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Published in the Chicago Tribune on April 10, 2026
By David Greising, president of the Better Government Association
When it comes to good-government tools, the Freedom of Information Act has always been the sharpest, flashiest one in the kit.
Reporters and the public use FOIA to obtain records that help uncover corruption, waste and fraud. Records obtained using FOIA provide proof of government failings ranging from shocking police misconduct to billions wasted on construction projects.
The Open Meetings Act is the quieter, more subtle legislative cousin to FOIA. But that hardly means it's without power. In fact, we might consider it the strong, silent type: typically low-key, all business, but the public's powerful help in times of need.
Given that pedigree, it's unexpected and curious to see OMA turn up as the key tool Mayor Brandon Johnson is brandishing in his effort to nullify the Chicago Housing Authority's election of a new CEO. Johnson is seeking to exercise old-style political clout and place his crony Walter Burnett Jr., a former alderman, in the job instead.
This is a power struggle on a higher order than just a CHA board that has rejected Johnson's handpicked successor. It comes against a backdrop of resistance from other sister-agency boards and the City Council, plus high turnover in Johnson's administration, so a loss here would further cement a growing view of Johnson as a mayor with few allies and waning influence.
Evidently, Johnson has decided that a challenge to the CHA board's appointment of Keith Pettigrew — the head of Washington, D.C.'s public housing agency —as the CHA's next chief executive is his best bet to retain control over the CHA and score a political win.
And because he has few other tools of influence, a challenge based on the Open Meetings Act is the best he can do.
A group of public housing advocates, with Johnson's vocal support, decided to go to court this week with a lawsuit aimed at invalidating Pettigrew's appointment. They claim the CHA board failed to comply with the state's Open Meeting Act.
In Illinois, OMA requires a public body to provide 48 hours of notice prior to any meeting in which half of a quorum of members participate. Notice must include the time, place and subject matter of the meeting. The housing rights groups are claiming the CHA board failed to meet these requirements: While the agenda was posted on time, its vague reference only to personnel failed to inform the public of the consequential move at hand.
Johnson has made that assertion himself, though he is not party to the lawsuit. Promptly after the CHA vote in mid-March, he underscored his pique over the CHA board's action by moving to replace its chair, Matthew Brewer, and in an official statement Johnson accused Brewer of unethical conduct, in addition to alleged with OMA noncompliance.
OMA, a soft-power tool if ever there was one, can be surprisingly strong in the right circumstances. My organization, the Better Government Association, filed an OMA lawsuit after then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot held what she later described as "informational" Zoom meetings of the Ml City Council without public notice or participation. This came at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and disturbances following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Lightfoot at first denied breaking the law—then promptly committed not to do so again.
In 2023, Johnson sought to cut off rancorous public demonstrations at City Council meetings by banishing uninvited visitors to the upstairs gallery, behind plate glass. A letter BGA sent to Johnson, delineating his OMA violations, prompted him to reverse course.
Against that backdrop, it's bittersweet to see Johnson invoking OMA. as a clout tool in his unrelenting effort to place Burnett in the CEO's role at the CHA.
Never mind that Burnett has never run anything close to the CHA's $1.4 billion budget serving some 135,000 public housing residents. Never mind that Burnett is currently not legally eligible to serve, due to the conflicts created by his ownership of rental units where CHA tenants live —as the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board noted in its argument asserting Burnett's general unsuitability for the post.
The housing advocates' lawsuit, which Johnson exhorted, may in fact lack legal merit. After all, the CHA board did provide 48 hours' notice of its meeting, and OMA is vague on just how much information is required. Whether the intentionally vague wording-violated OMA will be for a court to decide. That's what courts are for.
Regardless of where the courts do land, this much is clear: The OMA law may need repair.
Clearly, vague advance notice fails to meet the spirit of the law, and an OMA revision could specifically ensure that government bodies give the public the advance information needed to participate meaningfully in the debate and actions they take — from the deliberation of city councils to the election of sister-agency CEOs.
And if the CHA board did violate OMA in electing Pettigrew, does this mean the appointment is invalidated? Johnson says so, but the law's language could be clearer.
