Political reformer Cindi Canary calling it quits

Is the job of reforming Illinois complete?

Cindi Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, at the end of the month will leave the organization she founded 14 years ago.

Like Mayor Daley before her, Canary says, “It’s time.”

She plans to take some time off and to do some consulting.

“It is time for some new energy. … To my mind it is the perfect time for me to take a break and to bring in some new perspectives,” she says.

As for the whether the job of reforming Illinois is complete, Canary says that never will happen because every time a reform law passes, ways to get around it evolve.

The next big reform issue, once redistricting is complete, will be government transparency, Canary predicted.

With all the technological advancements “we should be steamrolling ahead,” but instead the state is losing ground, she said.

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