Politic-IL Insider

Analysis of Illinois’ Political Issues and Personalities

When it comes to politics, there’s nowhere like Illinois. Throughout the election season, ProPublica Illinois reporter and political junkie Mick Dumke will analyze the state’s political issues and personalities in this occasional column.

Impact of Our Reporting

Chicago’s Inspector General Finds the City’s Gang Database Is Riddled With Errors

by Mick Dumke

April 11, 2019, 11:00 am EDT

Cook County Takes Steps to Erase Its Regional Gang Database

by Mick Dumke

February 20, 2019, 6:38 pm EST

A Political Boss Goes Down

by Mick Dumke

March 21, 2018, 5:00 am EDT

24 stories published since 2018

When Is a Meeting Not a Meeting and a Lawmaker Not a Lawmaker? When It’s Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago.

by Mick Dumke

September 24, 2020, 5:00 am EDT
As Trump Calls for Law and Order, Can Chicago’s Top Prosecutor Beat the Charge That She’s Soft on Crime?

by Mick Dumke

September 4, 2020, 5:00 am EDT
In Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago, Bridges Have Become Barricades

by Mick Dumke

August 14, 2020, 5:00 am EDT
Bill Barr Has Done This Before

by Mick Dumke

July 31, 2020, 6:00 am EDT
Leaked Recordings Reveal Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Firmly in Charge and City Alderman Left Largely on the Sidelines

by Mick Dumke

April 21, 2020, 7:00 am EDT
The Chicago Housing Authority Was Slow to Protect Residents During the Coronavirus Outbreak

by Mick Dumke

March 30, 2020, 5:00 am EDT
During Tuesday’s Illinois Primary, Chicago Alderman and Former Firefighter Nicholas Sposato Delivered Pizzas at the Polls as His Ward Office Remained Open

by Mick Dumke

March 18, 2020, 3:36 pm EDT
Promises, Tamales and Even Truth-Telling: Chicago’s Mayoral Race Hits the Final Stretch

by Mick Dumke

March 26, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Chicago’s Election Signals Break from the Past — in Wards and at City Hall

by Mick Dumke

February 27, 2019, 2:55 pm EST
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office Says Its Gang Database Is on Lockdown, but Questions Remain

by Mick Dumke

February 7, 2019, 5:00 am EST
The Laquan McDonald Shooting Keeps Exposing Critical Flaws in Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act

by Mick Dumke

December 19, 2018, 5:00 am EST
The Election Is Over. And Now the Next Elections Begin.

by Mick Dumke

November 8, 2018, 3:29 pm EST
In Illinois Governor’s Race, Rauner and Pritzker See a Clear Need to Promise Transparency

by Mick Dumke

October 18, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Note to the Next Mayor: Chicago Is a City of the World, But We Want the Neighborhoods Fixed, Too

by Mick Dumke

September 12, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Protests and Blaming the Media. Sound Familiar? That Was During the ’68 Democratic National Convention.

by Mick Dumke

August 21, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Illinois House Candidate Will Walk for Votes — And Has To

by Mick Dumke

August 7, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Like Chicago Police, Cook County and Illinois Officials Track Thousands of People in Gang Databases

by Mick Dumke

July 19, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
The Administration of Mayor Rahm Emanuel Keeps Monitoring Protesters

by Mick Dumke

June 12, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Chicago’s Gang Database Is Full of Errors — And Records We Have Prove It

by Mick Dumke

April 19, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan Builds Power From the Ground Up — And Sometimes From the Basement

by Mick Dumke

April 2, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Win or Lose in GOP Primary for Governor, Jeanne Ives Helps Push Illinois to the Right

by Mick Dumke

March 6, 2018, 5:00 am EST

Featured Posts in this Series

Impact of Our Reporting

Journalism That Holds Power to Account