featuring Actors Portraying Convicts

Contact:
Charles Hall, (202) 588-9454, chall@justiceatstake.org  

Whitney Woodward, Illinois Campaign for Political Reform,
(312) 335-1767, whitney@ilcampaign.org



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Open government takes back seat (Editorial)

September 6, 2011
Champaign Urbana- news Gazette

We need more public accountability in Illinois government, not less.

Illinois' elected officials claim to favor open government, and they do — until they start getting requests for information under the state's Freedom of Information Act.

Then they head to Springfield in search of legislation to repeal whatever provision of the FOIA that's left them vulnerable to public inquiry. Generally, they've been well received.

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FOIA tweak could make getting info tougher

August 30, 2011
Illinois Statehouse News Service

By BENJAMIN YOUNT
Illinois Statehouse News

SPRINGFIELD - Ed Fleck said he believes the numbers on his water bill now.
 
But in 2010, Fleck and a handful of other people in tiny Wapella questioned whether the water bills they were receiving online from village leaders were correct.
 

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Quinn OKs law giving more time for FOIA responses

August 26, 2011
Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO—
Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Friday that gives Illinois more time to respond to Freedom of Information Act inquiries from so-called "recurrent requesters."

Government entities normally must fulfill FOIA requests within seven business days or 14 business days with an extension. Under the new law, the government has 21 days to respond to FOIAs from "recurrent requesters" and a "reasonable period" to actually provide documents.

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Whitney Woodward

Whitney Woodward is a policy associate at Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. She conducts research and does policy work on a range of reform issues, including campaign finance reform, redistricting and judicial independence. Before joining ICPR, Whit was a state government reporter for the Associated Press in Raleigh, N.C. She also has covered the Illinois and Iowa legislatures, in addition to the 2008 presidential campaigns.



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Who We Are

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform is a non-partisan public interest group that conducts research and advocates reforms to promote public participation in government, address the role of money in politics and encourage integrity, accountability, and transparency in government.



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