The Inspector General’s office has a broad mandate. Their job is to “promote economy, effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity by identifying corruption, waste, and mismanagement in city government.” Basically, that means trying to clean up bad behavior in a city that is known for political corruption. Joe Ferguson led that office for 12 years, through three different mayors, a federal investigation of Chicago’s Police Department, and numerous scandals that have revealed racism, sexism, political patronage, and resulted in indictments of sitting alder people. He retired this month. Ferguson tells us how he kept pushing for more transparency and better government (even when it seemed like nothing would change), and answers the question: Is Chicago really more corrupt than other cities?

Guest: Joe Ferguson — Former Inspector General, City of Chicago

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