Commentary: The Chicago City Council has new committees. Now it’s time to reform their staffing. – Chicago Tribune*

"That same audit also revealed what most council watchers already knew: Committee staff members are frequently assigned to work on noncommittee tasks, including constituent services in the chair’s ward...Aldermen should take a page from other legislatures, including those of most other major American cities: Eliminate the practice of individual committees hiring their own staff and instead budget for aides, legal counsel, financial analysts and other professional support staff assigned to a centralized legislative support office."