Best sources for information on the primary election in Chicago?

October 4, 2009 11:47 AM

Best sources for information on the primary election in Chicago?

As a resident of Chicago, I'm routinely disgusted by the behavior of all manner of elected officials and their appointees. Their party affiliation does not appear to matter. Further, I'm aware that they might as well not have a general election in my district/ward, which makes it difficult to keep incumbents honest.

What are your best sources for information for Chicago primary elections? Assume that the most important issue is general good-government reform. I understand that this is difficult to score objectively, since it's a mixture of policy stances (which by and large have no hope of passing) and behind-the-scenes horse trading, which is why I'd like help.

There are a fair number of organizations and media bodies which rate candidates, but I have no idea which to trust or how thorough they are.

posted by a robot made out of meat to Law & Government (2 answers total)

I'm a progressive Democrat, but I think Progress Illinois does the job out of the various sites I've seen. Let me be clear: PI is funded by SEIU, the health care employees union. However, their bias is in favor of liberal orthodoxy, and it's relatively easy to parse.
posted by sachinag at 12:22 PM on October 4, 2009

Let me introduce you to the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO). It's represented the reform wing of Chicago politics since World War II. They are, in fact, expressly "good-government", rather than any overall political bent.

I would (and did, while I lived there) trust anyone endorsed by the IVI-IPO over pretty much any other slate, although I generally put some weight on the Sun-Times and Tribune endorsements. Not all the IVI-IPO candidates are viable.
posted by dhartung at 9:28 PM on October 4, 2009