“You can’t have accountability for your elected officials without political competitiveness,” said RFI ED Alisa Kaplan, in an interview with The State Journal-Register. 1 in 5 Illinoisans might not get a say in who represents them in the state legislature…
Read MoreRFI ED Alisa Kaplan spoke with The Center Square’s Brett Rowland about how corruption has hurt Illinois, as well as the reforms still needed. “I think there’s a perception in Illinois that it is hopeless, that Illinois is somehow different,”…
Read MoreSpeaking with Celeste Bott of Law360, RFI ED Alisa Kaplan said that the response of legislators to former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s indictment has been promising, but that significant reforms are still needed. “We’ve had decades of scandals in…
Read MoreRFI ED Alisa Kaplan was interviewed on WTTW about the reforms needed in Illinois politics after former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s indictment, including stronger campaign finance rules, an improved Legislative Inspector General office, more limitations on outside employment for…
Read MoreIn an op-ed for The Chicago Sun-Times, RFI ED Alisa Kaplan argues that digital petition signatures are a common-sense reform for Illinois, where challenging petition signatures is a bustling business that disadvantages political newcomers and less wealthy candidates. Read the…
Read MoreRFI ED Alisa Kaplan spoke with The Center Square’s Greg Bishop about the weaknesses in Illinois’s campaign finance and ethics laws, as well as the consequences of corruption, after former Illinois House Speaker Madigan’s indictment this week. “The Legislature should…
Read MoreOn Wednesday, we learned that former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was indicted for his involvement in a years-long bribery scheme involving the public utility ComEd. The bombshell indictment also alleged that Madigan used his position to steer business to…
Read MoreRFI ED Alisa Kaplan spoke with A.D. Quig of Crain’s Chicago Business about how to prevent another ‘Madigan Enterprise’ in Illinois: public financing for campaigns to cut off lawmakers’ reliance on the wealthiest power brokers; closing a self-funding loophole enabling…
Read MoreSpeaking with the Better Government Association about lax campaign disclosure laws in Illinois, RFI ED Alisa Kaplan said “There are so many political committees, and it’s not realistic to go through all of them with a fine-tooth comb. But [the…
Read MoreAn Interim Inspector General “just cannot be fully independent in the way that a permanent IG can be,” RFI ED Alisa Kaplan told The Chicago Tribune. “That’s a big problem for a position where independence is absolutely crucial. Read the…
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