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Public redistricting hearings show Chicago aldermen have more work to do

Chicago aldermen have taken some steps to bring transparency into the process of redrawing the city's 50 wards, but public hearings held last week demonstrate that some interested residents still don't have access to the information they need to participate in a meaningful way.

ICPR testified to the committee overseeing the remap, which is led by Ald. Richard Mell, Tuesday. Read on ...



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With Chicago ward remapping underway, ICPR looks at City Council's pledge to open process

Chicago aldermen committed in November to open the historically secretive process of redrawing the city's 50 wards to the public. But have they fulfilled this pledge?

ICPR testified before the Council committee charged with overseeing the redistricting process Wednesday evening at the first public hearing to discuss the three complete city maps which have been filed.

Read our comments and then take action!



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ICPR Statement to the Campaign Finance Reform Task Force December 15 Public Hearing

 

Statement of Michelle Jordan

Board Member, Illinois Campaign for Political Reform

To the Campaign Finance Reform Task Force

 

December 15, 2011

 

 



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ICPR to task force: Public financing is attractive and viable

The campaign contribution limits law created in the wake of the Blagojevich scandal created a special task force and charged it with studying various campaign finance-related issues. The first item on the group's to-do list is producing a report on public financing, and that is due by the end of the year.



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ICPR asks Chicago aldermen to ramp up efforts to engage public in ward redistricting

The Chicago City Council has announced six preliminary public hearings to take input from residents about the 2011 ward remapping cycle. Below is the testimony ICPR presented to the Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics, which is in charge of the redistricting process, Monday, Nov. 14.



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General Assembly Puts Witness Slips On-Line

Monitoring who supports and opposes bills is about to get even easier, thanks to an upgrade to the General Assembly's website.

 

Several years ago, in the course of outlining improvements to the Illinois Lobbyist Registration Act, ICPR urged that witness slips be posted to the internet. When legislative committees take public testimony on legislation, they collect witness slips indicating who supports and who opposes aspects of the proposals. For years, these have been kept on paper, in file cabinets, in the state house.



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Chicago residents: Get involved in the redrawing of your ward

With huge population and demographics shifts over the last 10 years, the redrawing of Chicago’s 50 wards might be the most interesting – and contentious – redistricting yet.

And that’s why you need to get involved.



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Campaign contributors get pensions for their lobbyists

ICPR Executive Director Brian Gladstein spoke last week with WGN about teachers pensions granted to two lobbyists with the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Watch the video here.

These kinds of deals foster the impression that the state Capitol is a private playground, and the rest of us are just here to pay for it.



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Special Interests Giving to Politicians Ahead of Veto Session

Electric and gambling interests have pumped more than $1.3 million combined into the campaign funds of key public officials, according to analysis of reports filed yesterday with the State Board of Elections. At the same time, these interests are asking legislators to support legislation to grow their bottom line. "With all this money on the table, it's hard for voters interests to be heard," said David Morrison, Deputy Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR), which tabulated the numbers.

 



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ICPR asks Chicago City Council to open ward redistricting to public

With the redrawing of Chicago’s 50 wards scheduled for later this year, ICPR and a coalition of redistricting reform allies are asking aldermen to open up this historically secretive and highly political process to the public.

In past decades, the redistricting of Chicago ward borders has been done behind closed doors, thereby allowing the incumbent aldermen who have a vested interest in the outcome of the remapping to avoid public scrutiny and suggestions.



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