David Greising

David Greising is president of the Better Government Association, publisher of the Illinois Answers Project and home to the BGA Policy website. A former Tribune business columnist, Greising broke into professional journalism covering Harold Washington’s run for mayor at the City News Bureau of Chicago. His Tribune column appears every other Friday.

David Greising: If Vallas and Johnson can stick with the issues, Chicagoans will be better off

March 2, 2023 at 7:13 p.m.

Voters on Tuesday selected two candidates whose disagreements on the issues could not be sharper. There is potential for a battle of ideas over the next few weeks between Paul...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his annual budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly on Feb. 15, 2023, at the Illinois Capitol.

David Greising: Annual budget-making won’t solve Illinois’ pension crisis. We need a far-reaching fix-it plan.

February 16, 2023 at 8:07 p.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker started his budget address on Wednesday with a passel of numbers meant to get our attention. During his first term, the state has eliminated a $17 billion...

Civic Federation President Laurence Msall, left, presents analysis about financing, insurance and transparency regarding the city's bid for the 2016 summer Olympic Games at Chicago City Hall in 2009. Msall died Saturday.

David Greising: With Laurence Msall’s passing, Chicago has lost a noble fighter for fiscal responsibility

February 7, 2023 at 5:14 p.m.

Most anyone can be a critic. To rise above criticism — and become the public conscience of a city and state — now that takes some doing. A voice of...

U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García declares his candidacy for Chicago mayor on Nov. 10, 2022, at Navy Pier.

David Greising: Are Chicago’s mayoral candidates conjuring up useful solutions for the city’s challenges?

February 2, 2023 at 8:49 p.m.

The City Club of Chicago in the last few weeks has conducted a mayoral pageant of sorts, with four of the nine candidates crossing the stage since the beginning of...

World Economy Forum President Borge Brende, from left; U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.; Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia; Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois; Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.; Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla.; and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., attend a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17, 2023.

David Greising: Pritzker’s appearance at Davos could mark a turning point

January 19, 2023 at 7:15 p.m.

I rise to acknowledge that Gov. J. B. Pritzker this year officially became a "Davos Person," traveling to a tiny Swiss village with hundreds of other global-leader types, after two...

A man visits the bond office to pay cash bail and secure his brother's release on Dec. 21, 2022, at Cook County Jail.

David Greising: If state’s high court blocks it, Pritzker may find another path to carry out cash bail reform

January 5, 2023 at 9:25 p.m.

It was a no-brainer that the Illinois Supreme Court needed to step in to avert chaos once a Kankakee County judge invalidated portions of a state law designed to end...

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart holds photos of confiscated weapons while testifying Dec. 20, 2022, during a hearing about gun legislation in front of an Illinois House committee at the Michael A. Bilandic Building

David Greising: Three separate proceedings and one common theme: The scourge of violent crime in Illinois

December 23, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

Criminal justice and gun violence are defining concerns of modern life. Concerns about safety on the streets, equity in our society, the fundamental right to self-protection, and the costs to...

Campaign signs, including one for workers' rights, greet early voters who waited as much as two hours in line along West Belmont Avenue outside the Merlo Library in the 44th Ward on Nov. 7, 2022, the day before Election Day.

David Greising: Unlike the Fair Tax vote, opponents of Amendment 1 barely showed up

December 8, 2022 at 10:09 p.m.

To understand the power of money in politics, consider the contrast between two recent proposals to amend the Illinois constitution, and the way political spending affected the quality of the...

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker holds a post-election news conference at the Marriott Marquis on Nov. 9, 2022.

David Greising: Pritzker’s presidential daydreams might help the people of Illinois

November 10, 2022 at 11:03 p.m.

At his victory celebration Tuesday night, Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered a speech that fueled speculation he might run for president. On Wednesday, when reporters asked about that, Pritzker emphatically answered...

Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, chairs a special City Council meeting about crime on May 25, 2022, at City Hall.

David Greising: Mayor Lightfoot, aldermen should be able to agree on transparency, accountability

October 27, 2022 at 8:07 p.m.

In Harold Washington's first City Council meeting nearly 40 years ago, he suffered a bruising defeat that set the stage for months of struggle to come. Despite a mandate at...

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