Bryan Zarou: Chicago’s City Council stepped up in the budget debate. That’s a great sign for democracy.
Chicago aldermen came together to engage in the city’s budget process and assert their authority as a co-equal branch of government.
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Bryan Zarou: Has the clerk of Cook County Circuit Court improved transparency as she promised?
Mariyana Spyropoulos took office in December and began to do what she promised to do: improving trust and transparency.
Bryan Zarou: The state of ethics reform in a post-Michael Madigan Illinois
Michael Madigan is going to prison, but Illinois still has work to do to make state government more accountable.
Bryan Zarou: The new term limit for Chicago’s inspector general hopefully will start a trend
It's an Illinois truism: Holding office for too long breeds corruption. We see it at every level of government, yet the solution seems to be as elusive as a traffic-free...
Bryan Zarou: Aldermanic ethics reform package could be a second chance for Lightfoot to fulfill her vow
Four years ago this month, Lori Lightfoot announced her intention to run for mayor of Chicago. The former federal prosecutor and Chicago Police Board president ran on promises such as...
Bryan Zarou: Zoom meetings make state government accessible. But it’s critical to preserve in-person meetings.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's 27th disaster declaration regarding COVID-19 is set to end. In many respects, life will go back to normal. This includes in-person public meetings. But wait. Even as...