Cleaning Up Corruption-Prone City Council Is Easier Said Than Done

city council
WBEZ file photo
city council
WBEZ file photo

Cleaning Up Corruption-Prone City Council Is Easier Said Than Done

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Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot takes office on Monday and one of her main campaign promises: cleaning up the corruption in City Hall.

The former federal prosecutor is no stranger to cracking down on public corruption, but City Inspector General Joe Ferguson says that Lightfoot—and for that matter, the new City Council—faces an urgent need to boost oversight and accountability.

Much of that oversight is supposed to come from some of the council’s 16 legislative committees. But a new report from ProPublica Illinois suggests the city council’s committees have failed to provide even a basic level of oversight, and have instead historically been used by Chicago’s mayors to reward political favor from loyalist aldermen.

Morning Shift checks in with ProPublica Illinois reporter Mick Dumke for more on the hurdles the new mayor may face in trying to crack down on corruption and mismanagement.

GUEST: Mick Dumke, reporter and columnist ProPublica Illinois

LEARN MORE: At Chicago’s City Council, Committees Are Used to Reward Political Favors and Fund Patronage (ProPublica Illinois 5/15)