BGA gets $1 million for its good government fight
A watchdog group that fights government corruption in Illinois has received a $1 million gift to continue its advocacy efforts.
The donation to the Better Government Association comes from the Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust. The trust wants other BGA supporters to follow suit and will match every dollar BGA raises up to $1 million.
Driehaus says government is in crisis and that the BGA can help achieve more fairness, honesty and accountability from public officials.
BGA chief Andy Shaw says the money will underwrite projects aimed at ending patronage, waste, inefficiency and corruption in Chicago and throughout the state.
In Shaw's words, better government "is a right and a responsibility.
The Daily Herald and the BGA recently worked together on a story about nine of the 15 DuPage County Board members who approved a no-bid contract for an Itasca law firm to help redraw the county's electoral boundaries that accepted campaign contributions from the group or its attorneys.