Responding to a recent op-ed by Senate President Harmon, RFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan argued that Harmon’s framing of his legal defense as standing up for ordinary people against money in politics is disingenous. “If Harmon truly wants to make…
https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/rfi-ed-pens-op-ed-supporting-oig-ordinance/
RFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan authored an op-ed with the Better Government Association’s Bryan Zarou about an ordinance that would safeguard the independence of inspector general investigations in Chicago. “Former Ald. Ed Burke was just released from federal prison after…
The Burr Ridge Village Attorney plans to represent Trustee Tony Schiappa in a lawsuit over political endorsements made on his Facebook page. “I find it perplexing that the Village would spend valuable resources to fight this rather than simply urging…
RFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan spoke with the Chicago Tribune about three lobbyists who worked with the Johnson administration during the most recent legislative session but did not register to lobby on behalf of the city in the Illinois General…
https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/mayor-johnson-criticized-after-lobbyist-donation/
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is taking heat for accepting a prohibited contribution from a city lobbyist. Johnson’s political committee has faced scrutiny for accepting (and later returning) similar contributions in the past. “It’s understandable if a mistake or two gets…
https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/rfi-ed-talks-burr-ridge-trustee-lawsuit/
Burr Ridge Trustee Tony Schiappa is now subject to a lawsuit over his Facebook page and its promotion of local candidates. RFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan weighed in, saying that Schiappa “clearly presents [the Facebook page] as being an official…
Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg recently made headlines by saying her office has faced interference from the City’s Law Department, making it harder to investigate potential ethics violations. An ordinance designed to fix the problem was stalled by an ally of Mayor Johnson –…
https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/tribune-editorial-board-backs-campaign-finance-reform/
A new Chicago Tribune editorial discusses how Senate President Harmon’s attempt to quash his own State Board of Elections case via a provision in the recent ethics omnibus (legislation that ultimately failed to pass) exemplifies the need for campaign finance reform…
https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/ethics-omnibus-fails-to-pass-in-springfield/
The Chicago Tribune spoke to RFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan about stalled ethics legislation in Springfield, which included a provision that would have quashed Senate President Don Harmon’s State Board of Elections case. Harmon’s campaign committee is accused of accepting…
https://www.reformforillinois.org/event/civil-disagreements-chevron/
Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo overturned the Chevron doctrine, a legal precedent that guided how federal courts treated agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes. Under the Chevron doctrine, a court would prioritize an agency’s interpretation, citing the agency employees’ expertise in…
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