Finally, the penalties written into OMA are not strong enough to disincentivize violations. Fines for OMA violations cannot exceed $1,000. And while a 30-day jail sentence is possible in cases of criminal negligence, no one ever has gone to jail, based on the collective memory of lawyers I spoke with and the best efforts of a powerful search engine.
In response to the introduction of remote and hybrid meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, OMA. was updated to ensure public participation. But additional steps could be taken to ensure voters have access to government officials, even if they are not in the same physical space.
FOIA is constantly updated. In fact, the BGA policy team spends considerable effort each legislative session thwarting efforts to erode our rights to public records.
The lower-profile OMA does not receive such scrutiny. Perhaps Johnson's effort to wield OMA as a political saber could serve as a signal that it's time to review and strengthen our open meetings law, too.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2026 Media Contact Information: Cartwheel Emily Paisner (888) 500-2067 emily.paisner@cartwheelcare.org
$1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will help Cartwheel scale access to care in rural and underserved communities through 2028
CHICAGO — August 26, 2026 — Cartwheel Care, a telehealth mental health provider for K-12 schools, today announced plans to expand access to care for up to 100,000 students across Illinois, supported by a $1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). The additional funding builds on an existing partnership between Cartwheel and BCBSIL, following a year of strong engagement and clinical outcomes. Cartwheel currently serves 40 Illinois school districts, and the grant will help expand services further into rural and underserved communities across the state through 2028. Mental health needs among Illinois students remain high. According to data from Lurie Children’s Hospital, approximately 50% of Illinois youth (ages 2–17) have experienced worsening mental health symptoms in recent years. At the same time, access to care has not kept pace: more than 80 of Illinois’ 102 counties have no practicing child psychiatrist, and the shortage is most acute in rural areas, where families often wait months for an appointment or travel significant distances for care. Cartwheel’s telehealth model is designed to remove the access barriers rural families face, like long waitlists and the need to travel to see a provider. By partnering with schools, Cartwheel provides licensed, Illinois-based clinicians with no waitlist, accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid, and reaches kids and families where they already are, without requiring them to find or travel to an outside provider. “Every student experiences mental health challenges differently, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting them,” said Dr. Juliana Chen, chief medical officer at Cartwheel. “Our goal is to meet students and families where they are, with practical support that helps them build skills, strengthen relationships, and feel more confident navigating challenges at school and at home. BCBSIL’s support is what allows us to bring that care to more Illinois communities.” “Supporting the health and well-being of Illinois youth is critical to building stronger communities,” said Brian Snell, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. “The results we’ve seen through our partnership with Cartwheel demonstrate the impact that timely, accessible mental health services can have for students and families. This investment will help bring those services to even more communities across our state.” To date, four Illinois districts have received Cartwheel’s services through this grant: Steger SD 194 in Cook County and Will County, Troy CCSD 30-C in Will County, Mattoon CUSD 2 in Coles County, and Wolf Branch SD #113 in St. Clair County. In the first year of the program, more than 200 students were referred for care and completed more than 1,000 telehealth sessions. Appointments were scheduled in the same week with no waitlist. Sixty-eight percent of students served were covered by Medicaid or uninsured. Overall, 73% of students showed meaningful improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms on standard clinical screeners (GAD-7/PHQ-9). Additional districts where Cartwheel services are launching this fall include Litchfield CUSD #12, Panhandle CUSD #2, Leyden High School District #212, and Regional Office of Education #40. With the support of this grant, Cartwheel expects to expand into another 30 to 50 school districts, bringing access to care to a total of 100,000 students across Illinois. “Before this partnership, getting a student connected to care could take months,” said Jeffrey Peterson, director of student services & records at Troy CCSD 30-C. “Now our counselors can refer a student, know they’ll be seen within days, and are seeing real improvements as a result.” Through the grant, Cartwheel provides individual and family therapy, parent guidance, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, and specialized care programs for challenges like school avoidance, social media use, and intense emotions and behavior challenges. As reported in Illinois Policy, in 2025 about 25% of Illinois students missed at least 10% of the school year and this was more severe among low-income students, with 35.1% in that group chronically absent. Cartwheel’s school avoidance program delivers