He commented that in his opinion we have, “a crisis of civic disengagement.” He listed off a list of reasons for why that crisis exists, but the most powerful statistic was that over 50 million Americans are not registered to vote, with almost 2 million just in the State of Illinois. He believes that because of that low voter participation we have failed leadership. “We have been plagued too many times by too many people who regarded government as a business and not service. They regard government as taking care of themselves, their cronies, and their contributors," he explained.
Legislation that recently passed the General Assembly and was signed by Governor Rauner included an education mandate that civics be taught in public schools, which was a top priority for the BGA, and Shaw mentioned that his group will be offering training materials for teachers to use in the classroom. As a part of that effort, the BGA has produced a video message explaining the importance of participating in government, which he then showed the group.
Shaw then turned his attention to the BGA’s next steps, which includes five different areas of focus: Investigate, Litigate, Educate, Advocate, and Communicate. The BGA will continue partnering with media organizations to investigate government wrong-doing, fraud, and waste. Most recently Shaw was proud to mention that the exposure of a kick-back scheme at the Chicago Public Schools by its Superintendent was through one of these partnerships, and led to the Superintendent’s resignation and guilty plea in U.S. court, and whose sentencing is pending.
Shaw was also proud of its track record of suing governmental bodies for non-compliance of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). “You can’t investigate what you can’t see, and you can’t see what is behind closed doors,” he said. One of these litigation focuses will be whether or not FOIA applies to the recently created not-for-profit entity that manages Navy Pier, which the BGA believes it should. “If you can turn government units into non-profits, which is happening more and more, and that is not subject to FOIA, all that has done is allow them to shield their activities.”
Turning his attention to education Shaw said, “My biggest single crusades is to get people engaged and involved…If we’re ever going to change the system people have to start paying attention and getting involved.” Those educational efforts include citizen watchdog programs, Idea Forums that include public policy discussions, clinics to train people on how to FOIA, and Candid Conversations that are extended interview with a high-level government official.
Advocacy is a new focus of the BGA, which includes proposing public policy and advocacy to analyze government issues and directly lobbying City Hall, the County Building, and the State Capitol. A significant achievement in this regard is pushing the City Council to pass a privatization ordinance to require close examinations of future privatizing of public assets, so as to “avoid another parking meter abomination.” Shaw was also hopeful that the day after the meeting the City Council would also pass an ordinance expanding the City’s Inspector General to have oversight over the City Council. “There has never been a watchdog keeping an eye on the City Council other than the U.S. Attorney, even though in the past four decades 35 Alderman have gone to jail.”
Pointing to the BGA’s communication efforts, Shaw listed the various media outlets that his group partners with, as well as the public speaking that he does, such as speaking before the CCAC membership.
Closing his remarks Shaw listed some specific areas of focus for 2016 will include defending FOIA from being weakened at the request of governmental units who argue complying with FOIA is too difficult, as well as avoiding conflicts of interest by public officials and encouraging more disclosure of outside income by government leaders. He relayed a story about how the top two legislative officials in the State of New York were recently found guilty of conflicts of interests because of their outside income. “If we’re not going to regulate outside income, that is fine, but at least force full disclosure in real time.” Redistricting and election reform will also be a focus to ensure the people elect their leaders, and not the other way around. “Last year, in Illinois, 60-percent of incumbent legislators ran unopposed,” he said. The BGA will also be keeping a close watch on Governor Rauner’s desire to privatize parts of state government to ensure that the public has a chance to comment on changes. Lastly, the BGA will be looking at opportunities to streamline government, with a particular focus on townships and their coterminous road districts.
In conclusion Shaw went through the list of problems in our government and proclaimed, “We deserve better!” He added, “It is my privilege to run an organization with twenty dedicated employees who don’t get paid very much, and that by shining a light on government and holding them accountable, we will eventually get the government we deserve.”