evidence-based care designed specifically for students struggling with school avoidance. In partnership with Cartwheel, Peoria Public Schools saw a 62% reduction in absences per student, along with decreases in suspensions and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Illinois school districts that want to learn more about this opportunity for the upcoming school year should visit: www.cartwheel.org/illinois. About Cartwheel Cartwheel is the nation’s largest and most trusted telehealth provider for K-12 schools, students, and families. Cartwheel partners with 350 school districts across 15 states to deliver comprehensive mental health services to students, families, and school staff. Founded in 2022 by educators and clinicians, Cartwheel combines evidence-based clinical care with technology to ensure every child has access to high-quality mental health support. Cartwheel accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid and provides care at no cost to uninsured families. For more information visit: www.cartwheel.org. About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the largest health insurer in Illinois, serving nine million members and operating in all 102 Illinois counties. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at bcbsil.com and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 24, 2026 Media Contact Information: Mather Institute Cindy Droog, president, Sabo PR (616) 717-8654 cindy@sabo-pr.com
Free online tool by Mather Institute supports local planning, partnership and investments
EVANSTON, Illinois – Chicago has a new tool to help understand where neighborhood conditions support social wellness among older adults – and where thoughtful investment and partnership may expand opportunities. Mather Institute launched a first-of-its-kind free Social Wellness Map, which scores the 77 community areas in Chicago on social wellness – a measure of feeling connected with others and with a community – for adults 55 and better. Previous research shows strong social ties are one of the most important predictors of a happy and long life, and that neighborhoods and communities shape how people interact, support one another and build shared identity. Mather Institute developed the map in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago. Designed as a planning and advocacy resource, the interactive map can help policymakers, community organizations, funders, planners and service providers explore local patterns, identify assets and consider where new investments may have the greatest benefit for older adults. “Social wellness is a crucial, yet often overlooked, part of healthy aging,” said Cate O’Brien, MPH, Ph.D., chief transformation officer at Mather Institute. “Because every community contains diverse histories, people and experiences, the map is intended to inform – not replace – local knowledge. The most useful next step is conversation. When organizations bring this data together with resident voices, they can better understand what is already working and what could be most beneficial to older adults and their communities.” The map is based on a new survey of more than 4,000 Chicago residents age 55 and better, combined with public data on community conditions, including walkability, economic factors and access to gathering places such as libraries, churches and community centers. Factors such as crime, lack of local businesses and poverty can hinder social wellness, but don’t tell the whole story. Users can view a side-by-side comparison of communities to explore how social wellness relates to health, happiness, income and other factors. Key findings include:
“Community leaders often have deep local knowledge, but need data to support the case for programs, funding and partnerships,” said Jennifer L. Smith, Ph.D., vice president of Mather Institute. “The Social Wellness Map offers another lens for understanding older adults’ experiences and for turning local insight into action.” High social wellness scores were not confined to one part of Chicago or to its wealthiest areas, suggesting that other factors such as neighborhood identity, belonging and longstanding social ties are also important to connection. Chatham emerged as a notable example, with a social wellness score of 8.14 out of 10, illustrating social wellness reflects aspects of community life beyond economic and safety indicators alone. Beverly received the highest community connectability score: 100 out of 100. Beverly is notable for its low crime rates, a strong family culture and several longstanding community gathering places. Jefferson Park stood out for having community conditions that support connection such as accessible transit, retail activity and established cultural gathering places. The map is free to use and does not require user registration. It can be explored at: https://www.matherinstitute.com/social-wellness-map/
About Mather and Mather Institute
Based in Evanston, Illinois, Mather is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1941 that is dedicated to a vision of changing the way society views aging. Mather creates Ways to Age Well℠ through programs, places and residences for today’s older adults. These include developing and operating communities that support older adults in pursuing wellness and fulfillment; sparking creativity and connections for older adults in Chicagoland and beyond; and through Mather Institute, conducting research and incubating innovation to help all live and age well.
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